Operation IDD Gene Team, a revolutionary initiative between the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) and Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), has resulted in groundbreaking research for rare genetic diseases that cause intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Gene Team's mission is to advance the study of rare diseases while providing education and support for families, who often feel alone and at a loss for information. When genetic testing reveals a patient's rare genetic disorder, a request is sent to the nearly 100 IDDRC members, which include faculty at Einstein and Montefiore, seeking researchers interested in working with the particular gene. The process results in formation of multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians, each bringing unique perspectives to study and develop treatments for these rare diseases.

The Gene Team organizes informative sessions to share with parents what is known about the involved gene and how research advances about specific diseases could best be achieved. In one instance, the team brought together families from around the world who were affected by a rare disease, along with internationallyrenowned physicians and scientists for a think-tank meeting to share information, research and experiences. "Families see that somebody really cares," says Melissa Wasserstein, MD, Chief, Pediatric Genetic Medicine, CHAM, and Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Einstein. "They feel like a whole team is behind them and going the whole nine yards to help their child."

Discover more at www.cham.org/gene-team. 

Michelle Gong, MD (third from left), will act as a research mentor for one of the EXPLORE projects.

Montefiore-Einstein has received a $3.3 million federal grant to establish New York's only Learning Health System (LHS) Center of Excellence. EXPLORE will be one of only 11 such centers in the nation training diverse teams to accelerate advances in quality across the system to benefit patients. Initiatives will include improving sepsis care and enhancing patient transfer from acute care to skilled nursing facilities, among others.

In recent years, a multidisciplinary group of Einstein and Montefiore researchers and clinicians have coalesced around the LHS approach. Breaking down technical and operational barriers, using artificial intelligence, and leveraging skills across a range of disciplines, they have improved care and, most importantly, saved lives.

"This grant validates our leadership in the field and our ability to apply academic rigor to this approach, not only by providing training, but making our findings generalizable, thereby helping patients around the country," says Diane McKee, MD, co–principal investigator on the grant, Professor, Family and Social Medicine, Einstein, and Family Physician, Montefiore. Dr. McKee will co-lead EXPLORE with Michael Rinke, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, and Chinazo Cunningham, MD, MS, Associate Chief, Internal Medicine, Montefiore and Einstein.

EXPLORE is seeking applicants—from physicians and nurses to pharmacists and data scientists—who have a demonstrated interest and background in quality improvement. Visit www.einsteinmed.edu/explore for details or to apply.

The exciting new YES Gallery will host its grand opening on November 7 in the corridor just off the Moses main lobby. Montefiore's Child Outpatient Psychiatry Division and Montefiore's Fine Art Program teamed up to create the gallery as a rotating exhibition space for the Youth Empowerment Series (YES). Each project invites a professional artist to lend their expertise to young people engaged in an ongoing series of group reflection, communication and art projects, as they learn how to practice mindfulness and make positive choices when facing challenges or mental health issues.

The YES Gallery is the result of a collaboration between Jenny Seham, PhD, Clinical Director of Montefiore's Arts and Integrative Medicine Program (AIM) in Psychiatry, and Olivia Davis, Curator for the Fine Art Program and Collection at Montefiore. This past summer the AIM program held its first YES three-week art intensive with 12 children and local Bronx artist Lady K Fever. Together they created paintings and sketches of incredible quality and power.

The grand opening of the YES Gallery on November 7, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM, will feature 12 works, interactive performances by the teen artists, and opening remarks. They will be joined by Jonathan Alpert, MD, PhD, Chair, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Professor, Psychiatry, Neurosciences and Pediatrics, and Peter Semczuk, DDS, MPH, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Moses Campus.