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Curriculum and Housing Update - Fall 2020/21

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Dear students of Class of 2024,

After carefully tracking city, state and national data, and monitoring the CDC’s recommendations, we are writing to inform you that we have made the difficult decision to conduct your first semester of the first year of medical school remotely. We expect that your in-person curriculum at Mount Sinai will begin in the second semester. This was not an easy decision and we do not underestimate the disappointment that you likely feel. Our decision prioritizes your health and our collective public responsibility to curtail the risk of infection.

While the number of new COVID-19 cases has come down dramatically in New York State and there are only a handful of patients with COVID-19 in the Mount Sinai Hospital System, the rest of the country is experiencing surges, with recommendations around travel, testing, and quarantine evolving rapidly. All of this means that our new ‘normal’ includes social distancing, face coverings, testing and symptom tracking and remote interactions whenever possible.

In addition to remote learning, we are faced with the public health imperative of reducing the population density of Aron Hall as low as possible to promote effective social distancing and reduce the risk of exposure. In doing so, we will also avoid unnecessarily delaying educational plans because of potential exposure leading to required quarantine or isolation. As a result, you will not be receiving an Aron Hall housing assignment. Students who have been assigned to couples and family housing outside of Aron Hall have the option to keep their housing assignment, but all students are strongly encouraged not to arrive on campus for the fall semester. An appeals process will be established to carefully consider extraordinary circumstances and will be shared with you soon.

We remain dedicated to your educational, professional and personal development. Many of our student services and community building programs have been successfully delivered remotely since March. We look forward to introducing these services to you during the mandatory Orientation program from August 10-14 which will be delivered remotely, and building new opportunities with you based on your interests and ideas. Our intention is to ensure that we come together despite our physical distance.

Our extracurricular offerings are a great strength of training at ISMMS. We will continue to provide you with these opportunities in research, advocacy, community service, and the humanities. Look out for more information from the Medical Student Research Office, the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership, the Human Rights Program, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the Academy of Medicine and the Humanities, and much more.

In closing, you have chosen a medical school that is committed to your success and maximum potential in an environment that sets equity and your well-being as our highest priorities. We will not waiver from these priorities, and hold ourselves to the same standard for your peers, as well as the staff and faculty who support your learning.

We will be sending you weekly updates and FAQs every Friday leading up to Orientation, and are available if you need us, student.affairs@mssm.edu. Your next class town hall is scheduled for July 29 at 4pm. We would like to hear from you! If you have questions please submit them HERE and we will use them to frame our FAQs and town hall presentations.

Let’s continue working together to ensure that we all stay safe, healthy, and on track.

The Department of Medical Education