It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Friday, March 07, 2025
Catalogue of fungi in China 6: Rhytismataceae on twigs of Rhododendron
Credit: Cheng-Lin Hou,College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
Rhytismatales M.E. Barr ex Minter (Leotiomycetes, Ascomycota) is an order mostly consists of plant-associated ascomycetes, some of its members are plant pathogens that can cause significant economic losses, while others are important in biological control, ecological cycles, and pharmaceutical production. Numerous studies have shown that Rhytismatales species have distinct host specificity, among which Rhododendron is one of the most preferred hosts of Rhytismatales species, and it has an extremely high species diversity in China, accounting for about 60% of the global Rhododendron species. The diversity of host plants often breeds a high degree of fungal diversity.
In this research, a sum of 46 specimens were collected from the twigs of Rhododendron species in China. Subsequently, based on multi-gene phylogenetic analyses using molecular sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the large subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene (nrLSU), and the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU), and morphological characteristics, three new genera were proposed (Neolophodermium, Truncomyces, and Virgamyces), and 21 species residing in 11 genera of Rhytismataceae were delimited, which include 18 new species and three new combinations. This study complements the diversity of Rhytismataceae on twigs of Rhododendron. An integrated taxonomic approach includes the evidence for morphological characteristics, the ecological data, and the phylogenetic analyses based on multiple loci, were demonstrated that can be defined a natural classification of Rhytismataceae on the genus level.
The morphological and molecular characterization of Rhytismataceae on Rhododendron spp. is further systematic in this study. The results of this investigation showed the ecological, morphological, and taxonomic variety of Rhytismataceae linked to several Rhododendron species in China. In addition to broadening our understanding of the hosts and genetic diversity of Rhytismataceae on Rhododendron, it offered vital information for comprehending the ecology of the Rhytismataceae linked to Rhododendron.
The study solved some polyphyletic problems and provided a basis for the establishment of a natural classification system of Rhytismatales in the future. It also offers a significant theoretical basis for the prevention and control of major forest tree diseases caused by Rhytismatales species and for the breeding of disease-resistant forest trees.
See the article:
Catalogue of fungi in China 6: Rhytismataceae on twigs of Rhododendron
Journal
Mycology: An International Journal on Fungal Biology
This study is led by Dr. Jia-Xin Li and Dr. Rui-Lin Zhao (Institute of Microbiology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences). Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus are primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and are widespread globally. Most species within these two genera act as important saprophytic fungi, playing a vital role in the material cycling of ecosystems by facilitating the decomposition of organic matter. Existing molecular phylogenetic studies indicate a close evolutionary relationship between these two genera, and there is ongoing debate regarding their taxonomic classification. Currently, 232 species from these two genera are known worldwide, with 41 species reported in China.
Recently, the research group led by Zhao Rui-Lin conducted a systematic survey of large fungi in urban green spaces in Beijing, collecting 88 specimens of Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus for morphological and multi-gene phylogenetic analysis. Through morphological examination and phylogenetic trees constructed based on ITS + nrLSU sequence data, as well as ITS + nrLSU + rpb2 + tef1-α gene sequence data, 22 species were identified. Among these, 12 species are known from China (Figure 3), while 10 represent new species (8 new species of Leucoagaricus and 2 new species of Leucocoprinus) (Figure 4). Additionally, three new combinations for Leucocoprinus were proposed, and four species names from this genus were reinstated.
The species discovered in this study are primarily concentrated in areas with high human activity, such as park green spaces. The 12 known species identified in Beijing exhibit varied geographical distributions. In addition to species from the northern temperate region, tropical or subtropical species were found for the first time in Beijing. It is hypothesized that these tropical or subtropical species may have entered Beijing as a result of human activities, such as the introduction of plants and organic fertilizers. Another possibility is that these species possess a previously unrecognized broad adaptability.
In summary, parks and other green spaces provide diverse microhabitats that promote the diversity and richness of fungal communities. Therefore, urban environments may have a positive impact on the biodiversity of specific fungal groups, indicating a continual improvement in the urban ecological environment of Beijing from another perspective.
