Table of Contents

Preface

Part I. Policies and Procedures

• Chapter 1 - Academic Policies

• Chapter 2 - Administrative and Financial Policies

• Chapter 3 - Enrollment and Registration

• Chapter 4 - Student Affairs and Services for Graduate Students

Part II. Programs of Study

• Chapter 1 - PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience

• Chapter on Multidisciplinary Training Areas

• Chapter 2 - MD/PhD Program

• Chapter 3 - Clinical Research Education and MD-MSCR/Portal Program

• Chapter 4 - MS in Biomedical Sciences (MSBS)

• Chapter 5 - MS in Biomedical Data Science (MSBDS)

• Chapter 6 - MS in Biostatistics

• Chapter 7 - MS in Genetic Counseling

• Chapter 8 - MS in Healthcare Delivery Leadership (MSHCDL)

• Chapter 9 - Master in Health Administration (MHA)

• Chapter 10 - Graduate Program in Public Health

Part I. of the Student Handbook covers the institutional polices, procedures, and resources for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this section.

• Chapter 1 - Academic Policies

• Chapter 2 - Administrative and Financial Policies

• Chapter 3 - Enrollment and Registration

• Chapter 4 - Student Affairs and Services for Graduate Students

Failure to adhere to ISMMS’s standards of academic integrity will be treated as serious offenses, inconsistent with the goals and activities of the academic environment. Breaches of academic integrity will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the School. Some examples of unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to:

• Cheating: Cheating includes using unauthorized notes, study aids, or information derived from any source, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, on an examination or submitted work; altering a graded work after it has been returned, then submitting the work for re-grading; allowing another person or AI tool to do one's work and submitting that work under one's own name; submitting identical or similar papers for credit in more than one course without prior permission from the course instructors.

• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another person or language generated from AI/electronic based tools as your own on any submitted work regardless of whether or not that work is in final form. This includes collaborating with another on an assignment or assessment without the explicit permission of the course director. Work of others must be clearly delineated from your work and properly attributed using standard methods. If you have any questions about methods of properly citing sources, you should consult with the course director.

• Computer code and open-source code: Written computer code is considered the same as any other written document and as such it is also subject to this plagiarism policy. Unless explicitly stated by the course director, you may not use any code from other sources in your programming. When permission is given by a course director to use another’s code, it must be properly attributed using inline comments bracketing the borrowed code and the source of the material must be stated explicitly. Use of code libraries and/or AI tools is permissible only if specifically indicated in WRITTEN course information (e.g., the course syllabus or related documents) or approved by a PI in case of a thesis and with proper citation/attribution.

• Fabrication: Fabrication is falsifying or inventing any information, data, or citation; presenting data not gathered in accordance with standard guidelines defining the appropriate methods for collecting or generating data; utilizing AI/electronic based tools to create/generate information, data sets, or citations unless such information, data sets or citations are clearly individually identified as AI-generated; and failing to include an accurate account of the method by which the data were gathered or collected.

• Obtaining an Unfair Advantage: Students should not engage in (a) stealing, reproducing, circulating or otherwise gaining access to examination materials prior to the time authorized by the instructor; (b) stealing, destroying, defacing or concealing library materials with the purpose of depriving others of their use; (c) unauthorized collaborating on an academic assignment (d) retaining, possessing, using or circulating previously given examination materials, where those materials clearly indicate that they are to be returned to the instructor at the conclusion of the examination; (e) intentionally obstructing or interfering with another student's academic work, or (f) otherwise undertaking activity with the purpose of creating or obtaining an unfair academic advantage over other students' academic work.

• Aiding and Abetting Academic Dishonesty: This includes (a) providing material, information, or other assistance to another person with knowledge that such aid could be used in any of the violations stated above, or (b) providing false information in connection with any inquiry regarding academic integrity.

• Falsification of Records and Official Documents: Falsification of records and official documents is altering documents that affect academic records; forging signatures of authorization or falsifying information on an official academic document, grade report, letter of permission, petition, drop/add form, ID card, or any other official University document.

• Unauthorized Access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems: This includes viewing or altering computer records, modifying computer programs or systems, releasing or dispensing information gained via unauthorized access, or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems or information.

• Writing, Revision, Editing Assistance on Thesis Proposal or Thesis: All graded essays, papers, and problems, and all written materials submitted as part of the Thesis Proposal or the Thesis, must be entirely the work of the individual student or referenced appropriately. Even editing (e.g. syntax assistance for foreign students, use of AI tools) should be sought only if explicit permission is obtained.

• False Identity: Distance Education students will be subject to student identity verification processes intermittently throughout the online experience. Students are expected to fully and truthfully comply with all requests for information that verify identity.

• Sharing of test information: such as questions and answers through messaging apps, social media platforms, or other digital formats.

If faculty observe or have knowledge of students engaging in any of the above-mentioned activities, the faculty member should, depending on the circumstances, discuss the matter with the student at once. Students and faculty who know or suspect that any of the above-mentioned activities have occurred must report the matter immediately and in writing to the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs of the Graduate School. The Senior Associate Dean will consult with the student’s Program Director and the Course Director to review the allegation of academic misconduct. If this review finds merit to the suspected breach of academic integrity, the matter will be referred to the program specific discipline committee for a full investigation and to determine appropriate action. If the program does not have its own disciplinary review process, the matter will be referred to the Graduate School Committee for Academic Review. Appropriate action could include academic probation, suspension, or dismissal. If it is determined that the student has been involved in any form of academic misconduct on a course assignment or assessment, the student may receive an F for the assignment or assessment.

If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the academic review process, he/she/they are required to submit a written appeal as detailed in the section on the Committee for Academic Review.

Reporting and Consulting Mechanisms

Students can learn about the process of reporting mistreatment on the Mistreatment and Unprofessional Behaviors Directed at Students and Trainees website.

Students can report mistreatment through the ISMMS Experience Report.

Students and trainees may seek advice and guidance about how to handle mistreatment and unprofessional behaviors directed at them and are encouraged to formally report these incidents. There are several ways for learners to share their concerns, including through real-time reporting mechanisms and mechanisms for periodic review (course evaluations or periodic surveys). All reports, whether made in real-time or during periodic review, must be submitted via the Feedback Form or as specified on this page. Reports will be reviewed by the respective office that oversees the learner/trainee. The person submitting a real-time report can also designate whether he or she wants to have the concern addressed immediately or to delay the review until a period of time has passed. Anonymous reports of mistreatment and unprofessional conduct may be submitted; however, Mount Sinai’s ability to investigate an anonymous report may be limited. Reports of alleged mistreatment and unprofessional behavior directed at students and trainees will be reviewed and handled in a timely manner. Seeking advice or guidance is not considered filing a report. Reports may only be made through the Feedback Form referenced above or the avenues specified on this page.

Mount Sinai prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination is located at Title IX | Icahn School of Medicine (mssm.edu).

Protection for Retaliation

Retaliation against or intimidation of any individual who seeks advice, raises a concern, or reports unprofessional misconduct or mistreatment in good faith will not be tolerated. Anyone who deliberately makes a false accusation with the purpose of harming or retaliating against another member of the ISMMS community will be investigated and appropriately addressed.

Contact Information

Compliance Hotline: 800-853-9212

GME Office: 212-241-6694

Office of Human Resources: 212-241-4097

Ombuds Office: 212-659-8848

Title IX Coordinator: Rebecca Anderson 212-540-8669 or TitleIX@mssm.edu

The School hereby affirms its commitment to the highest ethical standards in the conduct of scientific research, the promotion of original research of high quality, and the importance of academic freedom. It also acknowledges that unethical conduct in research is extremely serious and threatens these principles. The School is, therefore, committed to preventing unethical conduct in research from occurring and, should it occur, to dealing with it swiftly, fairly, and thoroughly. Procedures for handling allegations of misconduct in research are described in detail in the Faculty Handbook (Chapter VI).

Allegations of misconduct in research must be reported to the Institution’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO) who will have primary responsibility for implementation of the institution’s policies and procedures on unethical practices in research. The RIO has general responsibility for overseeing the investigation of all allegations of unethical conduct in research and shall be available to:

• Consult confidentially with persons uncertain about whether to submit an allegation of unethical research practices, and if the allegations do not involve unethical practices in research, refer the individual to other offices with responsibility for resolving the issue.

• Receive allegations of suspected unethical research practices and work with the Research Integrity Committee to determine and pursue the appropriate method for investigating and resolving these allegations.

All incoming students in the following programs:

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience

• MD/PhD

• MS in Biomedical Data Science

• MS in Biomedical Science

• MS in Biostatistics

must compete the Graduate School’s ½-credit Responsible Conduct of Research course in the fall semester of their first year and the ½-credit Rigor and Responsibility course in the spring of their first year. In addition, students in the above programs at Icahn for four years or more must take the Responsible Conduct in Research Refresher course in their fourth year. Students in the Clinical Research Programs, MS in Genetic Counseling, MS in Health Care Delivery Leadership, Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Health and Master of Science in Epidemiology participate in specific research and/or professional ethics courses or other required integrated curricular components, in order to meet the requirement for Responsible Conduct of Research.

This chapter covers the academic policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Academic Integrity

• Policies and Procedures on Ethical Practices in Research

• Responsible Conduct in Research and Rigor and Reproducibility Courses

• Responsibilities of Authors

  • Protecting Whistleblowers

  • Financial Conflict of Interest

• General Rules of Conduct for ISMMS Students

General Policy The Ownership of Research Data policy is an institutional policy that governs issues relating to the ownership and use of research data, reagents, records, protocols, or code. The Handbook section Changes to a Mentor-Mentee Partnership addresses issues regarding data usage and presentation in the context of a mentee changing research mentor(s).

Authorship and Publication of Research Data The Handbook section Policy on Responsibilities of Authors addresses issues relating to authorship and the publication of research data, reagents, records, protocols, or code, including in the context of a research mentor-mentee partnership. The Handbook section Changes to a Mentor-Mentee Partnership addresses issues regarding data usage in connection with publication.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is to train the next generation of leaders in scientific and clinical discovery, innovation, education, health policy, clinical care, and advocacy, in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment.

Statement of Accreditation

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is chartered by Board of Regents of the State of New York and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which is recognized as an institutional accreditor under the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Additionally, all degree-granting programs of the Graduate School have been approved by the New York State Department of Education as having met specific academic quality standards. Where required, programs of the Graduate School also possess program-specific accreditations from national professional societies dedicated to their respective fields, such as The Council on Education for Public Health accreditation for our MPH Program and The Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) for our Genetic Counseling program.

GSBS Statement of Committment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences seeks to redefine “excellence” by promoting a nurturing and supportive environment that allows all members of our community to thrive and to become leaders in the effort to achieve equity in science and medicine. Diversity in our community will stimulate innovation in research, strengthen our education, inspire collaboration and creativity, and address inequities in the practice of scientific research.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE:

To provide the expectations of the general rules of conduct for all ISMMS students.

POLICY:

The general rules of conduct are as follows:

1. All ISMMS students are expected to comply with these General Rules of Conduct. Violations of these General Rules of Conduct shall be referred to the Office of Student Affairs for disposition, which could include the imposition of disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

2. All ISMMS students must obey all federal, state, and local laws.

3. All ISMMS students are expected to behave in a professional manner and are prohibited from conduct that impedes, obstructs, or interferes with the orderly and continuous administration and operation of ISMMS in carrying out its mission as an educational, research, and clinical institution or in the use of its facilities, or that in any way interferes with its rights as a campus proprietor. Such conduct shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

   1. Unreasonable interference with the rights of others.

   2. Intentional theft, damage to or misuse of ISMMS property.

   3. Unauthorized occupancy of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, faculty and administrative offices, patient care facilities, auditoriums, public halls and stairways, recreational areas and any other facilities used by ISMMS (unauthorized occupancy being defined as failure to vacate any such facility when duly requested by the Dean, an Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, or School or Hospital Administrator).

   4. Malicious use of or intentional damage to personal property, including records, papers, and writings of any member of the Mount Sinai Health System community.

   5. Any action or situation that endangers the mental or physical health of others.

   6. Inappropriate use of psychoactive substances.

   7. Any form of hate speech or harassment.

4. All ISMMS students are required to comply with all applicable Mount Sinai policies.

5. ISMMS students should conduct themselves appropriately everywhere on Mount Sinai campuses and at affiliated institutions. Appropriate behavior is particularly critical when participating in patient care or attending any functions at which patients may be present. In small group seminars, as well as during clinical activities, ISMMS students will be evaluated for, among other things, their responsibility, dependability, reliability, maturity, motivation, attitude, honesty, integrity, and ability to relate and interact effectively with others.

6. All ISMMS students are expected to use good judgement, be courteous, respectful, and thoughtful about how others may perceive or be affected by what they do or say. ISMMS students are expected to be cognizant of the fact that incomplete, inaccurate, threatening, harassing, illegally discriminatory, or carelessly worded statements may be harmful to others. Such conduct may damage relationships, undermine Mount Sinai’s brand or reputation, discourage teamwork, and negatively impact ISMMS’s commitment to research, education, patient care, and community service.

7. Equally important is the realization that responsibilities of members of ISMMS students do not end with the member’s own behavior but also include not tolerating inappropriate behavior among others. While formal mechanisms, outlined in other sections and policies, govern any specific allegations of inappropriate behavior, general issues should be able to be discussed freely among peers, faculty, and administration. If you have any concerns, you may discuss them with the appropriate Dean, faculty advisor, Title IX Officer, or the School’s Ombuds Program or you may report the concern through an appropriate reporting portal (e.g., mistreatment portal, SafetyNet, or Corporate Compliance.). Mount Sinai prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. The notice of nondiscrimination is located at Title IX | Icahn School of Medicine (mssm.edu).

