Chats for Change | Mount Sinai
Activities that spark conversations.
Winter/Spring 2025 (January-May)
Chats for Change Schedule
The fall and winter Chats for Change schedule is here!
Each season we introduce new topics that are designed to spark critical dialogue and generate deeper understanding and insight.
We invite all staff, faculty, trainees, students and others within the health system to join us and engage in dialogue so that we can work towards a common understanding and contribute our best thinking, knowing that other peoples’ reflections help to improve our thinking rather than impair it. We are committed to dialogue to help us reveal our assumptions and biases for self-evaluation.
Chats for Change is built on the notion that responding to racism and bias requires engaging in dialogue, learning, and action. This month we are proud to announce the new Chats for Change schedule for September through December 2024.
We are proud to announce the new Chats for Change schedule for January through May 2025. This season we have partnered with students to continue our dialogues about relevant topics. Join us to:
- Explore religious-based oppression and appreciate that we have much more in common than what separates us.
- Uncover the unique healthcare challenges faced by refugee-immigrant communities and explore innovative strategies to bridge the gap.
- Discuss the complex challenges faced by healthcare systems in conflict zones.
- Take a look at the relationship between climate change and environmental racism
- Explore imposter syndrome and embrace self-doubt to drive social change
- Identify barriers to care and health concerns that are unique to the experiences of transgender and gender diverse youth.
Call to Action
Got an idea for a Chats for Change topic or a current event you’d like to see featured in an In the News session? New topic ideas will be incorporated into the Summer/Fall 2025 Chats for Change cycle. Share it with us now and help drive the conversation! Submit here.
Check out the Mount Sinai Chats for Change schedule here: https://changenow.icahn.mssm.edu/chatsforchange/
If you are interested in attending National Chats for Change, check out the schedule here: https://changenow.icahn.mssm.edu/national-chats-for-change/
Chats for Change |Winter/Spring
December 2024
Model Minority or Perpetual Foreigner? The Asian American Experience
Asian Americans find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place, labeled in ways that are profoundly negative and impossible to reconcile. Join us for a dialogue about the lived experience of our Asian American colleagues, peers, and patients and the ways in which we can all benefit from eliminating Asian American bias.
Facilitator(s): Mount Sinai Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development (CAEPD) and David Muller, MD
Tuesday, December 17 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
January 2025
Religious-based oppression
Religion is arguably the oldest reason that people the world over have been oppressed. And over the course of mankind’s history no religion has been the exception. Join us as we explore the reasons for this oppression, learn more about each other’s religions, and develop an appreciation that we have much more in common than what separates us.
Facilitators: David Muller, MD, and Rahul Guda (M2) (SAMSA)
Tuesday, January 14 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Anti-racist approaches to medical student awards and honors societies
Evaluating medical honors societies and medical school student awards is necessary if we hope to address inequities linked not to merit but to the social identities of recipients. We will discuss the pros and cons of these standards of achievement and current efforts to improve equity in these settings.
Facilitator(s): Anti-racism Student Fellows Hope Lefebvre (M2) & Allison Choe (M2)
Tuesday, January 28 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
February 2025
Religious-based oppression
Religion is arguably the oldest reason that people the world over have been oppressed. And over the course of mankind’s history no religion has been the exception. Join us as we explore the reasons for this oppression, learn more about each other’s religions, and develop an appreciation that we have much more in common than what separates us.
Facilitators: David Muller, MD
Tuesday, February 11 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Navigating Healthcare Access: Challenges Facing Immigrants Today
Migrants often encounter significant barriers when accessing healthcare services, including legal hurdles, financial constraints, and cultural misunderstandings. These obstacles can lead to disparities in health outcomes and exacerbate existing inequalities. Join us as we delve into the unique healthcare challenges faced by refugee-immigrant communities and explore innovative strategies to ensure equitable access to quality care for all.
Facilitator(s): Anti-racism Student Fellows Bishoy Yacoub (M1), DeAnalisa Jones (MD/PhD), and Vineeth Vaidyula (M1)
Tuesday, February 18 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
March 2025
Religious-based oppression
Religion is arguably the oldest reason that people the world over have been oppressed. And over the course of mankind’s history no religion has been the exception. Join us as we explore the reasons for this oppression, learn more about each other’s religions, and develop an appreciation that we have much more in common than what separates us.