See the article:
Ten new species of Leucoagaricus and Leucocoprinus from Beijing: Revealing rich diversity in temperate regions
Journal
Mycology: An International Journal on Fungal Biology
A team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University (UK), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) has created washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles – thought to be the first of their kind – which they say paves the way to transform use in clothing, as they report in the journal Communications Engineering (DOI: 10.1038/s44172-025-00373-x). This technology will allow users to interact with everyday textiles or specialized clothing by simply pointing their finger above a sensor.
The researchers show how they placed tiny flexible and highly responsive magnetoresistive sensors within braided textile yarns compatible with conventional textile manufacturing. The garment can be operated by the user across a variety of functions through the use of a ring or glove which would require a miniature magnet. The sensors are seamlessly integrated within the textile, allowing the position of the sensors to be indicated using dyeing or embroidering, acting as touchless controls or ‘buttons’.
The technology, which could even be in the form of a textile-based keyboard, can be integrated into clothing and other textiles and can work underwater and across different weather conditions. Importantly, the researchers argue, it is not prone to accidental activation unlike some capacitive sensors in textiles and textile-based switches. “By integrating the technology into everyday clothing people would be able to interact with computers, smart phones, watches and other smart devices, transforming their clothes into a wearable human-computer interface”, summarizes Dr. Denys Makarov from the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR.
Washable fashion for human-computer interaction
The technology could be applied to areas such as temperature or safety controls for specialized clothing, gaming, or interactive fashion – such as allowing its users to employ simple gestures to control LEDs or other illuminating devices embedded in the textiles. Furthermore, the research team demonstrates the technology on a variety of uses, including a functional armband allowing navigational control in a virtual reality environment, and a self-monitoring safety strap for a motorcycle helmet. “It is the first time that washable magnetic sensors have been unobtrusively integrated within textiles to be used for human-computer interactions”, emphasizes Prof. Niko Münzenrieder from Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.
“Our design could revolutionize electronic textiles for both specialized and everyday clothing,” said lead researcher Dr. Pasindu Lugoda, who is based in Nottingham Trent University’s Department of Engineering. He further remarks: “Tactile sensors on textiles vary in usefulness as accidental activation occurs when they rub or brush against surfaces. Touchless interaction reduces wear and tear. Importantly, our technology is designed for everyday use. It is machine washable and durable and does not impact the drape, or overall aesthetic appeal of the textile.”
Electronic textiles are becoming increasingly popular with wide-ranging uses, but the fusion of electronic functionality and textile fabrics can be very challenging. Such textiles have evolved and now rely on soft and flexible materials which are robust enough to endure washing and bending, but which are intuitive and reliable.
Publication: P. Lugoda, E. S. Oliveros-Mata, K. Marasinghe, R. Bhaumik, N. Pretto, C. Oliveira, T. Dias, T. Hughes-Riley, M. Haller, N. Münzenrieder, D. Makarov, Submersible touchless interactivity in conformable textiles enabled by highly selective magnetoresistive electronic yarns, in Communications Engineering, 2025 (DOI: 10.1038/s44172-025-00373-x)
More information: Dr. Denys Makarov | Head Intelligent Materials and Systems Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR Phone: +49 351 260 3273 | Email: d.makarov@hzdr.de
Media contact: Simon Schmitt | Head Communications and Media Relations at HZDR Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Mobile: +49 175 874 2865 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) performs – as an independent German research center – research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. We focus on answering the following questions:
How can energy and resources be utilized in an efficient, safe, and sustainable way?
How can malignant tumors be more precisely visualized, characterized, and more effectively treated?
How do matter and materials behave under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions?
To help answer these research questions, HZDR operates large-scale facilities, which are also used by visiting researchers: the Ion Beam Center, the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the ELBE Center for High-Power Radiation Sources. HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association and has six sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Görlitz, Grenoble, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) with almost 1,500 members of staff, of whom about 680 are scientists, including 200 Ph.D. candidates.
A new type of robot technology that needs 90% less electricity than conventional systems is currently being developed in Saarland. The technology uses lightweight, shape memory materials to construct novel, non-pneumatic, industrial gripper systems that function without the need for additional sensors. The research team led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki from Saarland University will be showcasing the technology at this year’s Hannover Messe. PhD research student Tom Gorges (l.) and Master’s student Philipp Göddel (r.) are part of the team developing the smart gripper technology.
