Mount Sinai Doctor Joins Celebrity Campaign for Medical Research Funding
Sam E. Gandy, MD, PhD, Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, was photographed for GQ magazine as part of a "Rock Stars of Science" public service campaign.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Sam E. Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., joined rock celebrities Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, hip-hop artist and X-Men Origins: Wolverine co-star Will.i.am., Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, and Seal for a designer menswear photo shoot as a "Rock Star of Science" in the June issue of GQ Magazine, available nationally on May 25. Dr. Gandy, Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, traded in his lab coat for the launch of "Rock Stars of Science" (ROCK S.O.S.). This new public service campaign, sponsored by GEOFFREY BEENE GIVES BACK and GQ Magazine, spotlights the need for greater funding for medical research and shows how important science is as a career choice for tomorrow’s stars.
We have always known that science doesn’t seem as cool as rock and roll, said Dr. Gandy. "But the funding for medical research is in danger and it’s time to change that image and raise awareness."
Dr. Gandy is an international expert in the metabolism of the sticky substance called amyloid, which clogs the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In 1989, Gandy and his team discovered the first drugs that could lower formation of amyloid. Dr. Gandy has written more than 150 original papers, chapters and reviews on this topic. He has received continuous NIH funding for his research on amyloid metabolism since 1986. This funding is vital to important medical breakthroughs that improve and save lives.
In addition to showcasing Dr. Gandy’s work, ROCK S.O.S. will focus on other scientists and their breakthrough research in areas like cancer, HIV-AIDS, heart disease, and advances in genetics and personalized medicine. The campaign will also be supported by a website www.rockstarsofscience.org, to be launched on June 1, 2009. The site will profile the scientists, their teams and research institutions.
ROCK S.O.S. is sponsored by the designer menswear brand, GEOFFREY BEENE. One hundred percent of net profits from GEOFFREY BEENE, LLC fund philanthropic causes.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation’s oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care. Last year, nearly 50,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients, and there were nearly 450,000 outpatient visits to the Medical Center.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a leader in groundbreaking clinical and basic-science research, as well as having an innovative approach to medical education. With a faculty of more than 3,400 in 38 clinical and basic science departments and centers, Mount Sinai ranks among the top 20 medical schools in receipt of National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
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