Our Residents | Icahn School of Medicine

Residents of the six-year Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency Program (I6) join Mount Sinai from around the world. Participants are attracted to our program for a variety of reasons, including the sub-specialties offered, the hands on method of teaching, access to global experts, and being a part of one of the top-ranked health systems in the country. Below, are quotes from residents sharing their reasons for choosing the program at Mount Sinai and what they value most.

PGY	Name	Medical School	Why did you choose Mount Sinai?
PGY-1	Akosua Frimpong, MD	Cooper Medical School of Rowan University	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? I chose Mount Sinai because of the wide range and complexity of cardiac, thoracic and endovascular cases, and the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population as well as great surgeons.
PGY-1	Mohamed Abdullah, MBBCH	Cairo University School of Medicine	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? I was intrigued by the impressive complexity of cases, and the faculty who are exceptional leaders in their respective fields with enthusiasm to educate. Expeditious progress to surgical independence is second to none. Academic and technical skills among the trainees are outstanding and we all have a fantastic camaraderie.
PGY-2	Armita Kabirpour, MD	Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? Integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency at Mount Sinai is one of the few training programs in the country that offers such a high volume of extremely complicated cardiac and thoracic cases. The opportunity to train in this academically rich environment under the mentorship of world-famous surgeons is a dream come true. Early exposure to cardiac surgery and the pre and post-operative care of complicated patients is another exceptional opportunity that is unique to Mount Sinai.
PGY-2	Erick Sun, MD	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? In looking for a training program, Mount Sinai stood out to me for its extensive depth and breadth of cardiothoracic surgical exposure. Across the spectrum of adult cardiac, congenital, and thoracic surgery the program offers us the unique opportunity to develop as trainees under the guidance of expert surgeons in the field.
PGY-3	Timothy Lee, MD	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? Mount Sinai is one of the world's leading cardiothoracic surgery programs, and I knew I would gain an excellent clinical training and learn to care for complex patients in each subspecialty. It is also a highly academic program with opportunities to produce research that change guidelines. Finally, I love NYC and I cannot think of a better place to live and become a cardiothoracic surgeon.
PGY-3	Javier O. Mejia, MD	Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? There are only a few centers that help shape the face of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. The opportunity to train in such an environment, under the close tutelage of thought leaders within the field, has a profound impact on the doctor and surgeon one becomes, and was an opportunity I could not pass up.
PGY-4	Sophia L. Alexis, MD	Medical School Albany Medical College	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? Mount Sinai is truly a pioneer in Cardiothoracic Surgery. There are few programs with robust training exposure to complex surgeries such as the Ross Procedure, re-operative mitral valve repair, and mechanical support device implantation. The pathology we see as a quaternary center gives us a wide breadth of experience. This program has additionally provided me with mentorship that has been a catalyst in my clinical cardiac surgery research.
PGY-5	Lilyanne Chen, MD	Tulane University Medical School	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? The Cardiothoracic Surgery department at Mount Sinai operates an enormous repertoire of cardiac and thoracic cases, which offers us great training with the most expert surgeons in the world.
PGY-5	Nana Toyoda, MD, PhD	Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? Mount Sinai provides you great opportunities to experience a significant volume and wide variety of cases in cardiothoracic surgery. Mount Sinai also leads the world in academia. To be a top-level academic cardiothoracic surgeon, this is where you should be.
PGY-6	Aarti Patil, MBBS	Rajiv Gandhi Medical College, India	Why did you choose Mount Sinai? In a world of constant evolution, I want to be a well-rounded Cardiac surgeon at the end of my training. At Mount Sinai I have the opportunities to train in every aspect of Cardiac surgery – mitral, aortic, heart failure, coronary bypass, endovascular techniques. My training has been well balanced between all aspects of patient care as well as academics, and has allowed me to grow as both - a doctor and a surgeon.