Energy remains a significant factor in industrial production processes. High levels of energy consumption make production more expensive and exacerbate the climate crisis. A new type of robot technology that needs 90% less electricity than conventional systems is currently being developed in Saarland. The technology uses lightweight, shape memory materials to construct novel, non-pneumatic, industrial gripper systems that function without the need for additional sensors. The research team led by Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki from Saarland University will be showcasing the technology at this year’s Hannover Messe. Hannover Messe, 31 March to 4 April, Hall 2, Saarland stand B10.
Robot arms are in use in countless modern industrial production settings. They are used for a whole range of tasks, such as holding workpieces in position, inserting components, assembling printed circuit boards, as well as moving, loading or unloading parts. And when they are in use, most of them consume energy non-stop. Taken together, these industrial robot arms consume multiple gigawatts of electrical power. Many of the gripper systems work pneumatically with compressed air, which can be unpleasantly loud. They are often heavy, their moving parts wear out over time, and they tend to execute a constant, highly repetitive motion pattern. This existing technology sets limits on the extent of miniaturization that can be achieved, and small-scale grippers systems with small grip points are particularly hard to realize. Conventional robot arms are also hard to reprogram quickly, and it's often unsafe for human workers to interact closely with them on production lines.
But a new type of drive technology may well make the industrial robots of the future lighter, compacter, more flexible and more energy efficient. The technology is based on lightweight shape memory alloys (SMAs), which the team of engineers led by Professors Paul Motzki and Stefan Seelecke at Saarland University and the Saarbrücken Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) are using to build novel robotic grippers. ‘The work we’re doing can help bring about a significant reduction in energy consumption, reducing production costs as well as helping to protect the climate,’ explains Paul Motzki, Professor of Smart Material Systems for Innovative Production at Saarland University and Scientific Director/CEO at ZeMA gGmbH.
The research team will be at this year’s Hannover Messe where they will be showcasing a number of prototypes, including vacuum gripper and jaw gripper systems that can safely hold and manipulate workpieces without requiring the continuous supply of energy. ‘We can control these gripper systems in real time and whenever needed; all we need to do is apply a short pulse of electric current,’ explains Prof. Motzki.
The Saarbrücken gripper system is fully electric and is composed of bundles of ultrafine wires made from nickel-titanium shape memory alloy. These bundles of ultrafine wires act not only as powerful muscles, but as nerve fibres as well. The behaviour of these wire bundles is due to a special property of nickel-titanium alloy, namely that it can switch between two different crystal lattice structures. If an electric current flows through a wire made from nickel-titanium, the material heats up, causing it to adopt a different crystal structure with the result that the wire becomes shorter. When the current is switched off, the wire cools down and returns to its earlier crystal lattice structure and its original length. The material appears to 'remember' its original shape and to return to it after being deformed – hence the name ‘shape memory’ alloy. The wires are therefore able to exert remarkably large forces for their size and can be made to trigger tiny, controlled motions in whatever smart technology the engineers have attached to these minute artificial muscles.
Paul Motzki explains the muscle power of these tiny wire bundles as follows: ‘Nickel-titanium SMA has the highest energy density of all known drive mechanisms, so by using this material, we’re able to exert a substantial tensile force in very small spaces.’ A wire with a thickness of only half a millimetre can exert a pull of some 100 newtons, which is roughly the force exerted by 10 kg. But the researchers use bundles of much thinner, ultrafine wires, as more wires mean a greater surface area and therefore faster cooling rates. This means that the wire ‘muscles’ can deliver rapid, high frequency motions and a stable tensile force. The engineering team in Saarbrücken actually hold a world record in this area: Using a bundle of 20 ultrafine wires, each with a diameter of only 0.025 mm, they can exert 5 newtons of force at a frequency of 200 hertz (i.e. 200 cycles per second). In some applications, the size of the force delivered is most important, in others it is the frequency with which the force is applied. Using the knowledge acquired from several years of research, Motzki’s team is able to tailor the composition of the wire bundles in terms of wire thickness and number of wires per bundle to meet the requirements of specific applications.