8. Violation of these rules of conduct may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from ISMMS.

ISMMS strongly believes in the importance of protecting whistleblowers from retaliation and addressing good faith allegations of such retaliation. Accordingly, the School affirms that it will adhere to any applicable policies and procedures promulgated by federal or other oversight agencies in dealing with such allegations. Whistleblower complaints or complaints of subsequent retaliation may be brought, as appropriate, to the School’s (see Faculty Handbook, Chapter III), (see Faculty Handbook, Chapter III), or Department of Human Resources, or Office of Compliance. Copies of the policies and procedures of the Harassment Grievance Board are available from the Office of the Dean, Reserve Section of the Levy Library, House Staff Affairs Office, the GSBS’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, and Office of Student Affairs. Human Resources policies are available from the Department of Human Resources.

Policy on Responsibilities of Authors

Authors should ensure that a clear designation, delineation, and acceptance of authorship responsibility has been established. For more information, please review .

In addition to adhering to the institutional policy on Authorship, any potential or selected mentors and mentees should discuss the criteria for determining authorship for publications based on data, protocols, or code generated in their laboratory and with collaborators where the mentor(s) is/are the senior author(s). A similar discussion is necessary for determining authorship in studies involving multiple laboratories or consortia. Students with authorship concerns should openly discuss these with their mentor(s). If agreement is not reached, students should seek the advice of their thesis advisory committee and/or MTA directors.

Policy on Data Retention

All original laboratory data books or journals, etc., from which a publication is derived, must be stored in the laboratory for a minimum of six years from the date of publication. If the senior author leaves the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount School before the six-year period elapses, he/she/they will be required to retain and make available, if requested, to ISMMS all these data until the completion of this minimum time period. In the case of large ongoing database related research, the responsible investigator must retain the pertinent mass data storage device (cloud, hard drive, tape, disk, etc., not necessarily in hard copy) containing the data on which a publication is based. The stored data can be used for verification of data, as well as the base for ongoing studies of the same project. In the latter instance, however, a clarifying statement that describes the nature and the composition of the reutilized and incremental data should accompany the publication. The data storage device cannot be reused for unrelated projects. Although it is understood that this rule governing database storage may not be appropriate in all situations, individual modifications must be approved by the Dean. For additional information, please click on the "Research Administration Offices" section in .

As an academic institution, ISMMS has an obligation to assure that its students conduct scientific and clinical research pursuant to the highest standards of ethics, free from any improper external bias. At the same time, ISMMS encourages scientific collaboration with industry and supports collaborative research geared towards developing new and improved diagnostic and therapeutic products. ISMMS appreciates, however, that these economic relationships with industry have the potential for directly and significantly affecting the approval, design, conduct, monitoring or reporting of a research study. Situations can occur in which an independent observer might reasonably conclude that the potential for individual or institutional profit could influence the outcome of a research study. Even in the absence of an actual conflict of interest, such situations may require actions to minimize the appearance of a conflict. Therefore, to safeguard the academic integrity of both ISMMS and its investigators, the institution has adopted a rigorous conflicts policy predicated on full disclosure and appropriate management.

The Policy on Financial Conflict of Interest in Research sets out the requirements for disclosing potential conflicts of interest in research and specifies the procedures for reviewing such disclosures and determining what corrective measures, if any, should be instituted. Furthermore, this policy includes clinical trials that evaluate the safety and efficacy of a drug, medical device or treatment, and research on technology in which the Investigator/Covered Person and/or the Institution has an ongoing financial interest, to the most rigorous review and stringent conditions.

This policy is based on the standards set forth in the federal regulations governing research funded by the Public Health Service (PHS) or the National Science Foundation (NSF) (42 CFR Part 50 Subpart F) and the recommendations promulgated by the Association of Academic Medical Centers.

For more information, please review the complete ISMMS policy on Conflicts of Interest.

This chapter covers the administrative and financial policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Tuition

  • PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience

  • Master's Degree Programs and PhD in Clinical Research

• Funding Package and Direct Compensation

• Financial Assistance and Services

  • Financial Counseling

  • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid

  • Additional Work and Funding Resources

    • Supplemental Work-in-Another-Department (WIOD)

    • Tuition Waivers for Non-Faculty Mount Sinai Employees

    • Work-Study Positions

    • Travel Awards

General Information

Information on program costs and payment terms is available on the website of the Office of Student Financial Services.

The Bursar’s Office, which is a part of the Office of Student Financial Services, maintains student account balances and collects payments for tuition and fees.

All financial obligations must be met by payment deadlines. An outstanding balance will result in a financial hold, which restricts access to future course registration, as well as to other services available to enrolled students, and may result to limitations to access to transcripts and/or diplomas to the extent permitted by law.

Tuition and fees are subject to change without notice by the Board of Trustees.

Students in the PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience programs receive a comprehensive funding package as a component of the admission offer, which includes tuition remission. (Details about this funding package can be found in the Funding Package and Direct Compensation section.)

Tuition rates for these programs are established on a per-credit basis. Although students in these programs are not billed directly for tuition, these rates may be used to calculate tuition charged to fellowships, grants, or other third-party funding sources that cover tuition.

Students in these programs may occasionally be billed by the Bursar’s Office for other fees and are responsible for satisfying any outstanding balances.

General Information

• Students in the PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience programs will receive a comprehensive funding package, which includes direct compensation, tuition remission, and a student health insurance plan. (Note that this direct compensation is sometimes referred to informally as a “stipend.”)

• Exceptions to this financial support package occur when a student has an external award in place that provides for such fundings, in which case funds from the external source may replace part or all of the institutionally-provided financial package.

• Continuation of the financial package is contingent upon maintaining satisfactory progress in the program at all times. The absence of such progress may result in discontinuation of financial support and dismissal from the program.

• For PhD program students, direct compensation will end on the day the student’s dissertation is deposited, and health insurance coverage will end on the last day of the term in which the student deposits. For MD/PhD students, direct compensation will end on the day the student receives their final degree.

• In the case of a research mentor change requiring a new rotation (as outlined in Part II, Chapter 1 “PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience"), the mentee will receive up to 3 months of stipend support from the GSBS to pursue rotations prior to selecting a new laboratory.

Funding Sources

• During a student’s early training, during which time students are completing general program requirements and selecting a research mentor and Multidisciplinary Training Area, the student’s funding package is supported through general Graduate School funds. (The Graduate School funds 100% of the package during the student’s first year and 75% during the second year, unless the student is supported by a training grant or individual fellowship.)

• For the remainder of the student’s time in the PhD program, the student’s research mentor (PI) is responsible for identifying the funding source(s) of the student’s funding package. Research mentors who encounter unexpected difficulty in supporting a trainee’s funding package may contact the Graduate School at gs-admin@mssm.edu about its bridge funding policy.

• Students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their research mentor to identify such funding, especially by applying for individual fellowships from extramural sources.

Additional Funds Upon Receipt of External Fellowships

• Students who apply for and receive an NIH “F” grant, or who receive a federal or non-federal fellowship of comparable stature (e.g. AHA, HHMI, , will receive from the Graduate School an additional $2,000 annually, for the period the award is in effect.

• Research mentors are encouraged to match this $2,000 with an additional $2,000 if lab funding allows. (Matching funds from research mentors must come from a funding source that permits such payments.)

• Students who receive such fellowships should email the Graduate School at gs-admin@mssm.edu to request such payment, attaching the notification of the award and cc-ing their faculty research mentor.

Tuition Rates

With the exception of the MS in Genetic Counseling, these programs charge for tuition on a per-credit-hour basis at the current published rate. The MS in Genetic Counseling program charges a flat tuition rate for the program.

Tuition Refunds Upon Withdrawal from a Course or Program

Students who withdraw from a course and/or from the program after the end of the drop-add registration period will receive a tuition refund based on the institutional tuition refund schedule. Tuition refunds will be calculated based on the date that the Registrar’s Office approves the course withdrawal, leave of absence request, or program withdrawal request. Retroactive requests are not permissible.

Note that dropping course registration may result in an enrollment status change from full-time to part-time. Students may not withdraw from a course after 2/3 of the course is complete. Changing the enrollment status or the number of registered credit hours in a program may have significant academic, immigration, and/or financial consequences. It is recommended that students consult the Office of Student Financial Services and their program advisor before making any changes to their schedule. International students are required to meet with the Office of International Personnel prior to making any enrollment changes. International students risk their F-1 Visa status if not fully compliant with their full-time enrollment requirement while at ISMMS.

For students receiving federal financial aid, the percentage of the period completed, based on class days, will be calculated. The federal government mandates that students who withdraw may only keep the financial aid they have ‘earned’ up until the time of withdrawal. Title IV funds in excess of this amount must be returned by ISMMS and/or the student to the federal government.

No tuition refunds will be granted to students who have been academically and/or administratively dismissed or suspended from the institution.

Throughout the student’s education, the Office of Student Financial Services is available to discuss indebtedness, budgeting, and financial management. Graduating students should be aware of the requirements of the various external student loan programs in which they may have participated. It is important to maintain contact with ISMMS and the appropriate lending institutions, to understand each loan program, and to plan for repayment.

• Entrance Counseling: Student requesting federal student loans must complete online federal entrance counseling. Students are also able to meet with staff in the Office of Student Financial Services for support with financial management and budgeting.

• Exit Counseling: Student loan borrowers are required to complete federal exit counseling prior to graduation or separation from ISMMS. Students are encouraged to schedule a one-on-one debt counseling sessions with the Office of Student Financial Services for more personalized support.

Financial Aid Eligibility

• Financial Aid is managed by the Office of Student Financial Services, and information on the financial aid application process is found on this office’s website.

• Admission to ISMMS is need-blind and not contingent upon a student’s financial profile.

• Degree-seeking students who wish to apply for federal loans to cover the cost of attendance must complete the Institutional Application for Graduate School Students as well as the FAFSA. Applications are required annually.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) refers to the satisfactory of program requirements as established by the Graduate School. Federal regulations require that students receiving federal aid make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in accordance with these standards set by the institution in order to be eligible for federal grants and loans.

The Department of Enrollment Services, in addition to the Graduate School, will assess each student’s academic progress on a term basis. A student who fails to meet one or more of the standards for SAP will be ineligible for financial aid. Students on Academic Probation will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. If a student failed to return to good academic standing after one term, the student will no longer be eligible for financial aid in subsequent terms.

If the Committee for Academic Review and/or Program Academic Committee approves a remediation plan for the student that is no more than one year in length, a student can be placed back on financial aid probation and receive financial aid. Failure to meet the terms of the remediation plan will result in a student’s return to financial aid ineligibility. A student will be removed from financial aid probation and/or be eligible again for financial aid when he/she/they has met SAP. A student who does not meet the SAP requirements by the end of the financial aid probationary period is again ineligible for financial aid.

For all students in all programs, the Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Policy requires the maintenance of a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher as well as timely progress towards the degree. All programs also have Program Specific Satisfactory Academic Progress policies, including their Time-to-Degree Policy and these are detailed in their corresponding section of the Academic Policies Section of this Handbook.

Please see the following pages for information about additional work and funding resources:

• Supplemental Work-in-Another-Department (WIOD)

• Tuition Waivers for Non-Faculty Mount Sinai Employees

• Work-Study Positions

• Teaching Assistantships

• Travel Awards

• Emergency Support Fund

Tuition is charged for all students, including those who are employees of Mount Sinai.

An employee of Mount Sinai who wishes to take a course in the Graduate School must formally register for the course. To register for a course, a student must be either enrolled in a GSBS degree program or registered as a non-matriculant student through the Registrar’s Office.

Certain non-faculty employees of Mount Sinai are eligible for a tuition reimbursement benefit, processed through Human Resources, of up to $2,400 per calendar year. (This benefit is a reimbursement program—not a waiver.) Students who are eligible for this benefit must avail themselves of it prior to requesting any tuition waiver from the Graduate School.

Under certain circumstances, the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences may waive partial or full tuition for one or more courses for a Mount Sinai employee. (For example, a research technician at Mount Sinai who has an interest in pursuing a PhD at Mount Sinai may request a waiver to enroll in a PhD-level course.)

To apply for such a tuition waiver, the employee must obtain a brief written statement of support from the employee’s supervisor, as well as the signature of the Course Director. The student should then submit a written request, with these items attached, addressed to the Dean of the Graduate School, via email to gs-admin@mssm.edu. The request should describe the reasons for enrolling in the course and how it fits into the student’s long-term goals for graduate training. The student also should state whether they will be receiving any other tuition reimbursement for which they are eligible. The deadline to apply for such a waiver from the Graduate School is one week prior to the start of the course.

The maximum number of credits that will be approved for a tuition waiver is 12.

Courses offered by the Master’s in Healthcare Delivery Leadership program (i.e., courses with a HCD course code), are not eligible for a tuition waiver.

All graduate students are eligible for travel award funding, to support their participation in and presentation at major conferences and meetings directly relevant to their academic activities. Specific eligibility and funding criteria vary by program. For students working in a lab under a faculty research mentor, GSBS travel awards are intended to complement support available from the faculty mentor. For additional information, contact the Office of Student Affairs at TheGraduateSchoolOffice@mssm.edu.

Periodically, the Graduate School or one of its programs may have part-time positions available for students who wish to assist with research or administrative work. Such opportunities are typically advertised to students through email announcement.

