Internal Medicine Residency at Elmhurst Hospital Center

Elmhurst Hospital Center is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the United States. Our hospital serves one of the most culturally and clinically diverse communities in the world. Queens in general, and the area surrounding Elmhurst Hospital in particular, is a magnet for immigration. People from all over the world come here to make a new life in the US. Many of them have never had adequate medical care before. We provide state-of-the-art care for those who often have nowhere else to go. This mission is at the core of what we do, and residents recognize and value the vital role they play in the community. Our hospital has an uncommonly close connection with the people it serves. 

As a resident, you will see cases every day that most people only get to read about in textbooks. For a physician-in-training, it is not enough to be exposed to rich clinical pathology. You need to have sufficient autonomy to make decisions yourself and sufficient supervision to guide those decisions and to get real-time feedback. Our dedicated faculty are a team of seasoned clinician educators who are committed to teaching and to the hospital’s mission. Our program’s character is one of enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, collegiality, and engagement.

Our residents also benefit from clinical experiences and research opportunities at Mount Sinai Hospital, a world-renowned university hospital and a premier research institution. Regardless of your career goals, we will help you develop into the best physician you can be. We will be with you every step of the way, whether it means helping you find a research mentor, transforming you into a master clinician, or proofreading your CV. We believe that mentorship starts even before you begin your residency and continues well after you graduate. The relationships you build here will last a lifetime. Come be a part of this amazing place!

  • A busy 545-bed city hospital
  • Level I Trauma Center
  • Unparalleled diversity of clinical pathology
  • Committed and passionate residents who form a tight-knit community
  • World-class faculty who work very closely with residents
  • Rich didactic schedule with protected time
  • Robust clinical reasoning curriculum
  • Simulation center on site
  • Strong ambulatory curriculum, supplemented by both Yale and Hopkins modules
  • Incredible library resources
  • Individual access to MKSAP and UWorld at no cost to the residents
  • POCUS Curriculum and lots of opportunities to practice your POCUS skills
  • Medical Education track (in conjunction with other Mount Sinai programs)
  • Healthcare Administration Scholars Program
  • Dedicated fellowship and job search support with outstanding placements
  • Mentorship throughout residency
  • Abundant opportunities for scholarly activity
  • Numerous away elective opportunities both within the Mount Sinai network and elsewhere
  • Amazing food steps from the hospital
  • Excellent ancillary services
  • Outstanding array of wellness resources
  • Terrific location
  • The place to make a difference

Our rotations are built on a 6+2 schedule, where 6 weeks of inpatient experiences and electives are followed by 2 weeks of ambulatory experiences. This allows for more in-depth exposure to both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Here is a typical breakdown of rotations by PGY year.

Inpatient Experience

The inpatient experience includes general medical floors, medical step-down unit, MICU, and CCU. Thanks to a robust Night Medicine rotation, we have no 24-hr call except in CCU. We emphasize a balance of autonomy and supervision and provide 24-hour in-house attending support.  In addition to a rich clinical experience involving close interaction with attendings at the bedside, residents have a rich didactic schedule with protected time, emphasizing small-group interactive case-based sessions.

Here is a sample inpatient didactic schedule.

Ambulatory Experience

Resident continuity clinic takes place in a patient-centered medical home. Residents work closely with nurses, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and dieticians to help patients achieve their health goals.

  • Residents have 2 protected academic half-days each ambulatory block, allowing for a longitudinal didactic experience in small-group interactive workshops.
  • PGY2 and PGY3 residents also have Board Review Sessions 2 afternoons a week.
  • Ambulatory curriculum incorporates common outpatient clinical topics, as well as sessions in Systems Based Practice, Quality Improvement, Evidence Based Medicine, Teaching skills, Medical Interviewing, Social Determinants of Health, and Poetry Workshops. 
  • Online modules (Yale curriculum and Hopkins PEAC modules) are used to enhance learning.  
  • Our preceptors are Mount Sinai faculty who practice in the same clinic when not supervising residents. 
  • In our primary care practice, we carry on the mission of NYC Health and Hospitals:  to promote the health of all New Yorkers and provide high quality care regardless of ability to pay.  Uninsured patients have access to affordable care at Elmhurst. 
  • Our population health team helps residents carry out ambulatory quality improvement activities.

