Will retire at the end of his current term on June 30; Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, appointed interim dean
New York, NY, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mount Sinai Health System announced today that it will recognize Dennis S. Charney, MD, the outgoing Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for 18 years of leadership and service at its 40th annual Crystal Party, Tuesday, May 20, at Pier Sixty, 60 Chelsea Piers. Dr. Charney is one of the longest-serving deans of any medical school nationwide and will step down as Dean on Monday, June 30. He will remain on the faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to continue his research and teaching.
Dr. Charney, a preeminent expert in neurobiology who has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of human anxiety, fear, depression, and resilience, has played a key role in the discovery of new treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. He was recently named one of the 2025 TIME 100 Health Most Influential People in Health for his breakthrough treatments for depression.
“It has been my immense pleasure to lead this school and to be entrusted with shaping the vision and mission that has elevated Mount Sinai’s standing in academic medicine,” said Dr. Charney. “None of that would have been possible without the contributions of our faculty, staff, and students, all of whom have made serving the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai the greatest joy of my professional life. I look forward to seeing how the School will build on what we have created together.”
Under Dr. Charney’s leadership, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has advanced its reputation as an international leader in biomedical, scientific, and public health education, research, and clinical care. He recruited brilliant faculty members across the biomedical sciences, computational biology, and information technology, fostering a culture of innovation and scientific risk-taking. He also established more than two dozen interdisciplinary research institutions, fueling collaborations and investigations that have resulted in life-changing breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease, gastrointestinal disease, and psychiatric illness.
In addition to these achievements, Dr. Charney achieved dramatic growth in funding from the National Institutes of Health, which reached half a billion dollars in annual support in 2024, placing the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai No. 11 among medical schools and in the 99th percentile among U.S. private medical schools for research funding per principal investigator. He built the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai into the largest graduate medical program in the country, with more than 2,600 residents and clinical fellows. He also established partnerships with the Hasso Plattner Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook to develop digital health products that are advancing precision medicine for the benefit of patients around the world.
Dr. Charney was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000 and has been honored with every major award in his field for his scientific research. He received the Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorder Research in 2019 and the Rhoda & Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. He is a co-inventor of Ketamine, a rapidly acting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antidepressant marketed as SPRAVATO™, has been hailed as one of the most exciting developments in antidepressant therapy in more than half a century. He is also the co-inventor of the first prescription digital therapeutic, marketed as Rejoyn, and approved by FDA for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).
“Dennis Charney’s legacy as one of the greatest transformational leaders in the history of academic medicine is well established and impressive. Through his efforts, he has put in place the people and resources that will ensure that the Icahn School of Medicine continues to excel in our mission to educate and train the physicians and scientists who will develop cutting-edge medical approaches to the greatest health challenges we face. We are grateful for all he has done for the School and the Health System,” said Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair of the Mount Sinai Health System.
“I always knew Dennis Charney would be a transformative leader,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Executive Vice Chairman, Boards of Trustees, and former President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System. “His outside-the-box thinking, not restricted by tradition or a traditional leadership philosophy, and his thoughtfulness and strength would make him a steady leader to guide the School to greatness. He created a unique place of learning, teaching, and research, and I have been proud to be his partner and friend on this journey.”
“Dennis Charney is a visionary leader who has transformed the Icahn School of Medicine by creating an entrepreneurial capability inside our school where clinical and basic science research innovation thrive,” said Richard A. Friedman and James S. Tisch, Co-Chairs of the Mount Sinai Health System Boards of Trustees. “He will be remembered as a pioneer who found a new bold and successful strategy for our school.”
Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, has been appointed Interim Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. One of the world’s leading experts on the molecular mechanisms of drug addiction and depression, Dr. Nestler has been Dean for Academic Affairs of the Icahn School of Medicine and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System since 2016. He has authored more than 750 publications and five books, and his work has been recognized with the Wilbur Cross Distinguished Alumnus Medal from Yale University and the Peter Seeburg Prize in Integrative Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience. He has been a member of the National Academy of Medicine since 1998 and was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that a scientist can achieve, recognizing individuals for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
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 seven 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, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.
CONTACT: Mount Sinai Press Office Mount Sinai Press Office newsmedia@mssm.edu
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