Using innovative control and design strategies, the engineers are developing drives that use SMA wires to create lightweight, manoeuvrable and cleanroom-compatible industrial robots. The technology is under continuous refinement in research and PhD projects, which has enabled the Saarbrücken researchers to develop elastic gripper systems with highly flexible ‘fingers’ that can quickly adapt to changes in the shape of a workpiece.
Conventional grippers usually rely on feedback from sensors, but the technology developed in Saarbrücken is self-sensing – the sensor properties are already built into the system. The system is controlled by a semiconductor chip. ‘The shape memory wires effectively act as fully integrated sensors providing us with all the necessary data. An AI system precisely correlates the electrical resistance data with a particular deformation of the wires. As a result, the system always knows the exact position of each bundle of shape memory wires. The data-trained neural networks are able to calculate positional information efficiently and accurately even in the face of disruptive influences,’ explains Paul Motzki. The engineers can therefore program the system to perform highly precise movements. By specifying the electrical resistance values, they can control the wires as needed. ‘Unlike the standard industrial robots in use today, reprogramming is quick and easy with our system and can even be done on the fly when necessary. The gripper can adapt to the geometry of different workpieces while operating,’ says Motzki.
The prototype jaw gripper developed for industrial applications moves both quickly and with pinpoint accuracy. The gripper holds the workpiece securely in a pincer-like grip so that a robot arm handling system can then manoeuvre the workpiece to its desired destination. The prototype being exhibited at this year’s Hannover Messe can exert a force of four newtons, but the technology is scalable in terms of size, jaw stroke and force. The self-sensing properties of SMA wires enable the precise position and condition of the grippers to be monitored without any additional external sensors. And the grippers are able to hold the workpiece in position without requiring energy to be supplied. Depending on the gripping application, the Saarbrücken technology can achieve energy savings of over 90% relative to the conventional pneumatic grippers in use today.
Another prototype being shown by the research team at Hannover Messe 2025 is a vacuum gripper that has flexible gripper fingers with vacuum suction cups located on the fingertips. Here, too, a short electric pulse is all that is needed to generate and later release a load-bearing vacuum. The vacuum gripper mechanism is achieved by arranging bundles of ultrathin SMA wires into a circular muscle around a thin metal disc that can be made to flip up or down, like a frog clicker toy. Applying an electrical pulse makes the wires in the ‘muscle’ contract and the disc flips its position, pulling on a rubber membrane that creates a vacuum if the gripper fingertips are in contact with a surface. Once again, no electricity is needed in order to hold the workpiece in place, even if the gripper is holding a heavy object at an angle over an extended period. ‘And the self-sensing functionality means that our system has integrated condition monitoring, so the gripper knows if the vacuum created is enough to support the load’ says Motzki.
While at Hannover Messe, the research team will also be looking for partners with whom they can develop their technology for new applications.
Background The research team headed by Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki uses shape memory technology for a wide range of applications that include innovative cooling systems, robot grippers and innovative valves and pumps. The technology continues to be developed by graduate students and post-graduates conducting research as part of their doctoral dissertation projects. The team’s results have been communicated extensively in scientific conferences as well as in high-impact journals, with numerous papers receiving international recognition. The research work has also received support from numerous sources, including the multinational engineering and technology company Bosch and from the Saarland state government, which has provided funding through the ERDF projects ‘iProGro’ and 'iSMAT'.
