Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank’s gift is his second to Mount Sinai’s Department of Urology
The Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $1 million grant from The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.Â
This gift and a previous gift of $500,000 from The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will fund the Prostate Cancer Program at Mount Sinai, founded by Ash Tewari, MBBS, Chair of the Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System and the Kyung Hyun Kim, MD Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The program’s mission is to advance immunotherapy and personalized genomic vaccine trials aimed at treating prostate cancer.Â
“The work being done by Mount Sinai has forever changed the course of research and medicine,†said Mr. Blank, Chairman of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and member of the Urology Department’s Chairman’s Board. “I feel beyond fortunate to have been one of the lives saved because of their work and will continue to be a champion for their efforts.†Â
“We are tremendously grateful to Arthur Blank for his support in advancing our understanding of prostate cancer,†said Dr. Tewari. “From the laboratory to the clinic, the Prostate Cancer Program at Mount Sinai will enhance our treatment of this disease at all stages.â€
The donation comes on the heels of the 2019 International Prostate Cancer and Urology Symposium at The Mount Sinai Hospital. The three-day program featured lectures from more than 100 urologists, surgeons, oncologists, and mid-level providers who offered in-depth training and instruction. The Prostate Cancer Research Gala was the kickoff event of the symposium. Â Mr. Blank and Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology) and Director of Immunotherapy at The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, were honored for their contributions to prostate cancer research.
The Department of Urology at the Mount Sinai Health System has more than 190 urologists on staff, more than any other health care system in New York City. Last year, its researchers published results in more than 176 scientific journals. Its robotic surgery program is among the most robust in the country. Genomic testing and advanced imaging are routine for patients with prostate cancer, providing personalized and precise treatment protocols.Â
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City’s largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai’s vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools”, aligned with a U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report’s “Honor Roll” of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation’s top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics in the 2019-2020 “Best Hospitals” issue. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West are ranked 23rd nationally for Nephrology and 25th for Diabetes/Endocrinology, and Mount Sinai South Nassau is ranked 35th nationally for Urology. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai South Nassau are ranked regionally.
About The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
Formed in 1995, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation promotes innovative solutions to transform the lives of youth and their families, seeking results that move communities beyond what seems possible today. The Foundation invests in education, parks and greenspace, youth development, community redevelopment, and the arts, and leads giving programs for each of the Blank Family of Businesses, including the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, PGA TOUR Superstore, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, West Creek Ranch, and Paradise Valley Ranch. Mr. Blank, chairman of the Foundation, co-founded The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, in 1978 and retired from the company as co-chairman in 2001. Through the foundation and his family’s personal giving, Mr. Blank has granted more than $425 million to various charitable organizations.
For more information about The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, visit www.blankfoundation.org or follow on Facebook @BlankFamilyFoundation or Instagram and Twitter @BlankFoundation.
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