A History of Giving Back and Caring: The Mount Sinai Tradition

Abstract

The Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine has a long history of sharing knowledge with our neighboring community. In the past, medical education was considered a right and a privilege limited to the health professions. However, no career should have a monopoly on knowledge of the body. As scientist‐educators, our mission is to generate and disseminate knowledge. Outreach education to the lay community is a natural extension of that obligation. Our Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology has spearheaded several educational programs that bring the community to the medical school for learning opportunities specifically focused on anatomy. Demonstrations are performed in our anatomy laboratory, where human cadaveric material can be safely displayed and touched by gloved hands. The experience is particularly memorable because the material is real, and the learning is kinesthetic. Students never forget the experience of holding a real human brain or heart in their hands. Viewing diseased organs successfully compliments and reinforces behavioral modification lessons taught in their school's curriculum, such as the harm inflicted by tobacco exposure or alcohol abuse.