The team also wants to develop the results of its applied research for commercial and industrial applications, which is why the company ‘mateligent GmbH’ was spun off from Professor Seelecke's and Professor Motzki’s department. The company will also be exhibiting at the Saarland stand at the Hannover Messe. (Hall 2, Saarland stand B10)
ZeMA – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken is a research hub for collaborative projects involving researchers from Saarland University, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) and industrial partners. Since its foundation in 2009, ZeMA has focused on industrially relevant development work aimed at transferring ideas and technology from academic research to the industrial sector.
https://imsl.de/smartgrip – Learn more about the smart robot gripper systems https://imsl.de – Intelligent Material Systems Lab https://smip.science – Chair of Smart Material Systems for Innovative Production https://imsl.de/projekte – Information and videos on research projects https://zema.de – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA)
A new type of robot technology that needs 90% less electricity than conventional systems is currently being developed in Saarland. The technology uses lightweight, shape memory materials to construct novel, non-pneumatic, industrial gripper systems that function without the need for additional sensors. Professor Paul Motzki (photo) and his research team from Saarland University are presenting prototypes of their robot gripper systems at this year’s Hannover Messe. The grippers, which can hold and manipulate workpieces securely and without needing a continuous supply of energy, come in a variety of forms, such as vacuum grippers (pictured left, holding a steel plate) and jaw grippers (right, with ball).
Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, country music singer Mindy McCready, Keith Flint of The Prodigy, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) DJ Avicii, K Pop stars Goo Hara, Sulli and Moonbin, and many more. This long and heartbreakingly incomplete list of musicians that have died by suicide represents not only tragedies, but cultural reminders of a devastating apparent connection between artists, mental health challenges, and early mortality.
New data published today in Frontiers in Public Health documents the prevalence of suicide among musicians and warrants serious concern. Occupational mortality data from the Office for National Statistics in England (2011-2015) demonstrates that ‘musicians, actors, and entertainers’ rank among the five occupational groups with highest suicide mortality. Within the occupational classification of ‘culture, media, and sport’ occupations, these professionals exhibited the highest risk, with male suicide rates exceeding the population average by 20% and female rates surpassing it by 69%. Comparable patterns emerge in United States epidemiological data. While the 2022 age-adjusted suicide mortality rate was 14.2 per 100,000 in the general population, male musicians, singers, and related workers demonstrated the third-highest occupational suicide rate at 138.7 per 100,000, preceded only by logging workers (161.1 per 100,000) and agricultural and food scientists (173.1 per 100,000). Among females, the occupational category 'Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media', which encompasses musicians, recorded the highest suicide mortality rate across all occupational groups in 2012, 2015, and 2021. This phenomenon also extends beyond Anglo-American contexts. Although occupational data specific to musicians and suicide mortality in South Korea remains limited, the confluence of highly publicized deaths among K-Pop performers and research examining suicide risk associated with socially-prescribed perfectionism suggests that musicians globally may constitute a vulnerable population requiring targeted intervention strategies.
Beyond the ‘tortured artist’ myth
Historical discourse surrounding musician suicide has often perpetuated problematic narratives: either normalizing these deaths as inevitable or mythologizing them within a romanticized framework of artistic suffering. There has been, at times, a deeply uncomfortable sensationalizing of suicide in the context of a music industry which is a storytelling, myth-making industry, and a story which can be traced all the way back to Plato is that artists are troubled, brooding, dark, mysterious, mad, and by extension, in extremis, perhaps, suicidal.
However, contemporary research on suicide risk factors reveals a more nuanced etiology. Multiple occupational and psychosocial stressors characteristic of music careers warrant examination, including exploitative industry practices, prevalent substance use disorders, financial instability, heightened social media exposure, performance-related anxiety, internal achievement pressure, and irregular sleep patterns. Empirical evidence suggests that, beyond individual predisposition, these environmental and cultural factors significantly impact musicians' psychological well-being. Given our understanding of suicide risk factors, all of us who love and care about music should confront challenging questions about how we can change the culture of cultural professions. This necessitates moving beyond reductive narratives of artistic suffering toward evidence-based interventions that address systemic occupational stressors.
Therefore, in Frontiers in Public Health we have together outlined an approach to suicide prevention in the music industry which is supported by empirical evidence. Several exemplary organizations in the music industry are already doing important, life-saving work – from the Man Down Programme in the United Kingdom, to Backline in the United States, and Support Act in Australia – and yet we currently lack peer-reviewed work in this at-risk group. We have therefore offered what we hope is a comprehensive and multifaceted approach encompassing both individual and systemic preventative strategies to reduce the risk of suicide in this high-risk group.