Facilitators: David Muller, MD and Maimonides
Tuesday, March 4 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Understanding the Impact of Conflict Zones on Healthcare Access and Infrastructure
Join us for a thought-provoking Chats for Change session exploring the complex challenges faced by healthcare systems in conflict zones. This session will examine how the instability in areas of conflict impacts access to healthcare, medical resources, and critical infrastructure, often perpetuating health inequities across vulnerable populations. Together, we’ll engage in meaningful dialogue aimed at uncovering our assumptions, exploring our biases, and fostering deeper understandings. We’ll discuss how these challenges are compounded by biases that impact international responses and aid distribution. Through facilitated dialogue, this session will encourage all participants to think critically about how global conflicts negatively affect health and to examine our own assumptions and biases around healthcare and humanitarian aid.
Facilitator(s): Anti-racism Student Fellows Joan Perez (M2) & Salwa Najmi (M2)
Tuesday, March 18 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
April 2025
Religious-based oppression
Religion is arguably the oldest reason that people the world over have been oppressed. And over the course of mankind’s history no religion has been the exception. Join us as we explore the reasons for this oppression, learn more about each other’s religions, and develop an appreciation that we have much more in common than what separates us.
Facilitators: David Muller, MD and TBD
Tuesday, April 8 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Earth Day and Health Equity: Taking a look at climate change and environmental racism
Climate change impacts all of us in more ways than we know, but the health of certain groups has historically been impacted disproportionately due to environmental racism. Join us on Earth Day to discuss the impacts of environmental racism, how different cultures interact with the environment, and brainstorm possible solutions to minimize the impact on vulnerable communities.
Facilitator(s): Anti-racism Student Fellows Tiffany Bondoc (MSGC Y1) & Mia Peros (MPH1)
Tuesday, April 22 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
May 2025
Transforming Imposter Syndrome: Embracing Self-Doubt to Drive Social Change
Most underrepresented and underserved students pursuing higher education will, at some point, experience feelings of doubt in their abilities or skills. It’s essential to address this reality proactively. By using the experience of imposter syndrome as a catalyst, we can foster important and meaningful dialogue that allows us to celebrate our achievements while promoting transformative social change.
Facilitators: Anti-racism Student Fellows Gvantsa Pantsulaia (GSBS Y2) & Chino Nwakama (MD/PhD)
Tuesday, May 6 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth: Where Things Stand and Where We Go From Here
This chats for change aims to address how healthcare providers, communities, families, and support groups can continue to advocate for trans kids in the face of mounting challenges within healthcare and beyond. We’ll be discussing barriers to care and health concerns that are unique to the experiences of transgender and gender diverse youth, and how we can promote safe and equitable environments within the hospital. We hope this conversation creates space to support existing efforts to provide gender-affirming care, suggest ways we can hold ourselves and our colleagues accountable, and reaffirm ongoing partnerships with families and communities, especially in a political climate that makes it increasingly challenging to do so.
Facilitator(s): Anti-racism Student Fellows Rachel Kasdin (M3) & Spencer Johnson (M3)
Tuesday, May 20 | 12-1 pm | Join us on Zoom.
Chats for Change is built on the notion that in order to respond to racism and be anti-racist we must engage in dialogue, learning, and action.
If you’ve attended Chats for Change in the past or if you are curious about the experience, we invite you to join us as we continue to engage in dialogue, work towards a common understanding, and contribute our best thinking, knowing that other peoples’ reflections will help improve our thinking rather than undermine it. We are committed to engaging in dialogue in order to reveal our assumptions and biases for self-evaluation.
These sessions are intended for the Mount Sinai Health System community of students, faculty, and staff. After registering for any of the sessions above you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including an option to add the invitation to your calendar. None of these sessions will be recorded.
If you are interested in participating in Chats for Change sessions that are open to the public, join us here.
If you’d like to join us for the Mindfulness Moments limited Series, click here.
.