CME Symposium | Continuous Learning to Advance Health:
Clinical Preparedness for Older Adults During Adverse Weather
Monday, November 2, 2026 | 9 am-3:30 pm
Goldwurm Auditorium, 1425 Madison Avenue
4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
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AGENDA
9 am-9:10 am
Welcome
Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer, and the Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair, Mount Sinai Health System
9:10 am-9:20 am
Using Exposomics to Guide Care in an Era of Extreme Weather
Manish Arora, BDS, MPH, PhD, Edith J. Baerwald Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Session I: Caring for Older Adults Living With Serious Illness
9:20 am-9:50 am
Keynote Address: Under the Weather: How Climate Change Threatens Older Adults
R. Sean Morrison, MD, Ellen and Howard C. Katz Professor and Chair of the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
9:50 am-10:10 am
Weathering the Storm: The Challenges and Clinical Considerations of Caregiving for Older Adults During Adverse Weather Events
Leah E. Walsh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
10:10 am-10:35 am | Moderated Q&A With Dr. Morrison and Dr. Walsh
Moderator: Erik S. Carlson, MD, MPH, Clinical Fellow in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital
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10:35 am-11:00 am | Coffee Break
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Session II: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Lessons Learned
This panel will explore vital, cross-disciplinary insights gained across environmental medicine and emergency medicine. We aim to bring together diverse clinical perspectives to discuss the operational realities of disaster preparedness and response—including medical device dependencies during power outages and acute treatment disruptions—while examining the long-term health consequences of environmental exposures to build a proactive framework for protecting vulnerable older adults.
11:00 am-12:00 pm | Moderated Panel Discussion
- Sarah McCuskee, MD, MPhil, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Global Health and Health Systems Design, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Hannah Thompson, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Alexis Merdjanoff, PhD, Director of the Environmental Public Health Program and Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioral Sciences at New York University’s School of Global Public Health
- Moderator: Ismail Nabeel, MD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Medicine, and Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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12:00 pm-1:15 pm | Lunch and Poster Session
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Session III: Wildfires and Solutions to Protect Elderly Populations
This panel aims to discuss how wildfire smoke and poor air quality directly affect the health of older adults. This session will focus on practical, proactive steps clinicians can take to help protect their elderly patients before a wildfire occurs.
1:15 pm-2:15 pm | Moderated Panel Discussion
- Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, MBA, FACC, FAHA, FESC, MSCAI, Director of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, Dean for Clinical Research-Industry Partnerships, and the Dr. Valentin Fuster Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Monica Kraft, MD, Murray M. Rosenberg Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Moderator: Dania Valvi, MD, PhD, MPH, Vice Chair for Research and Education, and Professor of Public Health, and Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Session IV: Communications Learning Systems
This panel aims to bring together diverse perspectives to discuss the operational realities of crisis communication. This includes leveraging the NYC Health Alert Network to inform clinicians, optimizing Health System messaging, and seamlessly integrating heat-risk reduction strategies directly into clinical care. Ultimately, this session will provide a practical roadmap for utilizing proactive, systemic communication to protect vulnerable older adults.
2:15 pm-3:15 pm Moderated Panel Discussion
- Toni Eyssallenne, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Muoi Trinh, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Medical Director of Environmental Sustainability for the Mount Sinai Health System
- Alexander Azan, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Population Health & Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
- Moderator: Perry Sheffield, MD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Medicine, and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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3:15 pm | Poster Awards
3:30 pm | Symposium ends