Sinai Chicago history

Philanthropy came mainly from Chicago’s Jewish community: On May 6, 1923, several thousand Chicago Jews attended an event at the Auditorium Theater to kick off a $2.5 million fundraising drive to benefit Mount Sinai, Michael Reese Hospital and other charities.

1925—Published description of a new lymphatic system disease, later expanded by Douglas Symmers's work, later known as Brill-Symmers disease and then nodular lymphoma.

1926—Developed test to measure estrogen levels in circulating blood.

1930—Published the first textbook in the United States on pediatric urology.

1932—Published the first description of regional enteritis—an inflammatory disease of the intestine (Crohn's disease).

1933—Published the first description of a total pneumonectomy in the United States.

1935—Published the first description of the vascular lesions in lupus.

1942—Published the first description of collagen disease.

1947—Performed the first kidney dialysis in the United States, using a Kolff artificial kidney.

1950—Published first description of familial lipoprotein deficiency, known as Bassen-Kornzweig syndrome or abetalipoproteinemia.

1951—Became the first to perform closed mitral valve commissurotomy.

1956—Developed and standardized the latex fixation test for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

1960—Published the first description of postperfusion syndrome after open-heart surgery.

1963—Became the first to use a sequential combination regimen of chemotherapy for adjuvant treatment of breast cancer.

Mount Sinai School of Medicine opened in 1968 in affiliation with The City University of New York.

1969—Developed an influenza vaccine—the first genetically engineered vaccine.

1985—Provided the first direct evidence of the involvement of dopamine in schizophrenia.

1986—Performed the first blood transfusion into the vein of an unborn fetus.

Sinai’s work in community programs, housing and development was recognized with the prestigious American Hospital Association Foster McGaw award for outstanding community service in 1992.

In 1998, the new Schwab building opened, expanding capacity with a unique treatment environment including seven treatment gyms with advanced equipment, private treatment rooms, a warm-water therapeutic indoor pool and an award-winning rooftop therapeutic garden.

2000—Became the first to use black blood magnetic resonance imaging (BB-MR) to image the human coronary artery lumen.

The opening years of the 21st century found The Mount Sinai Medical Center struggling financially, but by the end of the hospital’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2002, steps had already been taken to chart a new course.

2004—Identified the first common gene variant linked to autism.

2006—Discovered a gene in the brain—OLIG2—that may play a causal role in the development of schizophrenia.

2007—Proved why influenza spreads most rapidly in the cold, dry air of winter, and showed that it can be spread just in the air, without coughing, sneezing, or physical contact.

2010—Presented research showing that the World Trade Center collapse caused potentially dangerous heart problems to first responders.

Holy Cross Hospital joined Sinai Health System January 16, 2012, strengthening the capabilities of the entire system for serving communities on the Southwest and West sides of Chicago.

Karen Teitelbaum, president and CEO Sinai Health System, at a news conference in 2015 at Holy Cross Hospital, which is part of the Sinai Health System. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)