President’s Message | August 2025

President’s Message
August 2025

To Our Philanthropic Family,

We hope you enjoyed some relaxation and time with family and friends over the summer months. As we continue to celebrate 75 years of high-quality health care, we thank you for your continued generosity. It empowers us to enhance our standard of care and continue to build for the future.

 We’re happy to announce that this June, Dr. Eric Weiss began his tenure as Mount Sinai’s new President of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and joined our Chief of the Division, Dr. Steve Xydas as Co-Director of Valve Surgery at the Barry B. Siadat Heart Institute.

Dr. Weiss’s career is defined by refining minimally invasive valve procedures, including mitral valve reconstruction, to reduce operative time, accelerate recovery, and improve patient outcomes. He has performed over 6,000 successful cardiac surgeries and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s top valve surgeons. The arrival of Dr. Weiss will play a pivotal role in advancing Mount Sinai’s reputation as the number one cardiovascular program in South Florida, enhancing our already robust and expert team. 

In addition to being the #1 program in South Florida, we’re also proud to be home to one of the top thoracic surgery programs in the country. As a recognized leader in robotic thoracic surgery, Mount Sinai is the first in Florida to use cutting-edge, real-time imaging within a hybrid operating room for unmatched accuracy during procedures in early-stage lung cancer diagnoses. This technology affords unparalleled precision and better outcomes for our patients undergoing surgery on their cancer journey.

Thanks to our expert surgeons like Dr. Roy Williams, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Dr. Fernando Safdie, the Director of Endoluminal and Airway Surgery and Associate Director of Thoracic Surgery, our intuition’s 5-year survival rate for stage one lung cancer is 83% — 16% higher than the national average.

All in all, Mount Sinai outperforms more than 1,300 U.S. programs across all stages of lung cancer survival. That’s what excellence in patient care looks like to us: outstanding results, providing hope and life for South Floridians.

Lastly, as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month approaches this September, we recognize the transformative work of Dr. Brian Slomovitz, our Director of Gynecologic Oncology, and the Clinical Trial Lead for all endometrial cancer trials within the Gynecologic Oncology Group Foundation. Mount Sinai is proud to offer our patients access to 15 gynecologic cancer treatment trials – the highest number in South Florida.

Dr. Slomovitz’s efforts resulted in one of these trials receiving accelerated approval by the FDA for treatment of adult patients with KRAS-mutated recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer. This marks the first FDA-approved treatment for this diagnosis, and it’s happening right here at Mount Sinai.

Under his leadership, the foundation recently found success in the global ROSELLA trial, which boosted survival rates in treatment-resistant ovarian cancer – with up to 30% less risk of disease progression. With rising incidence and death rates of endometrial cancer, Mount Sinai is dedicated to furthering research and providing a pathway for successful treatment options for our community.

These developments, alongside our many other ongoing projects, enhance the standard of care we deliver to our patients. Mount Sinai remains focused on raising the bar for health care excellence, setting our institution apart both in South Florida and nationwide.

I hope you enjoy reading more news and updates in this newsletter and thank you for your dedication to our medical center.

Sincerely,

Gino R. Santorio
President & Chief Executive Officer