Mount Sinai Health System Names New Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine
Renowned sports medicine expert Joseph Herrera, DO, has been named System Chair for the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System, with his new role to begin on July 1, 2016.
Dr. Herrera, who is currently the Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI), will replace Kristjan T. Ragnarsson, MD, who is stepping down after 30 remarkable years leading the department. Dr. Herrera specializes in sports-related injuries, electro-diagnostic studies, fluoroscopic guided spine and joint interventions, and use of ultrasound for diagnosis and guided treatments.
“I am both excited and humbled by the opportunity to serve as System Chair for the Mount Sinai Health System,” said Dr. Herrera. “I would like to thank Dr. Ragnarsson for his leadership, passion and outstanding achievements during his many years at Mount Sinai. Under his leadership, Mount Sinai has participated in ground-breaking clinical trials in physical and rehabilitation medicine, including technological advances for paralyzed individuals. I look forward to continuing his excellent and meaningful work.”
As the Director of the Department’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency program since 2008, Dr. Herrera has developed an excellent training experience for his house staff. At Phillips Ambulatory Care Center at MSBI, he recently rolled out the first Apos Therapy program in Manhattan to treat knee and back pain. Under his leadership, MSBI is one of the first locations in New York to offer this novel service.
“Dr. Herrera is an exceptional physician and an innovative leader in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. He will be an extraordinary mentor for the next generation of physiatrists at Mount Sinai and around the globe,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System.
Dr. Herrera is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation as well as in sports medicine. He is also the director for and creator of Mount Sinai’s accredited Sports Medicine and Interventional Spine Fellowship Program, which was the first of its kind in New York City, and is now one of only 19 accredited programs nationwide.
Dr. Herrera earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at the School of Osteopathic Medicine of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Following internship at Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, he pursued his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, serving as Chief Resident. Dr. Herrera completed his training with a fellowship in interventional spine and sports medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He was appointed to the full-time faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine in 2005.
Through an appointment to the New York State Athletic Commission and as Chief Team Physician for USA Boxing Metro, Dr. Herrera has an opportunity to treat and evaluate amateur and professional athletes. He has received the Rocky Marciano Physician of the Year Award for excellence in Sports Medicine. Dr. Herrera lectures regularly at the Association of Academic Physiatrists national conferences.
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.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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