For such a position, an applicant must be a current student enrolled in a Mount Sinai program that does not pay direct compensation as a part of the program’s funding package. (Students in compensation-bearing programs are typically not eligible for such positions.) Students seeking such positions may not be otherwise employed by Mount Sinai in a non-student position.

In many cases, such positions may be funded by the Federal Work Study (FWS) program. Students must verify eligibility for FWS positions through the Office of Student Financial Services.

Students receiving financial aid should consult with the Office of Student Financial Services before accepting any campus job, to determine whether doing so will affect aid.

International students should consult with the Office of International Personnel to confirm eligibility and possible impact on visa status prior to accepting any type of employment.

PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience

PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience: It is Graduate School policy that all students be supported for the activities involved in their training program and that their program activities represent a full-time commitment. Students with a unique need for securing additional funds should contact the Office of Financial Services for guidance. The Graduate School will try to help find activities that do not conflict with the student's program and also complement the student's educational advancement. If a research mentor helps a student with a unique need to secure additional funds, it is required that the student be assigned specific documentable activities distinct from those involved in the correlated training program.

Any request to pay a student additional funds, or any payment arrangement not otherwise covered in this Handbook, must be approved in advance by the Dean of the Graduate School; such approval should be requested by the faculty member or departmental administrator, by sending an email outlining the proposed arrangement to gs-admin@mssm.edu. Additional detail may be requested of the research mentor or department by the Graduate School. Failure to obtain prior approval will jeopardize the student’s total funding package.

PhD in Clinical Research, all Master’s Degree students, and students in non-degree programs

Students, faculty members, or departmental staff may contact the Graduate School administrative office at gs-admin@mssm.edu with questions about options for special payments to such students, prior to entering into any such arrangement.

Medical Insurance Policy

All graduate students are required to have medical insurance coverage throughout the duration of their enrollment at ISMMS. Students may enroll in the School’s student health insurance plan or provide proof of comparable coverage from another U.S.-based insurance carrier. Students also have the ability to purchase optional student dental and/or vision plans. For continuing students, the Benefits Open Enrollment Period occurs each June. At that time, students have the option the change their student insurance selections for the upcoming academic year. Outside of the Open Enrollment Period, changes in enrollment require the submission of a Qualifying Life Event request to the MSHS Benefits Office. Examples of some approved Qualifying Life Events are the birth of a child, marriage, loss of employment, or loss of parental insurance coverage. Students are required to submit Qualify Life Event request within 30 days of the event. Information is provided in the Student Resources area of Blackboard in the Student Financial Services section. Student insurance plans are terminated upon graduation or separation from ISMMS. Students must be actively enrolled to be eligible for student insurance coverage. For continuing students, the coverage period is July 1st-June 30th.

Immunization Policy

Immunization Policy Immunizations are required for TDaP (if not administered within the past 10 years), Polio (if initial series and booster have not been given), SARS-Cov-2, and an annual influenza vaccine. Proof of immunity must be provided for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, and Hepatitis B. If students do not have proof of immunity to any of the above, they will be required to obtain booster vaccinations as indicated and follow-up titers to verify protection. Annual influenza vaccination is required for all Mount Sinai students and employees, as mandated by the Health System and New York State. Every student must obtain an annual flu vaccine during flu season. Upon enrollment, all ISMMS students must have an annual screening for tuberculosis (PPD skin test or IGRA). Annual TB testing is required of all students and employees at Mount Sinai. Students are responsible for meeting annual tuberculosis screening compliance requirements. Students who are recent converters will be managed appropriately with chest x-rays to rule out the presence of active disease and prophylaxis with medications. Failure to follow appropriate treatment may result in dismissal from the institution. Non-compliance with the above regulations is forwarded to the Registrar for “student health hold” and Program Directors (Graduate School) or the Administrative Director of Student Affairs (Medical School) are notified. Students in the online HCDL MS program are exempt from this requirement.

Dental and Vision Care

Students have the option to elect dental and/or vision coverage at their expense. Policy information is available in the Office of Enrollment Services. The same annual enrollment dates for Medical Coverage enrollment also pertain to Dental and Vision coverage. In addition, ISMMS has a dental clinic that is available to provide emergency and routine services for medical and graduate students at a reduced fee. These services include oral examinations with x-rays and dental cleanings. More extensive services such as root canal therapy, prosthetic and cosmetic dentistry are available for a fixed fee. Students should bring their student ID to identify themselves as a medical or graduate student. It is most effective to visit the clinic in person to arrange a time slot. The dental clinic is located on the second floor of the Annenberg building and can be reached at (212) 241- 7121.

This chapter covers the enrollment and registration policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Pre-Enrollment Policies

• Registrar's Office

• Guidelines for Registration and Cross-Registration

  • Add/Drop

  • Maintenance of Matriculation

  • Full-Time Equivalency

  • Courses Taken at Partner Institutions

  • Visiting Scholars

  • Non-Matriculating Status and Course Auditing

  • Registration Holds

  • PhD Student Registration

• Grading Policies

  • Grading, Course Examinations, and Missed Examinations

  • Calculation of GPA

  • Retaking Courses to Improve GPA

  • Graduate School Grade Appeals Process

  • Transfer Credits and Course Exemptions/Waivers

• Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

  • Time to Degree Policy

  • Academic Standing

  • Committee for Academic Review (CAR)

    • Membership of CAR

    • Appeals Process

  • Program-Specific Criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress

• Leave, Withdrawal, and Readmission

  • Leave of Absence (Voluntary)

  • Leave of Absence (Involuntary)

    • Administrative Leave

    • Academic Progress Leave

  • Parental Leave

  • Return from Military Service

  • Withdrawal and Readmission

  • PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neurosciences Vacation Policy

• Transcripts

The add/drop period lasts 2 weeks from the beginning of the term. Courses dropped within this period will not appear on the students’ transcript. Students may not withdraw from a course after 2/3 of the course is complete. If the withdrawal occurs after the add/drop period, the course will be listed on the student’s transcript with a “W”. Students are not permitted to change their course registration after the add/drop deadline.

The ISMMS Registrar’s Office supports the institution through its stewardship of official student academic records, the course catalog, as well as the implementation of academic policies. The Registrar's Office mission is focused on guarding the integrity and security of all student records in accordance with legal standards, maintaining accurate and timely records of a student’s academic progress, and providing students with registration and document services.

Matriculated students must either register for course(s) or register for “Maintenance of Matriculation” for every term, up until graduation. Maintenance of Matriculation allows students continued access to essential academic and student services, such as access to the ISMMS network and email; however, students on Maintenance of Matriculation status will not be eligible for financial aid. Students with compelling circumstance who wish to maintain their matriculation status but need to discontinue their studies for a period of time can apply for a Leave of Absence from the program (see Leave of Absence and Withdrawal section).

Courses offered in all programs for each academic term are available on the Graduate School web page. It is important that students consult their Program Advisors and MTA Directors to plan their programs.

All incoming students will receive instruction regarding advisement and the registration process once they accept our offer of admission.

Continuing students can access the for course availability. Students must meet with their advisors with respect to courses covering their specific training needs and timely completion of requirements. All students must be continuously registered each term in order to maintain their matriculation status and eligibility for student and/or financial support.

In some instances, a student may wish to take a course that is not available at ISMMS. Students must receive permission from their dissertation advisor and their MTA Director. Payment of tuition for such courses will be the responsibility of the student or their dissertation advisor. Courses taken at another institution will appear as transfer credits as long as the student provides the Registrar’s Office with an official transcript and submits a Transfer of Credit form.

Students are required to complete on-line course evaluations for each course taken. These evaluations provide valuable feedback to the Course Directors and the Curriculum Committee and are used to improve course offerings. Evaluations must be completed within 4 weeks of the end of a course.

All registration must be completed in a timely manner, on or before the registration deadline for that term. All programs require continual enrollment until the degree is earned. Students not planning to take courses for a subsequent term, due to personal or professional reasons, must register for or formally request a leave of absence. Failure to do so jeopardizes a student’s ability to return to the program at a later date. Unregistered students are not eligible to received student services or benefits.

Graduate students who carry 9 or more credits each semester or trimester are considered full-time students. Those students who register for less than 9 credits may, in certain situations, be granted "full-time equivalency" if engaged in full-time educational activities. Typically, full-time equivalency is granted if one of the following applies:

• You are taking 7-8 credits of coursework, and working as a teaching or research assistant for your program

• You are completing or have fulfilled all coursework requirements and are working full time on thesis research or dissertation research.

Students who are granted full-time equivalency will be designated as "full-time" by the Registrar. International graduate students who enroll in less than 9 credits and who are not eligible for full-time equivalency may jeopardize their visa status and should consult with the Office of International Personnel.

ISMMS GRADUATE SCHOOL-CUNY Graduate Center Exchange Program

The course exchange program between CUNY Graduate Center and ISMMS Graduate School is designed to encourage graduate students from each College/University to experience academic courses, not offered at their home institutions. The program is available to All ISMMS Degree seeking Graduate Students

Program Details

• The course exchange program is free of tuition and application fees are waived for full time, matriculated (degree-seeking) graduate students from each Graduate School.

• ISMMS Students may only register for CUNY GC courses in the Exchange program that are not offered by ISMMS during their program.

• If an ISMMS student wishes the CUNY GC course credit to count toward their ISMMS degree, they must submit the course description and in some cases syllabus for review by the ISMMS academic advisor, for course approval.

• CUNY GC courses may not be taken as a substitute for a program’s core course requirements.

ISMMS student process to receive approval to participate in the CUNY-ISMMS Exchange Program

1. ISMMS student completes two CUNY forms: the Exchange Program application and Permit Out Form (POF).

2. CUNY GC Registrar registers the student and informs ISMMS student on how to claim their CUNY Portal account.

3. Student requests the official CUNY GC transcript be sent to the ISMMS Registrar at the end of each term so it is received within 30 days.

ISMMS GRADUATE SCHOOL - COOPER UNION

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Albert Nerken School of Engineering at The Cooper Union partnership enables undergraduate Cooper Union and ISMMS graduate students to engage in joint research projects. More information can be found on the Cooper Union affiliation webpage.

Students who are pursuing a graduate degree at another institution and have been invited by an ISMMS department or laboratory/center to do research in their field of study may apply for Visiting Scholar status through the host department/lab. International Visiting Scholars must contact the Office for International Personnel to discuss visa and reporting requirements. Visiting Scholars are not hosted by the Graduate School.

Visiting Scholars are expected to follow the same guidelines required for all incoming Mount Sinai employees. Visiting Scholars must (i) complete a physical examination; (ii) take the toxicology- screening test; and (iii) complete HIPAA and safety trainings. All Visiting Scholars will be subject to a criminal background check. Detailed information is available through the host department/lab.

Course Registration: Should a Visiting Scholar wish to take a credit bearing course, he/she/they must fill out a Non-Matriculating Student Application, available online by navigating to http://icahn.mssm.edu/education/graduate-school and selecting the “Apply Online” tab.

Health Insurance: Visiting Scholars are not eligible for student health insurance through ISMMS and therefore must provide proof of basic health insurance coverage. International students must have insurance that meets all the requirements specified by the federal regulations for J-1 students.

Financial aid: Visiting Scholars are not eligible for financial aid services from ISMMS.

Employment: Visiting Scholars may receive compensation for work done for the host research group. In compliance with federal regulations, international visiting students are not allowed to have any other employment, either on-campus or off campus. Students on a visa must discuss employment regulations with the Office of International Personnel.

Housing: ISMMS does not guarantee housing for Visiting Scholars and their requests are determined based on availability.

ISMMS utilizes a system of holds when students fail to meet administrative, financial, and/or educational obligations. A Registration Hold restricts a student’s ability to register for future terms.

Non-Matriculating Status

Non-matriculated students may register for courses in the Graduate School by complete the admission application to the Graduate School as a non-matriculated student. Students will be charged the associated tuition and fees. The number of course credits that a non-matriculated student can take from offerings in the Graduate School will be limited to a total of 12 credits.

Official Audits

A full-time matriculated student may audit a course with the permission of the course director. Students auditing a course do not write examinations or papers and do not necessarily participate in class discussions. However, auditors should clarify expectations at the start of the course with the course director and may be required to fully participate in the class. A completed Course Audit Form, with all required signatures, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to the end of the add/drop period. An audited course will appear on the student’s transcript with the designation “AU”. Students cannot receive credits for a course being audited.

Non-Matriculating Students and Audits

Non-matriculated students, including employees, who wish to audit a course and have the audited course appear on a transcript as “AU” will be billed at the same rate as for courses taken for credit. All students wishing to take a class must submit complete the admission application to the Graduate School as a non-matriculated students and submit a Course Audit Form to the Office of the Registrar. Employees may petition the Dean of the Graduate School for a waiver of course fees. Decisions are at the discretion of the Dean.

PhD students in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience and MD/PhD students must be officially registered for each term, even during the research phase of the program, in order to maintain their matriculation status. PhD students failing to officially register are no longer eligible for student status, including student compensation and support.

PhD students in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience and MD/PhD students may register for courses in other graduate programs at ISMMS (e.g. MD, MPH, MS in Clinical Research) with the permission of their dissertation advisor, the course director, and their Program Director. The Graduate School will support the tuition for a maximum 6 credits during the PhD program. Exceptions to this limit require the approval of both the Program Director and research mentor/advisor. Payment of tuition for additional courses will be the responsibility of the student or their dissertation advisor.

