Recognized Epidemiologist and Global Women’s Health Expert Join The Arnhold Institute for Global Health Faculty
Appointments Strengthen Institute’s Efforts to Improve Health of People and Communities Locally and Abroad
The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai today announced the appointment of two new members to its faculty: Duncan Maru, MD, PHD, an epidemiologist and physician trained in internal medicine and pediatrics who conducts research on strategies to improve the delivery of evidence-based healthcare interventions in settings of extreme poverty, and Sheela Maru, MD, MPH, a physician in obstetrics and gynecology who has been engaged with improving the healthcare of women around the globe.
“The Arnhold Institute is excited to welcome Sheela and Duncan to our community,” said Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, Director of The Arnhold Institute for Global Health and Chair of the Department of Health System Design and Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Their diversity of experiences and perspectives, and passion will be instrumental as the Institute moves forward with our mission designs, accelerates, and replicates health care models that put people first and drive meaningful impacts on health and wellbeing.”
“We pleased to welcome Sheela and Duncan, two physicians with a unique and diverse experience in the field of global health,” 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. “Their expertise will be a significant asset to The Arnhold Institute for Global Health as they continue their mission to strengthen community health systems for all people.”
Dr. Sheela Maru, Assistant Professor at Icahn School of Medicine, comes to Mount Sinai from Boston University Medical Center (BMC) where she was an attending physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Section of Global Health and the Refugee Women's Health Clinic. Sheela has been engaged with improving healthcare for rural women in South Asia through her work with Nyaya Health Nepal and Possible, a non-governmental organization that delivers healthcare through public-private partnership agreements with the Government of Nepal. She hopes to continue and deepen her work with Nyaya Health Nepal and Possible, with a focus on reproductive, maternal, adolescent and child health, community health workers, and group care, and aims to expand collaborations between Mount Sinai, Possible, and the government of Nepal. Additionally, Sheela will work in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Elmhurst Hospital and explore further collaborations with the Arnhold Institute in community of Queens. She hopes to both learn from and contribute to ongoing conversations about the connections and tensions between "local" and "global" health. In her work at Boston University, she designed a curriculum in global women's health for residents and medical students and helped start grand rounds in Global Health for residents. She has mentored fellows in global women's health who worked in Kenya and Nepal. She has conducted trainings on refugee and trauma-informed care, female genital mutilation, and advocacy efforts. Her interests also include designing courses for medical providers in narrative medicine.
Dr. Duncan Maru, Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine, is co-founder of the non-profit Possible, a unique public-private partnership with the Nepali government that develops and tests innovations in integrated health care delivery systems and provides hospital and home-based care to 150,000 patient each year. His research will continue to focus on communities in rural Nepal and expanding the work of Possible which has 350 full-time employees. Dr. Maru will also have appointments within the Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine.
About The Arnhold Institute for Global Health
The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, seeks to improve the health of people and the communities they live in, both in the United States and abroad. The Arnhold Institute serves as a global arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, leading research on the design of more equitable and effective care models that are disseminated through digital products, training systems and input on policy design.
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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