In this episode of The Vitals, we explore a question that sits at the intersection of medicine and the future of the planet: Can health care truly become sustainable?

Host and Neurosurgery Physician Assistant Leslie Schlachter is joined by a multidisciplinary team of Mount Sinai experts working across clinical care, energy and infrastructure, and supply chain operations. Together, they unpack how sustainability efforts are being integrated into one of the most resource-intensive industries in the world—healthcare.

From ambitious emissions reduction targets and energy-efficient hospital systems to waste management, procurement practices, and sustainable food programs, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how large health systems are rethinking their environmental impact.

Whether you’re in health care, policy, simply interested in climate solutions, this episode sheds light on how systemic change is happening—and what it will take to push it further.

Learn more about Mount Sinai’s sustainability practices here: https://www.mountsinai.org/about/sustain

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What can living brain tissue reveal that decades of neuroscience could not?

In this episode of The Vitals, host Leslie Schlachter sits down with Alex Charney and Brian Kopell to discuss the Living Brain Project, one of the most ambitious neuroscience efforts underway at the Mount Sinai Health System. By safely collecting tiny biopsies during deep brain simulation surgery, researchers are studying the living human brain in ways previously thought impossible.

The conversation explores why living brain tissue differs dramatically from postmortem samples, how this research is already helping validate next-generation gene therapies, and why collaboration between neurosurgeons and molecular scientists may unlock entirely new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disease.

🎧 Subscribe to The Vitals and explore more podcast programming from Mount Sinai for expert conversations on the biggest issues in medicine, research, and patient care: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCT7BA-HcHliU8QIXyuk_74L_uH0gyKGt

Pattie McCluskey had long relied on her doctors at the Mount Sinai Health System—until an insurance dispute with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield suddenly threw that care into jeopardy. In this episode of The Vitals, Pattie shares what it means when a patient with an established care team must confront disruption around appointments, medications, and procedures already tied to her health, daily life, and well-being.

Guest host Dr. Raja Flores speaks with Pattie about the real-world consequences patients face when longstanding medical relationships are disrupted: the stress of navigating dozens of calls to the insurance company, the fear of losing life-saving treatments, and the confusion and frustration that arises when medical procedures are inexplicably disrupted by insurance negotiations.

Together, the pair discuss what happens when access to trusted specialists becomes uncertain, how patients can advocate for themselves in times of hardship, and why continuity of care remains so critical—especially for those with chronic medical conditions.

If you’re a Mount Sinai patient with Anthem insurance and need more information, please visit this website: keepmountsinai.org

🎧 Subscribe to The Vitals and explore more podcast programming from Mount Sinai for expert conversations on the biggest issues in medicine, research, and patient care: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCT7BA-HcHliU8QIXyuk_74L_uH0gyKGt

🎧 Subscribe to The Vitals and explore more podcast programming from Mount Sinai for expert conversations on the biggest issues in medicine, research, and patient care: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCT7BA-HcHliU8QIXyuk_74L_uH0gyKGt