Students seeking to improve their GPA may retake a course with Program Director approval. Approval must be granted prior to the start of the repeated course. Documentation of the approved request must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office prior to the end of the term. If a course is retaken, both grades will be listed on the transcript and the higher of the two grades will be used in the determination of the student’s GPA. A student who has earned credit for a course may repeat it once, but will not receive additional credit. Master’s Degree and PhD in Clinical Research students will be charged at the per-credit rate for all retake courses.

Students cannot receive financial aid to cover the tuition cost for retaking a course.

A student has one (1) month from the date of receiving a course grade to make an appeal. The student must realize that following a review, the grade could be amended in either direction. Course grade appeals are first made to the course director. If the discrepancy remains, the student can then submit a written appeal to the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the Graduate School. The appeal should include a detailed description of the basis for an appeal and any available supporting materials. The Senior Associate Dean will empanel an ad hoc review committee of up to 3 people that will review the student’s appeal together with documentation from the course justifying the assigned grade. A final decision from the committee will be communicated to the course director, student, and, if needed, the registrar. Every effort will be made to complete the appeal by the end of the next semester.

If the student wishes to appeal a decision made by the ad hoc committee, he/she/they must submit a letter of appeal to the Dean of the Graduate School within 15 days of receiving the ad hoc committee’s decision. The Graduate School Dean’s decision is final.

This section covers grading policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Grading, Course Examinations, and Missed Examinations

• Calculation of GPA

• Retaking Courses to Improve GPA

• Graduate School Grade Appeals Process

• Transfer Credits and Course Exemptions/Waivers

Course Directors have the option of awarding letter grades or grading the course on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis, with the exception of the Neuroscience and Biomedical Sciences core courses and Biostatistics courses, which are only offered for letter grades. However, MSHCDL grading will occur on a Pass with Distinction/Pass/Fail basis. Clinical rotations for MS programs, laboratory rotations, departmental seminars, and journal clubs are graded as P/F. Optional internship courses for MHA students are also graded P/F. For students in the PhD or MD/PhD programs in Biomedical Science or Neuroscience, elective courses outside of the student’s training area may be taken P/F, even if it is an established graded course.

Under extraordinary circumstances (such as medical emergency), a temporary grade of Incomplete (I) may be recorded for a student who is unable to complete course requirements by the end of the term. To receive an incomplete grade, the student must be passing the course up to the time of the request and make a formal request using the Incomplete Grade Request Form available on the Registrar’s site. The request must include the reason for the incomplete, the work to be completed, and the final due date for that work. Students ordinarily have one semester to satisfy an Incomplete. Failure to complete the required work within this timeframe will result in the Incomplete automatically converting to a failing grade (F). Students failing to meet the course requirements by the end of the term, and not provide with an approved temporary grade of Incomplete, will be given a failing (F) course grade.

A student who is not in good academic standing in a course is not eligible for an Incomplete grade.

Students who fail a course have three options: 1) Retake the course (see Retaking Courses below); 2). Request a remediation plan from the Course Director. Granting a remediation plan is at the sole discretion of the Course Director and there is no path for appealing such a decision. In the case that a student successfully remediates the course, the student’s transcript will reflect the remediation by indicating a grade of F/P (for pass/fail courses) or F/A, F/B, or F/C, depending on the grade earned through remediation. The student’s GPA will be calculated using only the remediation grade. Students who fail the remediation process will have an F recorded on their transcript; 3) Allow the F to remain on the transcript (with the exception of core requirements) – Note that students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 will automatically be placed on Academic Probation.

Students who fail a core course or have multiple remediation grades will be placed on academic probation by the Program and be required to meet with their respective review committee (e.g., CAR for PhD in Neuroscience or Biomedical Sciences). Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 at all times.

Students should be aware that proper citation practices are required on all course take-home exams and papers as well as in proposals, dissertations and publications. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

If a student will miss an exam or quiz due to illness or other emergency, the student must notify the course director(s) and program director(s) on or before the day of the examination (or as soon thereafter as possible). Once able, the student should see student health or their doctor and obtain documentation of illness. The documentation should be submitted to the Course Director and an exam or quiz will be scheduled at the earliest possible date.

If an exam or quiz is missed without illness or extenuating circumstance, a score of zero will be recorded for that assessment.

A student who has missed an exam should sign a statement certifying that they have not discussed the exam with any other class member who may have taken the exam earlier.

Course Directors are required to submit all grades within one week of the end of the term.

In calculating the GPA, all credits with the following grades are counted in the total used to compute the grade point average/cumulative index: A (-), B (+/-), C (+/-), and F.

Earned credits with grades of Pass (P), Satisfactory Progress (SP), or Satisfactorily Completed (SC) do not figure into the computation of the grade point average but do count toward the degree. Transfer credits also count toward the degree, but are not included in the GPA calculation.

Students may be terminated from a degree program at any time if, in the judgment of the Graduate School or the Medical School, a student fails to make satisfactory progress towards the completion of the degree.

The status of suspension and dismissal are permanently reflected on a student’s academic record. Below are the categories of student standing:

• Good Standing: A student will be considered in good standing if he/she/they is meeting minimal academic standards in terms of course performance and other expectations of their degree program.

• Probation: Students in poor academic standing may be placed on Academic Probation. Once a student is placed on Academic Probation, degree progress must be made within a specific time period as detailed in the student’s remediation plan. If performance continues to be unsatisfactory, students will be dismissed from the program.

• Suspension: Academic suspension may occur when the School withdraws the student for failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress or to meet standard educational requirements of the degree program. Students who are suspended from the School are required to spend a defined period of time away from the School. During this period, the student may be required to successfully complete activities defined by the Schools’ Dean, Promotions Committees (Medical School) or Committee for Academic Review (Graduate School), or Program Director, if they are to be considered for readmission to ISMMS. Students on suspension are not considered enrolled and are not eligible to register for additional courses or engage in further research.

Suspension and Dismissal

The Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences can administratively suspend a student pending committee review or may administratively dismiss a student. Suspensions will generally be imposed for students who exhibit the following: failure to meet academic milestones, positive toxicology result, disruptive behavior, illegal behavior, egregious misconduct, or failure to meet administrative responsibilities (including financial obligations). Dismissal at the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate School may result when a student is convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, exhibits a serious breach of academic or professional conduct (including cheating) or following suspension. Any student who fails to comply with a directive to undergo an administrative evaluation or fails to fulfill the requirements that stems from this evaluation will be dismissed from the Graduate School.

Included in the requirements for SAP is a student’s adherence to the Time to Degree Policy. The length of time to complete the degree for each program (Time to Degree Policy) is summarized in the table below:

*These time limits may be extended by one year when granted by the respective Program Director or a program committee for extenuating and/or compelling cases.

All programs also have Program Specific Satisfactory Academic Progress policies and these are detailed in their corresponding section of the Handbook.

Students in graduate programs at ISMMS have been carefully selected for the demands of graduate study. Some students, no matter how qualified, may have difficulty in meeting the graduate program’s requirements, such as satisfactory completion of courses and other requirements within a given timeframe or maintaining standards of professional conduct at all times. Such cases will be reviewed by the appropriate program committee for possible remediation or disciplinary action. Processes for review of student performance/behavior are detailed below.

Each program should conduct an annual review of all students currently enrolled in their program. For students who are not making satisfactory academic progress or have not maintained acceptable standards of professional behavior, plans for remediation or dismissal should be developed as per program specific guidelines.

The Committee for Academic Review is the primary review/disciplinary body of the Graduate School. The committee meets when necessary. Meetings will be called by the Senior Associate Dean of Postdoctoral and Student Affairs or the Chair of CAR whenever a student review is necessary.

When a program has its own review/disciplinary process, student issues should be reviewed as per that program’s documented process. In such cases, CAR will play a role only if the student appeals a decision (see section below on the appeal process). When a program does not have its own process, CAR will be used for initial review.

When a program does not have an internal student performance review committee, a Program Director or other Graduate School leader will confer with the Senior Associate Dean for Postdoctoral and Student Affairs to determine an appropriate course of action. There are two possible courses of action:

1. The Senior Associate Dean and Program Director will perform a full review of the matter and render a judgment. When appropriate, a student should be given an opportunity to meet with the Program Director and Senior Associate Dean to make a statement and answer questions about the incident in question. If it is determined that some action needs to be taken, the Program Director and/or Senior Associate Dean are responsible for meeting with the student and providing him/her/them with both an oral and written summary of the actions taken. During this discussion, the student must be informed of the process available for an appeal of the decision (see below for details regarding the appeals process).

2. The matter will be referred to the Graduate School’s Committee for Academic Review. As a first step, the matter will be reviewed and triaged by the Senior Associate Dean for Postdoctoral and Student Affairs, the Director of the Office of Postdoctoral and Student Affairs, and the Chair of CAR (this group constitutes the “CAR Executive Committee”). This triage can result in three possible actions:

   • When the matter under review does not fall within the jurisdiction of CAR, it is either returned to the program for action or directed to a different review group (for example Curricular Affairs, COPHE, etc.)

   • When the matter under review is minor, routine, and/or does not require an investigation, the Executive Committee can propose a plan of action to the appropriate subcommittee of CAR for a vote of approval. This vote can be done at a meeting of the group or via email.

   • When the matter under review requires a more in-depth review or an investigation, the Chair of CAR will call a meeting of the appropriate subcommittee of CAR for consideration of the matter. The Chair and Senior Associate Dean will work together to collect necessary documents to be distributed to the committee and invite guests to present pertinent information to the committee.

     • The Senior Associate Dean will also assign a senior senior Graduate School staff person to help guide the student through the CAR process. This person is not an advocate/advisor but serves only as a guide through the CAR (and possible appeal) process.

     • The student must be given an opportunity to make an in-person statement to the subcommittee and to answer any questions committee members might have.

     • The student should also be given an opportunity to invite faculty or other relevant people to speak to the subcommittee on the student’s behalf.

     • The student is allowed to bring an observer to the proceedings. This is person cannot answer/ask questions, but instead is there only to help the student remember what happened during the meeting.

   • During the review, it is possible that the subcommittee requires additional documentation or would like to interview additional people. The Chair and Senior Associate Dean will make arrangements for such requests.

   • Once the subcommittee has considered all available information, it will render a decision regarding the validity of the complaint against the student and provide a written plan for corrective action. This could include a remediation plan or disciplinary action. Once the committee has reached a decision, the CAR Chair and the Senior Associate Dean are responsible for meeting with the student and providing him/her/them with both an oral and written summary of the actions taken by CAR. During this discussion, the student must be informed of the process available for an appeal of the decision (see details regarding ).

As mentioned above, students under review must be informed in writing of any requirements for remediation or disciplinary actions taken by CAR. The student must sign a copy of the document to indicate that he/she/they has received it and understands the content. This signed document will be added to the student’s academic file.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) refers to the satisfactory of program requirements as established by the Graduate School. For all students in all programs, the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requires the maintenance of a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, timely completion of course work, as well as timely progress towards the degree.

A student who is not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), after the completion of two terms, will be placed on Academic Probation. A student who is not making SAP may be required to appear before the Committee for Academic Review (CAR).

Once a student has an Academic Probation status, the Committee for Academic Review and/or Program Academic Committee must approve a remediation plan for the student that is no more than one year in length. Failure to meet the terms of the remediation plan and/or return to satisfactory academic progress will result in a student’s dismissal.

Full Committee: The Committee for Academic Review will consist of a chairperson appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, one of the Co-Directors (or their designee) of each MTA, one faculty representative from each training program (PhD in Clinical Research, MSBDS, MSBS, MS in Biostatistics, MS in Epidemiology, MPH, MSGC, MSCR, MHA, and MSHCDL).

Subcommittees of CAR: Since the educational process is considerably different for PhD students and master’s degree students, CAR is divided into two subcommittees, the PhD Subcommittee and the Master’s Subcommittee. These subcommittees hear cases that pertain to their respective students. In the event that a matter involves both MS and PhD students, the Chair of CAR has the authority to decide what group should preside over the investigation. For example, the Chair may decide to form an ad hoc committee consisting of members from each subcommittee.

Investigating subcommittees: If a matter under review by CAR requires an extensive investigation, the chair of CAR and the Senior Associate review could choose to empanel an Investigating Committee that will perform a full investigation, including collecting and assessing documentation and interviewing people with pertinent information. This could also include recommending a plan of action. The Investigating Committee will provide a written report of its investigation, findings, and recommendations to the subcommittee for review and decisions. The subcommittee should consist of at least three people. The subcommittee can also include ad hoc members if deemed necessary by the CAR chair and Senior Associate Dean. Ad hoc members could include members of the student’s training area or thesis advisory committee.

Transfer Credits

Credit for graduate courses taken at other institutions may be awarded under certain conditions and subject to approval by the Program Director (excluding the MGC program where transfer credits are not accepted). Program Directors reserve the right to denied transfer credit and/or course exemption requests. Courses being considered for transfer credit must be at the graduate level, relevant to the program, deemed to be equivalent in content to ISMMS’s course, and have been completed with a grade of B or better at a regionally accredited institution within the last five years. Determinations of credit transferability are at the discretion of the Program Director.

The number of credits transferred can be no more than the number of credits given by ISMMS for the equivalent course. All transfer credits will be assigned a grade of P. Courses approved for transfer may reduce the number of total credits taken at ISMMS. Students who receive a Master's Degree from ISMMS may transfer all credits with a B or higher into the corresponding PhD program.

If a student successfully completes a course that is required by the Graduate School, the student may be granted an exemption from having to take the equivalent course at ISMMS. In such cases the student will not receive credit towards the ISMMS degree but instead, will take an additional elective course to complete the necessary number of credits.

