Mount Sinai Establishes AI and Human Health Center

Earlier this week, the Mount Sinai Health System opened the Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, a facility dedicated to enhancing healthcare delivery through the research, development, and application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies. 

The state-of-the-art research center builds upon Mount Sinai Health System’s mission to deliver patient care through groundbreaking innovation and technology. The institution, for example, was among the first U.S. academic medical centers create and operate a supercomputer (Minerva), which was put in service in 2013.

“By integrating AI technology across genomics, imaging, pathology, electronic health records, and beyond, Mount Sinai is revolutionizing doctors’ capacity to diagnose and treat patients, reshaping the future of healthcare. Mount Sinai has been at the forefront of AI research and development in healthcare, and now we stand as one of the first medical schools to establish a dedicated AI research center,” stated Eric Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Friedman Brain Institute, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs and Nash Family Professor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief scientific officer at Mount Sinai Health System. “As AI technology is evolving rapidly, this moment is critical for maintaining leadership in digital health. The Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health will cultivate an optimal environment for researchers to deepen their understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases—including the most debilitating—and to advance overall health and well-being.”

The interdisciplinary center will combine AI with data science and genomics in a location at the center of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Manhattan campus. The facility will initially house approximately 40 principal investigators along with 250 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, computer scientists, and support staff.

Supported by a generous gift from Hamilton Evans “Tony” James, executive vice chairman of the Manhattan-based investment firm Blackstone, and his wife, Amabel, the 12-story, 65,000-square-foot facility is housed in a repurposed Mount Sinai building at 3 East 101st St. 

“If we want to use artificial intelligence for the greater good and make significant progress in healthcare, investing in AI research and development within academic institutions is essential,” said Dennis S. Charney, M.D., Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean at Icahn Mount Sinai and president for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System. “While large tech companies possess substantial funding and resources to access high-performance equipment, they lack access to a healthcare system, limiting their progress in the field. This new AI research center at Icahn Mount Sinai will yield transformative discoveries in human health by the integration of research and data, fostering collaboration across multiple programs under one roof.” 

To construct the new AI center, Mount Sinai modernized an existing building to meet contemporary standards, including updating the facade to align with the aesthetic of other campus buildings. Within the 12 floors of the center, eight will be dedicated to Mount Sinai’s AI initiatives. These core facilities include: 

• The Windreich Department of AI and Human Health, which focuses on creating an “AI fabric” that will integrate machine learning and AI-driven decision-making throughout the Health System’s eight hospitals. 
• The Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Health at Mount Sinai (HPI•MS), formed in 2019 through a collaboration with the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering in Germany, which aims to enhance capabilities in data science, biomedical and digital engineering, machine learning, AI, and wearable technology. In 2024, the Hasso Plattner Foundation renewed its support of HPI•MS for the next five years.
• The Institute for Genomic Health and Division of Medical Genetics, which leads the effort to harness the power of genomic discovery to develop new ways to prevent and treat diseases, including cancers, heart problems, and genetic disorders.
• The Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, focused on the use of multimodality imaging for brain, heart, and cancer research, along with research in nanomedicine for precision imaging and drug delivery.
• The Institute for Personalized Medicine, which launched the human genome sequencing research project called the Mount Sinai Million Health Discoveries Program, which aims to enroll 1 million racially and ethnically diverse patients, advance precision medicine research, and improve patient care. 

Mount Sinai’s Windreich Department of AI and Human Health is committed to advancing and optimizing AI and human health. The department will harness the power of leading-edge tools to revolutionize scientific research and discovery. This commitment will be realized through the creation of an “intelligent fabric,” seamlessly integrating machine learning and AI-driven decision-making throughout Mount Sinai’s entire health system. It includes the distinguished Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, serving as a central hub for innovative learning.

In 2024, the Department’s innovative NutriScan AI application, designed to facilitate faster identification and treatment of malnutrition in hospitalized patients, earned Mount Sinai Health System the Hearst Health Prize. This machine learning tool improves malnutrition diagnosis rates and resource utilization, demonstrating AI’s impactful application.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the Mount Sinai Health System’s eight member hospitals,* one of the largest U.S. academic health systems, providing care to a large and diverse patient population.   

Ranked 11th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has more than 4,560 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians who work within and across 45 academic departments and 38 multidisciplinary institutes. Its emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver diseases. 

Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive medical, doctorate, and master’s degree programs, with a current enrollment of more than 1,200 students. It has the nation’s largest graduate medical education program, with more than 2,685 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 560 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System. 

Through the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.  

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.  

* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.