For life outside the hospital, New York offers everything you could wish for, whether you are looking to relax, be entertained, or raise a family.  

Residents have a wide choice of affordable places to live.  Some live within walking distance to the hospital, while many others live in Long Island City, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, and Long Island.  Our location allows residents to experience the vibrant city while having the option of living in a more suburban setting if they prefer.  Experiencing all that New York City has to offer is easy.  The hospital is located next to several major subway lines, so you can get anywhere in the city in 20-30 minutes.  If you are looking to travel regionally or beyond, Amtrak, MetroNorth, Long Island Railroad, JFK and LaGuardia airports are a quick subway or bus ride away.

Living and working in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world has benefits beyond the walls of the hospital.  Residents here take advantage of the vast cultural and gastronomic options our lively immigrant community has to offer.  Walking East from the Hospital, along the historic Roosevelt Avenue, is a culinary journey through Mexico and Central and South America.  Alternatively, simply walk in the other direction and you’ll come upon large South and Southeast Asian neighborhoods.  The Thai restaurants across the street from the hospital are widely considered to be the best in New York.  Just next door are the historically Greek, Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern communities of Astoria, and the ever-growing business district of Long Island City.  At Elmhurst, you’ll never be hungry or bored.

The program is large enough that you are certain to find colleagues who share your interests, but not so big that you will get lost in the mix or miss out on meeting people.  We are a close-knit program and like spending time with each other outside of work, whether one-on-one, in small groups, or at program-wide events.

We are an ACGME-accredited program and accept applications for the following positions:

  • A 3-year Categorical Internal Medicine Residency (20 first-year positions) - NRMP match code is 1491140C0
  • A 1-year Preliminary Internal Medicine Residency (18 positions) - NRMP match code is 1491140P0
  • You can apply for either a categorical or a preliminary position, but not both.

Applications are only accepted through ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application Service. 

  • We sponsor J1 and H1B visas for eligible residents.
  • There is no minimum score requirement for the USMLE or COMLEX, but only applicants with passing score(s) on first attempt will be considered.
  • Clinical experience within the past two years is preferred.
  • US clinical experience is preferred, but not required.
  • Graduation from medical school within the last 5 years is required.
  • ECFMG certification by the time of interview is helpful but not required.
  • All positions are filled through NRMP. We do not offer pre-match positions.

The following documents are required to apply:

  • ERAS Common Application Form
  • Medical School Transcript
  • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)/Dean’s letter or its equivalent
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Personal Statement
  • USMLE transcript
  • ECFMG Status Report, if applicable
  • COMLEX transcript, if applicable

Interviews

Selection for interviews is a competitive process.  We receive thousands of applications every year and are only able to interview a fraction of the applicants.

  • Interviews take place from late October through January.
  • All interviews this year will be done virtually.
  • If invited for interview, you will be notified via the email address you supplied through ERAS.
  • We do not provide updates on status of applications by phone.
  • Due to the volume of applications, we are unfortunately not able to notify each applicant who is not invited to interview.

Program Leadership

Julie Kanevsky, MD
Program Director

Joseph Lieber, MD
Director of Medicine

Joan Curcio, MD
Associate Director of Medicine
Chief of Hospital Medicine

Maritza Brown, MD
Associate Program Director
Chief of Nephrology

Lucy Gordon, MD
Associate Program Director 

Rebecca Ye, MD
Associate Program Director

Division Chiefs and Directors of Service

Joshua Aron, MD
Chief of Gastroenterology

Alfred Astua, MD
Chief of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine

Gabriel Brandeis, MD
Chief of Geriatrics

Tita Castor, MD
Chief of Palliative Care

Emilie Chan, MD
Chief of Rheumatology

Niriksha Chandrani, MD
Chief of Hematology/Oncology

Mona Krouss, MD
Senior Director in Patient Safety, NYC H+H

Maurice Policar, MD
Chief of Infectious Diseases

Carlos Salama, MD
Director of Global Health

Robert Thompson, MD
Chief of Medicine Consult Service