The maximum allowable transfer credit for each program is as follows:

*Unique cases may be further evaluated for additional credit

Courses Taken at Partner Institutions

The course exchange programs with CUNY Graduate Center and Cooper Union is designed to encourage graduate students from each College/University to experience academic courses, not offered at their home institutions.

Required Course Exemptions

If a student successfully completes a course that is required by the Graduate School (even if that course was used towards the attainment of another degree at ISMMS or at another academic institution) the student may be granted an exemption from having to take the equivalent course at ISMMS. In such cases the student will not receive credit towards the ISMMS degree but instead, will take an additional elective course to complete the necessary number of credits.

Students seeking exemption from required courses, based on prior course work, must meet with the Course Director to ensure appropriate content overlap and rigor. Exemption from certain courses may require an exemption exam or other assessment. If approved by the course director, student will need to complete a course exemption form and return it to the Office of the Registrar. The course will appear on the student’s transcript as “EX”.

Course Waivers

On occasion a program may grant a course/credit waiver. A petition for such consideration should be made by the student to the Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. Students who receive course waivers must still meet the total credit requirement for their degree program.

Students have the right to appeal actions taken by a review committee or the Dean of the Graduate School. Refer to Figure 1 for the appeals process hierarchy.

Students may direct an appeal to the committee or person immediately above the committee/person who rendered a decision. All appeals must be made in writing with a detailed description of the basis for the appeal no more than 15 days after a decision is communicated. In reviewing appeals, the Committee for Academic Review or the Dean of the Graduate School will consider whether the decision below was arbitrary or capricious, including whether proper procedures were followed. An appeal to the Dean of Academic and Scientific Affairs may only address whether proper procedures were followed and whether the sanction is appropriate. The Dean of Academic and Scientific Affairs will accept factual findings by previous reviews.

A person hearing an appeal may choose, at his/her/their sole discretion, to convene an ad hoc committee to hear the appeal. The person/committee hearing an appeal may collect any information deemed necessary to render a decision. The student will be given an opportunity to meet with the person/committee hearing the appeal. At the conclusion of the appeal process, a written decision will be issued.

NOTE: Grade appeals do not utilize this process. Instead, grade appeals should follow the Graduate School Grade Appeals Process.

In addition to the Graduate School Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, each program has its own program-specific criteria, and these are found in each program’s chapter:

• Ph/D in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience

• MD/PhD Program

• Clinical Research Program

• MD-MSCR/Portal Program

• MS in Biomedical Sciences

• MS in Biomedical Data Science

• MS in Biostatistics Program

• MS in Genetic Counseling

• MS in Healthcare Delivery

• Master in Health Administration

• Master of Public Health

• Master of Science in Epidemiology

A student who wishes to interrupt his/her/their graduate studies for not more than one academic year due to serious illness or compelling personal reasons or military service, may request a leave of absence. If the leave is approved, the student will be eligible to return to ISMMS at the end of the approved leave. Such approval can only be obtained if the student maintains satisfactory progress (as defined above) and has the approval of the Program Director. PhD and MD/PhD students must also inform their Thesis Advisor, Advisory Committee, and the MTA Director. Master’s degree students who are performing thesis or capstone work, must also inform their thesis/capstone advisor.

Students who fail to follow any condition of the leave of absence, will be administratively withdrawn from the Program. If the student wishes to return at a later date, s/he must apply for readmission.

Students on a leave of absence are not eligible for any benefits associated with maintenance of student status, including the direct compensation, tuition remission, student health insurance coverage and travel award for the duration of the leave. Students on a medical leave of absence may request continuation of housing privileges and/or student health insurance coverage. Students on a personal leave of absence may request student-housing privilege based on availability and continuation of student health insurance coverage at the student’s expense.

Taking a leave of absence (medical, personal, administrative) may have implications for student loan grace period, deferment, repayment status or financial aid eligibility. Before applying for a leave of absence, students must investigate these implications as they may pertain to their situations and should meet with a member of the Office of Student Financial Services.

Students must submit a Leave of Absence Request Form with a letter stating the reasons for the leave. If the request is for medical reasons, a doctor’s letter must accompany the form. International students may only request a leave of absence for medical reasons because of visa requirements and should consult with Mount Sinai’s International Office personnel to discuss their immigration status while on leave. Students must submit the Return from Leave Request Form in advance of their expected return date. Student are eligible to return within the first two weeks of an academic term.

If the School approves a leave of absence, the student will be notified in writing of the approval, including conditions of the leave and the expected date for the student to return to the program.

If a student misses one semester without prior authorization, his/her/their academic record will be closed and in order to continue in the program, he/she/they will need to apply for readmission. N.B.: The period of an authorized leave is not included in the Program time limit. Requests for an extension of a leave of absence must follow the same procedure as indicated above.

This section covers leave, withdrawal, and readmission policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Leave of Absence (Voluntary)

• Leave of Absence (Involuntary)

• Parental Leave

• Return from Military Service

• Withdrawal and Readmission

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neurosciences Vacation Policy

The Deans of Medical Education and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences reserve the right to require at any time the withdrawal of any student when it is evident that the student is unfit for any reason to continue their program of study. The Dean or designee may place a student on an Administrative Leave of Absence if a student presents a potential harm or has engaged in or is alleged to have engaged in behavior that is dangerous or deleterious to the educational, research, clinical or community environment.

Potential harm may be caused by neurological disease or degeneration, emotional or psychological disorders, or impairment caused by drugs or alcohol. Potential harm may be described as arising from behavior regarded by individuals as alarming, threatening, bizarre, hostile, or otherwise inconsistent with the duties and responsibilities of a student; or behavior that is disruptive for administrative, research, clinical, or educational processes.

Potential harm to other individuals that occurs in the context of a student’s status within the school, as well as personal actions of students outside of the Mount Sinai community, are also a concern of ISMMS because they may indicate the existence of a potential hazard if the person continues his or her role as a student. Any such behavior reported to the senior associate dean of student affairs will be referred to the relevant promotion/academic review faculty committee for appropriate action.

This section covers involuntary leave of absence. Students can find the following information about involuntary leave in this chapter.

Administrative Leave

Academic Progress Leave

A student anticipating the need for parental leave (e.g., maternity leave, paternity leave, or others) should discuss this with their thesis advisor or program director well in advance (about 4-5 months) of the anticipated leave. Parental leave must be approved by the program director and the Dean of the Graduate School. During the period of parental leave, completion of academic assignments (exams, written assignments, and any other academic requirements) and academic progress milestones may be postponed for up to 12 weeks.

Recognizing that students who give birth may need time before a child is born as well as time to recover from the birth and to care for their new babies, they will be allowed 8 weeks parental leave to be taken in any combination of pre-natal and post-natal time. During this leave, full-time student status will be maintained, i.e. health and housing benefits will continue and visa status will remain unchanged. A student who chooses to continue a leave beyond 8 weeks is entitled to up to 12 weeks. These additional 4 weeks will be taken from vacation time, followed by unpaid leave. During the unpaid leave, all benefits (health, housing, etc.) will be suspended. International students should be aware that their student status might be compromised by unpaid leave.

In the event that medical complications require more than an 8-week leave, students will be covered by the medical leave policy of the Graduate School.

Students on training grants or individual fellowships must abide by the leave policies of the institutional NRSA or individual fellowship. In the event that the amount of leave allowed by an external funding agency is less than what the Graduate School allows, the Graduate School will pay the stipend and health benefits of the student for the time not covered by the grant or fellowship, such that the student will receive the equivalent of 8 weeks paid leave.

Students who adopt a child will be entitled to the same 8-week parental leave described above for the birth of a child, to be taken in any combination of pre- and post-adoption time.

Non-birthing parents will be allowed 2 weeks of paid parental leave for either childbirth or adoption. The leave can be taken as needed either before or after the arrival of the child.

If a graduate student receives a stipend from a dissertation advisor, and if continuing the stipend for the period of the parental leave constitutes a hardship for the dissertation advisor, the dissertation advisor should discuss the possible limitations of continuing the student’s support during the period of the parental leave with the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate program may participate in working with the dissertation advisor in an effort to continue stipend support of the student.

The relevant promotion/academic review committee may place a student on an Academic Progress Leave if the student is making unsatisfactory academic progress. Please refer to the Academic Progress section of the Handbook for the academic progression policies for the relevant degree program.

The following policies apply to all involuntary leave types:

1. Involuntary leaves may be no longer than 1 year. An additional year may be granted at the discretion of the dean/director.

2. Students sponsored on an F-1/J-1 visa must seek the counsel of the Office of International Personnel as a result of this leave action. An involuntary leave of absence may impact an international student’s immigration status.

3. A student on an involuntary leave is not eligible for the use of any ISMMS facilities, resources, and/or activities available to enrolled students without the specific approval by the dean/director.

4. A student on an involuntary leave is not eligible to reside in student housing. No appeals will be accepted.

5. A student on an involuntary leave may not continue to be enrolled in the ISMMS sponsored health insurance plan without the specific approval by the dean/director. If approved, the student will be responsible for the associated insurance coverage fee for the duration of the leave.

6. A student on a one year leave of absence must notify the dean/director in writing of their intention to seek approval to return to the school at least 12 weeks prior to the end of the involuntary leave.

7. For leaves less than a year, students must notify the dean/director at least 4 weeks prior to the end of the approved leave. Students seeking return from an involuntary leave may need to be cleared for fitness to return by the Director of Student Health and/or Director of Student and Trainee Mental Health.

8. Students not cleared to return will be presented to the relevant promotion/academic review committee for further determination.

Voluntary Withdrawal: A student may voluntarily withdraw from school at any time, upon application to the Director of the MD/PhD program (for MD/PhD students) or the Graduate School’s Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs (for PhD, Master’s students). The request must be made by submitting a Request for Withdrawal Form. The School may require an Administrative Evaluation prior to acceptance of a withdrawal. Failure to comply may result in dismissal. For further information on withdrawing from a specific program, refer to the program-specific chapter of this handbook.

Administrative Withdrawal: In certain circumstances, a student may be administratively withdrawn from the school at the discretion of the Dean or their designees. Examples include a student who has exceeded two years on medical or personal leave or a student who fails to meet satisfactory progress. Other reasons include noncompliance with an institutional, programmatic, and/or administrative requirement or policy. Students who have been administratively withdrawn from a program have the option to appeal the decision.

Clearance: Clearance to withdraw is required. Students must submit the Request for Withdrawal Form.

Readmission: Students who wish to reapply to a program following any type of withdrawal can do so by adhering to the same application protocols outlined by the admissions office for all applicants.

In general, the Graduate School anticipates that students will take two weeks of vacation each year, exclusive of travel to scientific meetings and days taken off for study and preparation for examinations. Individual circumstances may cause a specific student mentor pair to agree to an individual vacation plan that is appropriate given the nature of the student's efforts over a period of time, particular family circumstances, parental leave, etc. Students must, however, inform the thesis advisor (or the rotation advisor) of all proposed and planned absences so that the flow of experimental work can be planned and discussed. In the event of an unanticipated absence, students should make every effort to communicate with the laboratory and the Graduate School Dean as soon as possible. Any unexplained absence will constitute lack of satisfactory progress in the Program and can result in academic probation, administrative leave of absence, or dismissal from the Program. Students should not take vacation time while courses are running. If absences from courses result from unavoidable circumstances, students should inform their course directors and abide by any remediation plans to make up for missed course materials, assignments or assessments.

Students returning from a leave of absence due to military service, will be readmitted for any term within a year after the student’s release from active service without a need to reapply for admission or pay an application fee. The student must be free of any previously acquired holds and eligible to register for courses. Students should direct any questions about the return from active service process to their student affairs dean or the veteran certifying official located in the Department of Enrollment Services.

To request an official transcript, complete the Document Request Form located on the Registrar’s Office website. Students may print an unofficial copy of their transcript for from the Empower Student Information System. Unofficial transcripts cannot be used for official purposes.

The Office of International Personnel together with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences co-ordinate services for international students who have been accepted to one of the School’s residential graduate programs. The F-1 student visa for Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s international students is sponsored by ISMMS.

All international students must register with the Office of International Personnel within 15 days of matriculation at ISMMS and must notify this Office of any changes in their academic program, enrollment status or if they plan to leave the country to preserve their visa status. Students must show proof of a valid I-20 before the fellowship package can be activated. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that s/he is always in status, as mandated by the United States Homeland Security.

All visa questions should be addressed to the Office of International Personnel at (212) 241-8300.

This chapter covers the student affairs and services for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

Student Services and Resources

• Career Services and Strategy

• International Student Services

• Student Health Services

  • Student Mental Health Services

  • Referrals

  • WellConnect

• Disability Services

• Student Housing and Real Estate Office

• Academic Informatics and Technology

  • The Library

  • Aufses Archives and Mount Sinai Records Management Division

  • Academic IT Support Center

• Affirmative Action

• Safety and Security

  • Sexual Assault

  • Harassment

    • Definitions of Unacceptable Behavior

    • Grievance Committee

  • Mistreatment

    • Mistreatment Policy

    • Reporting and Consulting Mechanisms

  • Clery Act

  • Fire Safety

  • Alcohol and Drugs

    • Alcohol Policy

    • Drug Testing

  • Infection Control

• Office of the Ombudsperson

Campus-Wide Policies, Regulations, and Requirements

• Rules of Conduct

• Student Behavior

• Faculty, Staff, and Student Relations

• FERPA

• ISMMS Social Media Guideline

• Acceptable Use of Technology Policy

  • Use of Hardware and Software

  • Web, Data, and Cloud Storage

  • Email and Collaboration Technology Usage

  • Protected Health Information and Other Confidential Information

  • Secure Messaging and Encryption

• ISMMS Policy on Business Conflicts of Interest

• Student Intellectual Property

The Student Health Center is located at 17 East 102 nd Street, East Tower, 4th floor, Room D4-246. The Student Health Center provides administrative services to the school to ensure compliance with OSHA, immunizations, tuberculosis screening, and influenza vaccination as mandated by the Health System and New York State. The Student Health Center provides confidential medical evaluation and treatment for all matriculated medical and graduate students, including primary and preventive care, gynecological services, STI screening, tuberculosis surveillance, travel medicine, and acute care. Students may choose to see Student Health physicians for any of the above visit types, or they may seek care with their own primary or subspecialty care physicians.