A support plan for all musicians
In addressing suicide prevention among musicians, we draw on a seven-part approach provided by the Zero Suicide Framework, a systems approach to suicide prevention formulated following recommendations made by the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Adapting this framework in the music industry would involve music industry leaders facilitating conversations at the highest level about suicide prevention and de-stigmatizing suicide. Alongside this, training in the form of suicide gatekeeper training programs and empowering those in musicians’ wider network (managers, friends, family) to have difficult conversations about suicide, and identifying musician-specific risk factors and warning signs are all essential. Additionally, we should engage those at risk of suicide (and their networks) with interventions which have demonstrated effectiveness in other populations, such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale Screen Version, Safety Planning Intervention, and Counselling on Access to Lethal Means, as well as treat using existing interventions such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention. For musicians on tour, transitions with warm hand-offs through providers alongside reminders and bridge appointments are important to maintain continuity of care. Finally, we must continually improve through data-driven research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in this understudied occupational group.
Through our collaboration, we hope together to have presented one of the first papers of its kind to synthesize and critically review the small body of emerging evidence in this field, as well as make suggestions to aid in suicide prevention among an at-risk, vulnerable population. Just as musicians enrich society through their artistic contributions, there exists a collective responsibility to safeguard their psychological well-being as music-makers. This imperative necessitates a collaborative approach between researchers, industry leaders, and mental health professionals to develop, implement, and evaluate effective prevention strategies.
The Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth at Mount Sinai—a first-of-its-kind initiative launched in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to address its psychosocial impact on Mount Sinai Health System’s workforce—is now offering confidential behavioral health treatment services to New Yorkers generally.
A team of clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and licensed clinical social workers from the Center is now available to individuals 18 years and older who are interested in and could benefit from behavioral health treatment. Clinical services include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and medication management, all in a compassionate and supportive environment. These services are primarily geared for individuals navigating life adjustments, relationship challenges, depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma-related challenges.
“We are extending our services to the general public so we can take the discoveries we’ve made about health care worker resilience and behavioral health and apply that knowledge to help members of the public who could benefit from it,” said Jonathan M. DePierro, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Associate Director of the Center. “By using evidence-based strategies, we aim to help a wider swath of New Yorkers strengthen resilience, improve well-being, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence and growth.”
Over the past five years, the Center has grown into a nationally recognized program that is lauded for providing timely and highly effective preventive and treatment services to health care workers. The team has provided more than 18,000 behavioral health care visits to Mount Sinai faculty, staff, and trainees. These services have been highly successful in reducing anxiety and depression both during and after the acute phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center has also provided more than 600 educational courses around mental health and resilience to Mount Sinai employees, including brief huddles in intensive care units and emergency departments.
“We launched the Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth in the height of the pandemic to support our health care workforce who were at the epicenter of the pandemic,” said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs, Mount Sinai Health System. “To our knowledge, this Center was the first of its kind in the United States to address the full spectrum of mental health presentations experienced by health care workers and would be a national model for others. We could not have anticipated the growing need in the community for these kinds of resilience and non-traditional mental health services and we are proud to respond with a solution that is proven to be effective.”
Drawing on the resources of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, one of the leading institutions in the field of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research, the Center has been collecting data and offering all participants opportunities to enroll in studies designed to better understand the particular mental health needs that have arisen from exposure to the pandemic. On average, the employees they serve report a 40 percent decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression, a 73 percent decrease in PTSD symptoms, and a 31 percent increase in well-being. Of those who screened positive for anxiety or depression at intake, more than 75 percent no longer screened positive for anxiety by their 14th visit. The treatment outcomes observed in the Center are comparable to those found in clinical treatment trials. These findings were published on February 14, 2024, in the American Journal of Public Health.
“During this time where people across the globe are experiencing record levels of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic symptoms, individual and community resilience has never been more necessary,” said Deborah Marin, MD, George and Marion Sokolik Blumenthal Professor of Psychiatry in the Icahn School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth. “We are thrilled to share our expertise, experience, and services to now help New Yorkers outside the Health System face challenges with resiliency, strength, and support.”
For more information or to make an appointment, please email MS-CSRPG@mountsinai.org or call 212-659-5564.
About the Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
