Mount Sinai Leaders Discuss Equity, the Impact of the Pandemic on Healthcare, and the Unprecedented Era and Increasing Interest of Psychedelics on Treating Mental Health at the 2021 Aspen Ideas Health and Aspen Ideas Festival

(New York, NY and ASPEN, CO – June 30, 2021) Reflections on the pandemic, developing innovative solutions to address inequities in health and medicine, and the use of psychedelic drugs to help treat psychiatric disorders are among the topics presented at Aspen Ideas Health and the Aspen Ideas Festival from June 27-July 1, 2021, in Aspen, Colorado. Presented by the Aspen Institute and sponsored by the Mount Sinai Health System, the festival is a unique forum for the exchange of ideas.

“We are proud to once again participate in the Aspen Ideas festival where great ideas are advanced to bring about societal and systemic changes that benefit everyone,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System. “The exchange of bold ideas combined with a relentless pursuit of knowledge, understanding, and answers to the world’s most complex problems is one of many ways we are finding a way to healthier world for everyone.”

Unlike previous conferences, this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival will be a virtual gathering where a myriad of experts will share their ideas and insight on several topics. Built around the theme “American Futures,” these sessions will focus on the future of democracy, identity, education, the search for meaning, our own mental health, and more.

In a panel titled “The Best Pandemic Big Ideas in Healthcare,” Executive Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Health System, Gary Butts, MD, will speak on rebuilding a healthcare system with inclusion at its core. From telehealth counseling to mobile clinics, Dr. Butts will weigh in these alternatives alongside other featured speakers. This panel will be broadcast on June 29 at 12pm MDT.

Rachel Yehuda, PhD, Director of the Center for the Study of Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma, the Traumatic Stress Studies Division, and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine will discuss the use of psychedelics in a panel titled “The Shroom Boom and other Therapeutic Psychedelics for the Win.” Mental-health and substance-use disorders became more prevalent than ever during the pandemic, thus the wonder the clinical use of psychedelic drugs to help treat psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, is fueling a research renaissance. Join Dr. Yehuda on July 1 at 5pm ET.

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.