The staff consists of physicians and a full-time nurse. Students schedule appointments via MyChart. For any difficulties with scheduling, students may call for an appointment (ext. 46023) and Student Health will do its best to accommodate them., For after-hours emergencies, students may be seen in the Mount Sinai Urgent Care Center or the hospital Emergency Department. Students must bring their insurance information for all urgent and emergency visits. Visits will be billed to the student's insurance, but the student remains responsible for any co-payments or for any services not covered by insurance. If the student needs to be admitted, s/he will be given the first available bed on a semiprivate service.

All students must make arrangements to have a comprehensive physical examination performed by their private physician prior to matriculation. All student health forms are available on the enrollment website and must be completed and submitted to the Student Health Center prior to matriculation.

The school may require that a student be seen by our Student Health physicians. Failure to comply with any of the student health requirements may negatively impact the student’s academic standing.

The Graduate School is home of the Office of Career Services & Strategy (OCSS). Under the Student Affairs umbrella, the mission of OCSS is to educate and equip members of the Graduate School community (PhD and master students) with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to pursue lifelong career success. Through services such as individualized career coaching sessions, skills development workshops, special events, and online resources, OCSS is committed to help you identify your career direction, enhance your competitiveness in the job market, and connect you with employers and alumni in the larger Mount Sinai network. Whether you want to a coaching appointment to set up a coaching appointment to discuss networking strategies, have your CV/resume reviewed or attend a workshop on interview preparation, OCSS is here to support your career development needs every step along the way.

Additionally, the Graduate School is a charter member of the New York Science Alliance, a citywide consortium hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences. The Alliance coordinates workshops and events with dynamic speakers that students can participate and attend. The Graduate School is also a proud sponsor of the bi-annual “What can you be with a PhD?” career symposium on science and technology with other biomedical sciences research and academic institutions in the tristate area.

All correspondence with this office is completely confidential; there is no correspondence with the school by this office whatsoever — unless specifically requested and formally endorsed in writing by the student. No record of any contact is made available to or accessible to the school.

Rapid access to strictly confidential psychiatric consultation, counseling, treatment, and referral is available to students through the student mental health service. The Student and Trainee Mental Health Program (STMH) through the Department of Psychiatry provides initial consultations, ongoing psychotherapy, and medication management for those graduate students in need of mental health services. The student’s insurance will be billed for all services and the student will not be responsible for any copay. To make an appointment for an initial consultation, you can either write to the STMH email account (STMH@mssm.edu) or call the program at 212-659-8805.

Please see the STMH website for more information about the program.

Emergency psychiatric services can be initiated by contacting the psychiatrist on-call through the page operator (212) 241- 5581, by calling the Psychiatric Emergency Service at 212-241-5637, or by direct unscheduled presentation to the emergency room where it is never necessary to call in advance. STMH has also partnered with WellConnect to establish a dedicated 24/7 mental health support and crisis hotline number for our students and trainees. This hotline connects you to trained behavioral health counselors who use evidence-based policies and practices – the number is 212-241-2400 or 1-866-640-4777 (school code: ICAHN). Please see the STMH website for more information.

Student access to counseling and mental health services is a private health matter of the utmost importance. The rule of complete confidentiality always applies, as in any relationship between a therapist and patient. No person or office is notified or informed at any point that a student (or dependent) has seen or is seeing a counselor or psychiatrist through the Student and Trainee Mental Health Program. Student use of the service is not made known to the school and is never recorded on any transcript.

This chapter covers the student services and resources for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Career Services and Strategy

• International Student Services

• Student Health Services

  • Student Mental Health Services

  • Referrals

  • WellConnect

• Disability Services

• Student Housing and Real Estate Office

• Academic Informatics and Technology

  • The Library

  • Aufses Archives and Mount Sinai Records Management Division

  • Academic IT Support Center

• Affirmative Action

• Safety and Security

  • Sexual Assault

  • Harassment

    • Definitions of Unacceptable Behavior

    • Grievance Committee

  • Mistreatment

    • Mistreatment Policy

    • Reporting and Consulting Mechanisms

  • Clery Act

  • Fire Safety

  • Alcohol and Drugs

    • Alcohol Policy

    • Drug Testing

  • Infection Control

• Office of the Ombudsperson

The School and the Department of Psychiatry have collaboratively established several confidential pathways of access to mental health care and enriched available resources beyond those afforded by the basic mental health insurance plan. The intent of this service is to provide direct access to specialized consultation with an absolute minimum of administrative complexity. When ongoing treatment is desired and indicated, informed referrals into affordable care are provided.

• Self-Referral – Students may freely seek and establish mental health services independent of the Student and Trainee Mental Health Service, or any other campus framework, by any means of their choosing, and fully utilize their mental health insurance benefit. In this pathway of access, if insurance is utilized by the student, pre-approval of insurance must be obtained. Students selecting this pathway for their care should be mindful of several considerations including the distinction between “in-network” and “out-of-network” terms for insurance reimbursement (please refer to the terms and conditions of the student health policy for details).

• Student Health Referral – Students may obtain a direct referral to a Mount Sinai clinician via Student Health Service at (212) 241- 6023. Referrals are made by Student Health to the “out-of-network” voluntary and full-time faculty on the roster described above. Referral requests remain strictly between Student Health, the student, and the clinician. No records of any kind are made available or are accessible to the Dean's Office or medical school administration.

  • Referrals conducted by Student Health are made in a general manner, without triage or consultation such as is provided by the Student Mental Health Service. Student Health will not conduct a formal clinical psychiatric assessment or inquiry to inform this referral.

  • After a name has been provided to the student, the next step is to obtain pre-approval of insurance to proceed into care with this “out-of-network” referral. “Good-faith” responsibilities for students will apply with regard to financial arrangements.

  • If the student feels that the initial referral is unsuitable, he/she/they may request a second referral from Student Health. At any time, the student may request a consultation with the Director of the Student and Trainee Mental Health Program as described in (1) above to more specifically inform the referral. Such consultation is required to obtain additional referrals if the student is dissatisfied with a second referral as conducted by Student Health.

The goal of Disability Services at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is to provide a physically and educationally accessible educational environment so that each student is viewed on the basis of ability, not disability.

The Student Disability Services Office (DS) staff work with all students in the School of Medicine and the Graduate School to facilitate equal access for students with disabilities by coordinating reasonable accommodations through a variety of support services (including access modification, learning related technology, and extended test times).

Individually designed accommodation plans and services are determined based on the documented needs of each student in conjunction with their program requirements and are created to match the specific disability-related need of each student with those program requirements in mind.

Students register with DS by submitting the Application for Accommodations and Services. The application and instructions are provided on the DS website. The site also provide the Disability Policies as well as Resources for Faculty and Students.

Students who do not have documentation of their condition, and /or who believe they have an undiagnosed condition, should contact the Director of Student Disability Services to discuss their circumstances further.

The Director of Student Disability Services, Christine Low, LCSW-R is available at christine.low@mssm.edu.

For students in the PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience, MD/PhD, or PREP program, Mount Sinai has made it a priority to provide convenient and affordable housing.

Students living in on-campus housing are required to follow all regulations contained in the occupancy agreement, in “A Guide to Living in Mount Sinai Housing,” and in other documents provided by the Real Estate Office.

Further information about housing options and policies can be found on the Real Estate Office’s Student Housing website. Questions regarding housing should be directed to the Real Estate Office, using the contact information on this website, rather than to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

The Real Estate Division is open Monday through Friday, except holidays, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. In addition, a voice mail system will take messages during evenings, weekends, and holidays. For any unresolved problems with residential building services or repairs, you may ask for an appointment with the Director of Enrollment Services, who acts as liaison between students and Real Estate. For questions about Aron Hall housing, see the Housing Coordinator in the Real Estate Office. For additional information, including lease terms, guest visitation policy, room transfer policy, and subleasing policy, please visit the website at: https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/students/housing or contact:

ISMMS Real Estate Office

1249 Park Avenue

1st Floor New York, NY 10029

Tel: (212) 722- 5096

Fax: (212) 831- 3093

The Graduate School has partnered with WellConnect to establish a dedicated 24/7 mental health support and crisis hotline number for our students and trainees. This hotline connects students to trained behavioral health counselors who use evidence-based policies and practices. The number is 212-241-2400 or 1-866-640-4777 (school code: ICAHN), and the website is https://wellconnect.personaladvantage.com/

WellConnect also offers other services and resources such as legal and financial consultations, 5 free short-term counseling sessions, and more. Please see their flyers linked below for more information, and the table for a breakdown of who to call for each situation.

The Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library is the core of the Academic Informatics and Technology department, supporting the education, research, and clinical information needs of the Mount Sinai Health System. The library provides an extensive collection of resources covering biomedical information, patient education, and more, all accessible both on campus and remotely. The library is located on Annenberg 11, and serves as an inviting environment designed to facilitate research, study, teaching, and collaboration The library offers custom classes, research consultations with librarians; mobile resources and apps; online interlibrary loan and document delivery; and printing, scanning, photocopying, and phone charging stations.

The Arthur H. Aufses, Jr., MD Archives and Mount Sinai Records Management Program of the Academic Informatics and Technology group serves the Mount Sinai community by:

• Identifying the appropriate retention for all records created and maintained at Mount Sinai, regardless of their format

• Helping departments to manage the records throughout their life cycle

• Overseeing the appropriate destruction process at the end of that cycle

• Ensuring the permanent retention of all records of enduring value in the Mount Sinai Archives

• Answering questions and providing images related to Mount Sinai history

The Aufses Archives and Records Management Program are located on the 10th floor of the Annenberg Building, Room 10-49. Complete descriptions of services may be found on its website: http://library.mssm.edu/services/archives_records.shtml

The Academic IT Support Center supports students, faculty, and staff through:

• Distributing site-licensed software

• Assisting with resolving hardware and software computing issues

• Scheduling of work orders for hardware repair

• Configuring mobile devices for email

• Supporting network logins and email accounts for users on medical school computing networks

• Questions regarding Google Apps for Students

The Academic IT Support Center is located on the 11 th floor of the Annenberg Building, Room 11- 39. The Support Center staff is available for consultation in person, via email at ASCIT@mssm.edu, or by phone at 212-241-7091. For office hours and other details, refer to: https://libguides.mssm.edu/ascit

It is the policy of ISMMS that all decisions regarding educational and employment opportunities and performance are made on the basis of merit and without discrimination because of race, gender, color, creed, age, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic predisposition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Sexual harassment is defined as a form of sex discrimination and, therefore, any sexual harassment at the school will constitute a violation of the medical school's nondiscrimination policy.

In keeping with these continuing efforts to achieve a broadening of the representation of women and minority groups throughout the medical school, the school has:

• Developed an Affirmative Action Program, which details actions designed to realize the School's commitment to equal educational and employment opportunities.

• Insured compliance with Federal, State and Local laws and regulations implementing equal opportunity objectives by meeting the spirit as well as the letter of the law and contractual requirements.

ISMMS is committeed to the realization of these goals. Every decision affecting faculty, house staff, fellows, graduate students, employees, and medical students and other members of the medical school community rests solely on demonstrably valid criteria of merit, competence and experience.

Additional information concerning Mount Sinai's Affirmative Action Program, its interpretation and/or application may be obtained from the Affirmative Action Office located at 1245 Park Avenue, Ground Floor.

Students’ personal security is of paramount importance. For this reason, Security will, upon request, provide escorts within Mount Sinai and to on-campus residences. Call ext. 46068 approximately 10 to 15 minutes prior to departure.

Security measures at Mount Sinai are reviewed continuously to provide a safe environment for all who use its facilities. A committee of the Student Council addresses housing and security issues and meets on a regular basis with Security to discuss matters of concern.

Security Office Contact Information

The Security Office is located at 1468 Madison Avenue, MC level, AMC-203.

The Security Department telephone number is 46068 when dialed from a school or hospital telephone and (212) 241-6068 when dialed from off campus or cellphone.

Students can also reach Security by dialing extension “60” from a hospital or school telephone in an emergency, when suspicious activities are observed or urgent request.

Identification Badges

Photo identification badges are issued to all students at the time of registration and MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES in all campus buildings and upon entering any residence hall. Students may be asked to present badges for identification at any time while on campus. Lost cards may be replaced for a $20 fee, payable to the hospital main cashier. Present the receipt to Security Administration who will issue a new badge.

Emergency Alert System “Message One”

In order to allow for a more coordinated and rapid response to emergency or disaster situations at Mount Sinai, the hospital uses a messaging system, MessageOne, which has the capability of informing students of and delivering instructions regarding citywide, hospital, or student specific (e.g. student housing intruder) emergencies requiring immediate attention. Signing up for this system is mandatory for all students. During the on-line registration process, students have the option to set the method of contact (e.g. cell-phone, text message, email).

