Dr. Anne Neilan, MD, MPH, MSSM ’07 is an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a pediatrician and adult infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. She graduated from Princeton University and received both her MPH and medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Neilan’ s primary research interests include using computer simulation models to assess health outcomes in HIV-infected adolescents and adolescents at risk of HIV infection. Dr. Neilan recently gave a series of talks at Mount Sinai in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the school on her research and shared perspectives on having a robust career and while being a mother.
As a student, Dr. Neilan came to Mount Sinai for the Humanities in Medicine Program, now the Donald and Vera Blinken FlexMed Program. She was an English major at Princeton and had never considered medical school before hearing about the HuMed Program. She credits her training in the humanities with helping her treat the whole patient.
FOUNDATION OF CAREER
Dr. Neilan stresses that her time at MSSM really built a foundation for the rest of her career. The values instilled here include: diversity, social justice, advocacy, and equity. She credits her practical experience at Mount Sinai, especially working in the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention (SAVI) program as an advocate, with directly informing her clinical practice today.
IMPORTANT FIGURES AT MOUNT SINAI
Dr. Neilan notes Dr. David Muller, currently Dean of Medical Education at ISMMS and her thesis advisor Dr. Phil Landrigan, currently the Dean for Global Health as critical figures in the course of her education. At school, she went to Dr. Muller with an idea about working on a project related to organ donation and he let her explore. That freedom allowed Dr. Neilan to build confidence in what she had to contribute in the field, and became part of her thesis.
Dr. Landrigan likewise encouraged Dr. Neilan to consider research which, enabled her spend a year in Peru as a Fogarty Fellow. There she studied the implementation of multidrug resistance to Tuberculosis diagnostic.
LIFE AFTER SINAI
When advising students and young doctors, Dr. Neilan notes that the dearth of research in pediatrics and adolescent health leaves new scientists and physicians with many opportunities to make a great impact on the field. She stresses, however, that family must always come first. It is important to find the people in your professional life who understand the importance of relationships outside of the office or the lab and who allow you to structure your life to maximize your time with your family and your efficiency at work.