NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
has launched a new center for research into light's impact on
health. The Mount Sinai Center for Light and Health Research in the
Department of Population Health Science and Policy will expand on
Mount Sinai's research into
light's influence on mental and physical health, including
burgeoning areas such as ultraviolet technology disinfection.
The clinical research conducted through the Center will
investigate how to use light to improve people's lives by
stabilizing their circadian rhythms, the natural internal clock
that regulates the body's sleep-wake cycle. Researchers will study
how light, either from daylight or electric indoor light, affects
circadian rhythms in various populations, from the very young to
the very old, including patients with COVID-19, cancer, Alzheimer's
disease, depression, and other illnesses. The goal is to help abate
symptoms and improve their sleep, mental health, and cognition.
Mariana Figueiro, PhD, has been
recruited from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI) to create and serve as Director of the
Center. She headed the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at RPI in
Troy, New York, and is an
internationally known leader in light research and education. She
began her career in architecture and started studying lighting in
1996, developing insights into how light impacts circadian rhythms
and sleep and how it may affect diseases.
She has four multimillion-dollar grants, including a prestigious
training grant, from the National Institutes of Health. She also
has garnered loyal support from a wide range of industry
sponsors.
Dr. Figueiro has brought 17 members of her team to join the new
Mount Sinai Center, including Mark
Rea, PhD, who served as LRC Director for almost 30 years,
and is now a Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at
Icahn Mount Sinai. He will serve as Associate Director and assist
with setting up the center at Mount
Sinai.
"We are really excited about bringing light as an adjunct
therapy to many other therapies being used at Mount Sinai," said Dr. Figueiro, who has also
been appointed Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at
Icahn Mount Sinai. "Many people take light for granted. Our work
can improve all phases of patients' lives from premature infants in
the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to the aging suffering from
cognitive decline."
Their expertise is in light and human health, energy efficiency,
plant health and lighting, and safety in transportation such as
outdoor lighting and lighting for emergency vehicles, passenger
planes, and submarines. They hope to expand their research into
other clinical areas as well as into using ultraviolet technology
in sterilization, a technique that was elevated during the COVID-19
pandemic.
"The Center will seamlessly combine basic science, clinical
research, and bioengineering and design to bolster our knowledge of
light's impact on human health and safety," said Annetine Gelijns,
PhD, JD, Professor and Chair of Population Health Science and
Policy at Icahn Mount Sinai. "Dr. Figueiro's commitment to
research, education, and administration is unique. She and her team
will build on their scientific expertise and partner with the
lighting industry to engineer technology for clinical and
industrial applications and will forge public-private partnerships
to support novel avenues of research."
Mount Sinai's existing team of
light researchers, who are investigating how bright light therapy
could help with cancer-related fatigue, sleep, and cognition in
multiple myeloma and breast cancer patients, will also be members
of the Center.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New
York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing
eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of
ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international
source of unrivaled education, translational research and
discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we
deliver the highest quality care—from prevention to treatment of
the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System
includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and
continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including
more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five
boroughs of New York City,
Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is
ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the
Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of
Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country.
Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked
regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all
physicians nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find
Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter
and YouTube.
Media Contact
Marlene Naanes, Mount Sinai
Health System, 212-241-9200, marlene.naanes@mountsinai.org
Twitter
SOURCE Mount Sinai Health System