Personal Property and Property Passes

Personal property is often the object of theft and should be protected at all times. It is the policy of Mount Sinai that no equipment, personal or that belonging to Mount Sinai, will be removed from the premises without a Property Pass. Property Passes are available from the Graduate School office during weekdays. Packages, backpacks, purses, or other large bags are subject to inspection by Security Officers at entrances and exits of all Mount Sinai buildings.

Sexual Assault ISMMS is committed to maintaining a supportive and safe educational environment, one that seeks to ensure the wellbeing of all members of its community. Those who believe that they are the victims of sexual assault should:

• Immediately call the NYC police department at 911. Also, call the Mount Sinai Security Department at (212) 241-6068.

• Get medical attention. Campus security will provide transportation or escort to the Mount Sinai Hospital Emergency Department for emergency medical treatment and evidence collection. A counselor from the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) program will be available to assist victims.

Caring assistance is available for persons who have been subjected to sexual assault or sexual misconduct. They are encouraged in the strongest terms to make a report. ISMMS works closely with Mount Sinai SAVI program. More information can be found here or by calling (212) 423-2140.

Consistent with Chapter 739 of the State Education Department signed into law in 1990, information concerning prevention of sexual assault is provided to all entering students.

Harassment has become an increasingly prominent national concern in the workplace and in academic institutions. ISMMS regards any behavior that is harassing, discriminatory, or abusive as a violation of the standards of conduct required of all persons associated with the academic mission of the institution. The ideal of American medical, graduate and postgraduate education is to create an environment that nurtures respect and collegiality between educator and student. In the teacher/student relationship, each party has certain legitimate expectations of the other. For example, the learner can expect that the teacher will provide instruction, guidance, inspiration, and leadership in learning. The teacher expects the learner to make an appropriate professional investment of energy and intellect to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become an effective physician or scientist. The social relationships required in the achievement of this academic ideal – mentor, peer, professional, staff – require the active trust of partnership, not the dependence of authoritarian dominance and submission.

ISMMS is responsible for providing a work and academic environment free of sexual and other forms of harassment. The institution may pursue any complaint of harassment known to it in order to achieve this goal. A Grievance Committee (the “Committee”) was established in 1992 to serve as an educational resource to the medical school community on issues relevant to harassment and to address complaints of sexual harassment and other forms of harassment and abuse as defined below. Complaints about implementation of school policies concerning appointment, promotion, and distribution of resources, including notification requirements associated with these policies, will not be addressed by this Committee unless they involve, in addition to those complaints, an allegation of harassment or abuse as defined below. The Committee (and an appointed Investigative and Hearing Board (the “Board”) below, if any) may only consider complaints of harassment and abuse brought by any faculty member, medical or graduate student, house staff or postdoctoral fellow against any other such member of the School community. Complaints by and against other employees of ISMMS will be handled by other appropriate existing grievance mechanisms (e.g., those available through Human Resources). The Committee may act (at the Committee’s discretion) before or after other action(s) an individual may take to exercise his/her/their rights both within and outside the institution.

The Committee will attempt, whenever possible, to emphasize mediation and conciliation. It will rely on discreet inquiry and trust in dealing with complaints that are brought for its consideration. Confidentiality will be maintained to the maximum extent possible consistent with the need to investigate complaints and with the requirements of the law. Full cooperation with the Committee and an appointed Board, if any, is required of all members of the community.

To ensure an environment in which education, work, research, and discussion are not corrupted by abuse, discrimination and harassment, the following statement has been created to educate members of the academic community about what constitutes harassment and about the mechanism for the receipt, consideration, and resolution of complaints.

Issues also may be brought up during the Steering Committee of the Student Council's monthly meetings with the Dean, the Dean for Medical Education, the Dean of the Graduate School and the Associate Deans. It must be emphasized that appropriate professional behavior is expected of all members of the School of Medicine and the Hospital. Harassment in any form will not be tolerated.

Consistent with Sections 6432 and 6436 of the New York State Education law, information concerning prevention of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and bias crimes will be provided to all entering students. A Student Safety Committee meets annually with Security to address student safety concerns.

Certain behaviors are inherently destructive to the relationships that are required in a community organized to provide medical and graduate education. Behaviors such as violence, sexual and other harassment, abuses of power and discrimination (based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, age, disability, citizenship, marital status, genetic predisposition or any other characteristic protected by law) will not be tolerated.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

• Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment or academic success.

• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such an individual.

• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or academic environment. Sexual harassment is a violation of institutional policy and of city, state and federal laws. Sexual harassment need not be intentional to violate this policy.

• Examples of sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:

  • Sexual assault

  • Inappropriate sexual advances, propositions or demands unwelcome physical contact

  • Inappropriate persistent public statements or displays of sexually explicit or offensive material which is not legitimately related to employment duties, course content or research

  • Threats or insinuations, which lead the victim to believe that acceptance or refusal of sexual favors, will affect his/her/their reputation, education, employment or advancement

  • Derogatory comments relating to gender or sexual orientation

Discrimination

Discrimination is defined as actions on the part of an individual, group or institution that treat another individual or group differently because of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, veteran status, age, disability, citizenship, marital status, genetic predisposition or any other characteristic protected by law. Discrimination or harassment on the basis of these characteristics violates federal, state, and city laws and is prohibited and covered by this policy.

Abuse

Abuse is defined, for purposes of this policy, as behavior that is viewed by society and by the academic community as exploitative or punishing without appropriate cause. It is particularly objectionable when it involves the abuse of authority. Examples of behavior, which may be abusive, include, but are not limited to:

• Habitual conduct or speech that creates an intimidating, demeaning, degrading, hostile, or otherwise seriously offensive working or educational environment

• Physical punishment

• Repeated episodes of verbal punishment (e.g. public humiliation, threats and intimidation) removal of privileges without appropriate cause

• Grading or evaluations used to punish rather than to evaluate objective performance assigning tasks solely for punishment rather than educational purposes

• Repeated demands to perform personal services outside job description intentional neglect or intentional lack of communication

• Requirements of individuals to perform unpleasant tasks that are entirely irrelevant to their education and employment that others are not also asked to perform

Purpose and Scope

This policy clarifies expectations for educator actions and behaviors related to mistreatment and other unprofessional behavior directed at students and trainees. It details how learners can report mistreatment and unprofessional behaviors directed at them and how the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) program, Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) and the ISMMS affiliated hospitals (collectively “Mount Sinai”) review and handle such reports. This policy also provides a process for reporting and recognizing positive behaviors and excellence in teaching or mentoring.

Mount Sinai is dedicated to providing its students, postdocs, residents, clinical fellows, faculty, staff, and patients with an anti-racist learning environment of respect, dignity, equity, inclusion, trust, and support that protects civil and professional discourse and is free from mistreatment and other unprofessional behaviors directed at students and trainees. Mount Sinai is also committed to ensuring an environment in which students and trainees feel free to report such behaviors without fear of retaliation.

Educators (defined broadly to include anyone in a teaching or mentoring role, including faculty, postdocs, residents, clinical fellows, nurses, staff, and students) bear significant responsibility for creating and maintaining this environment. As role models and evaluators, educators must practice appropriate professional behavior toward, and in the presence of, students and trainees, who are particularly vulnerable given their dependent status.

Everyone at Mount Sinai deserves to experience a professional learning and working environment. These guidelines supplement the institutional policies on professional conduct, discrimination, harassment, grievances, and sexual misconduct; will assist in developing and maintaining optimal learning environments; and encourage educators to accept their responsibilities as representatives of ISMMS in their interactions with colleagues and patients. This policy is closely aligned with our institution’s Cultural Transformation efforts, the ISMMS Racism and Bias Initiative, and related policies.

Mistreatment and unprofessional behaviors directed at students and trainees interfere with the learning environment, adversely impact well-being and the trainee-mentor relationship, and have the potential for negatively impacting patient care and research. Inappropriate and unacceptable behaviors can promote an atmosphere in which mistreatment and unprofessional behaviors directed at students and trainees is accepted and perpetuated in medical and graduate education. Reports relating to the clinical setting will be reviewed in accordance with the principles detailed in this policy as part of the relevant hospital’s quality assurance program.

While individuals might perceive behaviors differently, examples of unprofessional behaviors prohibited by this policy include, but are not limited to being:

• threatened with physical harm or physically harmed

• required to perform personal services

• subjected to offensive remarks related to gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race, color, religion, or any other category protected by law

• denied opportunities for training or rewards based upon membership in a protected group

• subjected to lower evaluations or grades solely because of membership in a protected group

• publicly embarrassed or humiliated

• subjected to unwanted sexual advances

• asked to exchange sexual favors for grades or other rewards

• subjected to the threat of revoking visa status for foreign nationals

Mount Sinai has a zero-tolerance policy towards unprofessional behaviors directed at students and trainees. Zero tolerance means that all reported incidents are scrutinized and result in an action plan that may include feedback, remediation, or disciplinary action. Although under certain circumstances unprofessional behavior directed at students and trainees may require disciplinary action, we recognize in such episodes an opportunity to develop, improve, and remediate behaviors that detract from a learning and working environment of which we can all be proud.

The Clery Act (otherwise officially known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act) is a federal law requiring US colleges and universities receiving Title IV funding to disclose information about particular crimes on and around their campuses as well as safety related policies. ISMMS publishes annual security reports to fulfill this requirement. These reports are available on the ISMMS Consumer Information website as well as in the Security Department.

One of the most serious issues facing the Mount Sinai Hospital students, employees, and patients is the threat of fire. The risk is increased because work conducted in clinical, research and other laboratories may involve flammable liquids and other hazardous substances. In addition, the use of specialized equipment such as lasers and other ignition sources utilized in oxygen-enriched atmospheres increases the threat of fire. This threat is far more critical in patient care areas since patients are often incapable of self- preservation. It is critical to student safety as well as patient well-being that students know what to do in the event of an actual fire. This knowledge is imparted through participation in fire drills and fire safety training in-services.

The ISMMS Intranet, http://intranet1.mountsinai.org/, under Core Administrative Services and Fire Safety Tabs, includes a link to the MSMC video entitled “CODE RED”. Students should take the time to view this important informational video and participate in local fire drills.

Purview of the Committee

The Committee is charged with addressing any complaint of harassment or abuse brought by any member of the faculty, medical or graduate student, house staff officer or postdoctoral research fellow against any other such member of the school community.

Composition of the Committee

The Committee will consist of at least 22 members. Among these will be 2 with counseling experience, 2 medical students, 2 graduate students, 2 house staff, 2 faculty with administrative appointments, and 2 research postdoctoral fellows. Faculty members of the Committee will be representative of both basic science and clinical, junior and senior faculty. Every effort will be made to have the Committee reflect the full diversity of the medical school population. The Chairperson of the Committee (the “Chairperson”) shall be a faculty member with experience in counseling and who does not have an administrative appointment. All members of the Committee, including the Chairperson, will be appointed by the Dean after consultation with relevant groups in the School. Faculty will serve staggered 3-year renewable terms; students, postdoctoral fellows and house officers will serve renewable 1-year terms.

Grievance Procedures

Any member of the faculty, any medical or graduate student, house officer or postdoctoral research fellow who believes that he or she has been harassed or abused by any other such member of the School community may contact any member of the Committee or the Chairperson to seek advice, or may submit a written complaint to the Committee. The Committee member contacted can discuss the matter with the complainant, advise the complainant of his/her/their alternatives in pursuing the complaint, including, if the complainant agrees, (and where permitted by law), helping the complainant to resolve the complaint informally without revealing the complainant’s name. Such help may include, but is not limited to, assisting the complainant in drafting a letter to the alleged offender asking that he/she/they stop the behavior, or coaching the complainant in preparation for a conversation with the alleged offender. The complainant may ask the Committee member to meet directly with the person accused to seek a resolution. If the complaint includes an alleged violation of law, the Committee member initially contacted must bring the complaint to the full Committee, the complaint must be fully documented and investigated, and a report made to the Dean.

Upon request of the complainant to the Committee member originally contacted, or upon receipt of written complaints to the Committee, or when required by law, the complaint, with the names of the complainant, respondent and department withheld, will be discussed by the Committee at its next regular meeting.

Following discussion of the complaint, the Committee has 2 options:

1. It can decide that even if the allegation is true, it does not constitute harassment or abuse. The complainant will be notified of the finding and can be offered guidance and/or assistance in resolving the matter, or be referred to another, more appropriate venue, such as Human Resources, the Faculty Relations Committee or a Tenure Review Committee to pursue the complaint.

2. It can decide that the allegation is sufficiently serious to warrant further investigation. Unless previously submitted, the complainant will be requested to submit a full written account of the complaint. Upon receipt of the written complaint, the Chairperson will appoint a five-member Board and two alternates.

The Chairperson will serve as chair of the Board (or, in case of conflict of interest or other inability to serve, appoint another Committee member) and will appoint at least 4 additional individuals and at least 2 alternates to consider the complaint. Students, postdoctoral fellows, and house staff members are to be excluded from the Board in cases involving a faculty member alleging harassment by another faculty member. In cases involving a student, postdoctoral fellow or house staff (either as an accuser or accused), at least one of the members of the Board will be from the same group. Each Board will have at least one member with experience in counseling, and at least 3 faculty.

Upon selection of the Board, the complainant will be notified of the names of Board members, and will have 48 hours from receipt of such notification to challenge, in writing, any member for cause. The respondent will be notified that a complaint has been brought against him/her, the name of the complainant, the nature of the complaint, and the names of the members of the Board. The respondent shall also have 48 hours from receipt of notification to challenge, in writing, any member of the Board for cause. In the event of a challenge, the Chairperson will decide on the merits and replace Board members if necessary. In the event that the Chairperson is unable to appoint a sufficient number of members not disqualified for cause, the Dean will appoint additional members.

The preliminary stages of the investigation may consist of meetings of one or more members of the Board with the complainant, respondent and other members of the community who might have relevant information. In the event that preliminary meetings have been held, all information obtained in these meetings will be shared with the entire Board. In all meetings, confidentiality will be stressed.

The respondent will receive the full written complaint with the supporting documentation provided by the complainant to the Board and will be afforded two weeks to provide a written response. This response will be distributed to the Board and provided to the complainant.

The Board will then hold one or more hearings, which the complainant and respondent will attend, either individually or together, along with any other witnesses the Board deems relevant to the complaint. At the hearing, each of the parties may be accompanied by an advisor, who is a member of the Mount Sinai community, but who is not a lawyer, and who will not function as an advocate during the hearing.

At the close of the hearing(s), the Board will deliberate the findings without the presence of either the complainant or the respondent. Upon concluding its deliberations, the Board will vote on whether or not there has been a violation of this policy based on a majority vote. Recommendations for remedial actions will be discussed. A full report will be drafted, including the findings, vote and recommendations of the majority. It will then be submitted to the Dean. The Board's written report will include:

1. A determination that a violation of this policy did or did not take place

2. A listing of its findings of fact

3. A summary of the written submissions of the parties

4. A summary of testimony at the hearing

5. A summary of evidence gathered during the investigation

6. The conclusions it has drawn from this material

7. Its recommendations for action to be taken by the Dean.

The Board may recommend sanctions based on the severity of the offense. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to, verbal reprimand, written reprimand, change in job responsibilities, suspension, discharge, and expulsion. The Board and/or the Committee may, at their discretion, modify the Grievance Procedures depending on the nature of a particular complaint.

Dean's Review

The Dean may accept or reject conclusions and/or recommendations of the Board. However, in the event the Dean does not accept either the Board’s conclusions or its recommendations, he/she/they will meet with the Board to discuss the reasons for the rejection before recording a final decision on the matter. The Dean will convey his/her/their decision in writing to the complainant, respondent and the Board.

Protection from Retaliation

All individuals involved in registering a complaint, serving as representatives for the complainant or respondent, as witnesses, or on the Committee will be free from any and all retaliation or reprisal or threats thereof. This principle applies with equal force after a complaint has been adjudicated. Upon submission of a complaint or threat of retaliation, the Committee will review the facts and recommend appropriate action.

Re-Evaluation of Procedures

The Committee will review the grievance procedures periodically. Proposed changes, approved by a majority of the Committee, must be reviewed and approved by the Office of the General Counsel before being implemented.

The following statement describes ISMMS’s policy regarding substance abuse for all employees, which include faculty, administration, house staff, students, graduate students, fellows, bargaining and non-bargaining unit employees. The school has a significant interest in ensuring that the educational and work environment is free from the hazards to patients, employees, students, and visitors that are created due to the unauthorized use of alcohol, drugs, or controlled substances.

The illegal sale, manufacture, distribution, or unauthorized use of drugs or controlled substances off-duty whether on or off medical school premises or reporting to classes or clerkships under the influence of un-authorized drugs or controlled substances may constitute grounds for immediate dismissal.

The unauthorized use or possession of alcoholic beverages on medical school premises or reporting to School under the influence of alcohol also may constitute grounds for immediate dismissal.

The school may in its discretion take appropriate disciplinary action up to and including dismissal or termination from employment against anyone who has violated the above rules.

Any employee or student who is suspected of being under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug while on duty and who refuses to be medically evaluated or to release the results of such evaluation to the medical school (as employer) or appropriate administrative officer of the School will be relieved from duty and will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires ISMMS, as a Federal grant recipient and contractor, to certify that it will provide a drug-free workplace. This is accomplished by providing to each employee or student engaged in a federal grant or contract, a copy of the School’s Drug-Free Workplace policy and statement, and requiring that as a condition of employment under such a grant or contract the employee will:

• Abide by the terms of this Statement; and

• Notify the Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations or his/her/their designee of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring in the workplace no later than five (5) days after such conviction.

A Drug-Free Awareness Program has been established to inform all employees about the dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, The School's policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace, the available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs, and the potential penalties for drug abuse violations.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers professional guidance counseling and a referral service for substance abuse, as well as other concerns, to students, employees and their immediate families free of charge. For confidential information, contact EAP at (212) 241-8937.

The policy of the School of Medicine regarding alcoholic beverages in the Patricia and Robert Levinson Student Center is to maximize student utilization of the Center while assuring that clear policies are in place. Alcohol is permitted in the Student Center at events sponsored by student organizations or Departments within ISMMS under the following circumstances:

• A student-run organization that is recognized by Student Council is sponsoring the event.

• No student or guest under the age of 21 will be served or permitted to consume any alcoholic beverage.

• Alcoholic beverages are not sold at the event.

• Alcohol must not be taken out of the Student Center into other areas of Mount Sinai.

• Serving alcoholic beverages is always in the context of serving food and non-alcoholic beverages. A specific student (or students) is identified as responsible for the event.

• The responsible student will monitor the event so that anyone who is clearly intoxicated is not served any more alcohol.

• If a person has become intoxicated, steps should be taken to try and help the individual sober up prior to leaving the party.

• The responsible student monitoring the event must make certain that any person that has become intoxicated will not be allowed to drive. Cab fare should be provided, if necessary, or an escort should be provided to ensure that the person gets home safely.

• The Administrative Director of Student Affairs is notified in writing about the event at least one week in advance with the clear statement that alcoholic beverages are planned as part of the food and beverage service serving as the application for a permit.

• Funding for alcoholic beverages will not come from tuition resources or the Department of Medical Education budget.

• There MUST be a written permission from the Event Coordinator of Student Affairs prior to the event. The person(s) responsible for the event must have the permit with them at the event.

• The Security Department will be notified that alcohol will be served at the event.

Under no other circumstances should alcoholic beverages be used or available in the Levinson Student Center. Please contact the Event Coordinator of Student Affairs with any questions.

All incoming students are required to undergo drug/alcohol screening. Subsequently, drug/alcohol testing may be requested of any student, at any time, including:

• When concerns about substance use issues arise.

• When any student returns from a leave of any kind.

• When a student self-reports a problem.

Failure to undergo testing as requested will result in dismissal from the school. A positive test will result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal from the school.

The Ombuds Office is a strictly confidential resource for all graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, residents and faculty at ISMMS and throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. George W. Huntley, PhD, is the Ombuds for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, serving graduate students in all programs and postdoctoral Fellows. This confidential office provides an impartial and informal venue for promoting fair and equitable conflict resolution for individuals or groups who have identified problems in their workplace, research labs or studies. The Ombudsperson offers advice, facilitates meetings, helps negotiate solutions and/or provides information for referral or additional Institutional resources. For further information or to set up an appointment, please contact Dr. George W. Huntley, 212-824-8981, george.huntley@mssm.edu; or see https://icahn.mssm.edu/about/ombuds-office.

All members of the School community, including faculty, students, organizations, members of the staff of the School, and all visitors and other licensees and invitees, are expected to obey all national, state and local laws.

All members of the School community are prohibited from conduct which is proximate cause of or does unreasonably and unduly impede, obstruct or interfere with the orderly and continuous administration and operation of the School in the use of its facilities and the achievement of its purposes as an educational institution, or in its rights as a campus proprietor. Such conduct shall include, but is not limited to, that which is the actual or proximate cause of any of the following:

• Unreasonable interference with the rights of others

• Intentional injury to School property

• Unauthorized occupancy of classrooms, laboratories, libraries, faculty and administrative offices, patient care facilities, auditoriums, public halls and stairways, recreational areas and any other facilities used by the School (unauthorized occupancy being defined as failure to vacate any such facility when duly requested by the Dean, an Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, Hospital Administrator of similar responsibility or chair of a department of the School)

• Malicious use of or intentional damage to personal property, including records, papers and writings of any member of the School community

• Any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or involves the forced consumption of liquor or drugs for the purpose of initiation into or affiliation with any organization

Violations of these policies and regulations by students shall be referred to the Dean of the Graduate School. Students in violation may be expelled in addition to any other criminal or civil penalties.

Nothing contained in any of the foregoing Rules and Regulations is intended to nor shall it be construed to limit or restrict freedom of speech or of peaceful assembly, or other individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

This chapter covers campus-wide policies, regulations, and requirements for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Rules of Conduct

• Student Behavior

• Faculty, Staff, and Student Relations

• FERPA

• ISMMS Social Media Guideline

• Acceptable Use of Technology Policy

  • Use of Hardware and Software

  • Web, Data, and Cloud Storage

  • Email and Collaboration Technology Usage

  • Protected Health Information and Other Confidential Information

  • Secure Messaging and Encryption

• ISMMS Policy on Business Conflicts of Interest

• Student Intellectual Property

The administration and faculty of the School are committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for all students. Students should conduct themselves appropriately everywhere on the campus of ISMMS, and at affiliated institutions. Appropriate behavior is mandatory when participating in patient care or attending any functions at which patients may be present. In small group seminars, as well as during clinical activities, students are evaluated not only on their fund of knowledge and ability to use this knowledge but also on their responsibility, dependability, reliability, maturity, motivation, attitude, honesty, integrity, and ability to relate and interact effectively with others.

Equally important, however, is the realization that one's responsibilities do not end with individual behavior but also include not tolerating inappropriate behavior among others. While formal mechanisms, outlined in other sections, exist to provide due process for any specific allegations of inappropriate behavior, general issues should be able to be discussed freely among peers, faculty, and administration. Concerns requiring confidentiality should be discussed with the Dean of Graduate School, individual faculty advisors, or through the School’s Ombudsman Program.

Just as students are expected to behave in an appropriate and professional manner at all times, so also are faculty, staff, and other employees. Any allegations concerning harassment, abuse, or inappropriate professional behavior should be brought directly to the attention of one of the Associate Deans of the Graduate School or to a member of the Harassment Committee and Grievance Board.

The Executive Faculty has approved the following statement of principles concerning interactions among faculty, house staff, and students.

All interpersonal interactions at ISMMS will be conducted in an atmosphere of respect and concern for the dignity of every individual. Under no circumstances will patients, students, faculty, or staff of Mount Sinai be treated, spoken to, or spoken about in a demeaning manner. Insulting language or behavior must not be tolerated. Faculty, house staff, and students are encouraged to speak up directly and immediately against unacceptable behavior or speech. If a student feels that it would be unwise to pursue such a matter directly, she/he/they should discuss the issue promptly with an appropriate academic supervisor, administrative supervisor, or dean.

Following are recommendations regarding the implementation of these principles:

• Chairs of all departments will address these issues at a departmental administrative meeting or grand rounds every year

• Directors of training and course directors are encouraged to discuss (in a non-threatening format), with faculty and house staff, the etiology of inappropriate behavior and engage their collaboration in developing and implementing improvements

• Directors of training and course directors will ask for student evaluations of this aspect of their experience as part of their evaluations with every group of students

• Faculty and house staff will be advised that while appropriate personal behavior is absolutely necessary, it is insufficient. It is also required that inappropriate behavior or language on the part of others must not go without comment

• The Dean will issue an advisory regarding this policy to all faculty, house staff, and students. New members of the faculty, house staff and student body will be given copies of this advisory.

• The Executive Curriculum Committee will periodically assess students' experiences to gauge the effectiveness of this initiative.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 and its subsequent amendments afford students certain rights with respect to their educational records.

As detailed below, students have the right to:

• Inspect and review their education records.

• Seek amendment of their education records if they believe them to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of their privacy rights.

• Consent to certain disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in their education records.

• File complaints with the Department of Education concerning any alleged failure to comply with FERPA’s requirements.

For more information on institution’s FERPA policy, consult the Institutional FERPA policy.

Academic Informatics and Technology (AIT), with the Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library at its core, serves as the information resources and technology hub for all students, residents, fellows, and the clinical and basic science faculty of ISMMS, regardless of where they are across the City and around the world. AIT includes the Levy Library, Archives and Records Management, Academic IT Support Center (ASCIT), Instructional Technology Group (ITG), and Multimedia Services.

All students are held to the Mount Sinai Health System’s Infection Control Policies and Procedures. During orientation, students will be introduced to these policies and procedures. Further training is coordinated by each degree program. Students who experience needle stick accidents and accidental blood/body fluid in the medical school will be supported (An exposure may be a percutaneous injury, such as a needle stick, cut with a sharp object or bite, contact of mucous membranes, contact of tissue, contact of skin when the exposed skin is chapped, abraded, or afflicted with dermatitis, or the contact is prolonged or involving an extensive area with blood or tissue or body fluids.). It is expected that students follow the published protocols immediately as anti-retroviral therapy for HIV exposure, if recommended, should commence immediately. Exposure to hepatitis B or C may require therapy or further follow-up. Care, evaluation, and expert advice must be available to students regarding relative risks, options for therapy, and follow-up. Coordination of multiple affiliate sites has been accomplished so that students have a clear idea of the protocol to follow and students receive state-of-the-art care. Students must attend annual seminars conducted by infection control experts and documentation of attendance will become a permanent part of the student's file. Students must follow protocol after a needle stick or other blood/body fluid exposure. All exposures should be reported to Student Health. For complete information, view the Infection Control Handbook.