faculty
The faculty who participates in this course truly love what they do, and their passion resonates in their teaching. Don’t just take our word for it, read some testimonials from participants.

Jeffery T. Laitman, PhD
Dr. Jeffrey Laitman, Distinguished Professor at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a world-renowned anatomist recognized as one of the most creative and engaging teachers of human structure and function. As the Course Director of Gross Anatomy at Mount Sinai, he has trained a generation of leading physicians and surgeons and pioneered new and dynamic ways to uncover and appreciate the structure of the human body. He has received numerous international and national recognitions for his science and teaching, including being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, being honored with the Basmajian Award of the American Association of Anatomists, and recently, The Jacobi Medallion of the Mount Sinai Alumni, the highest honor Mount Sinai bestows. Among his many other goals in the near future are to both see and touch his toes!

Carrie McCulloch, MD
Carrie McCulloch is a graduate of The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and co-founder of Kinected—an integrative Pilates studio in New York City. As a licensed physician with a background in both movement and medicine, Dr. McCulloch is passionate about creating integrative wellness experiences that take care of the body from head to toe. She is the medical director of Kinected, developing comprehensive wellness solutions that compliment a strong Pilates core. As an educator, Dr. McCulloch builds innovative teaching tools that connect the body and mind. In addition to FAMI, she co-directs living anatome™, an award-winning program that teaches anatomy to medical students through Pilates and yoga. She is also an avid running, biking, and ice-cream enthusiast. Read more…

Matt McCulloch
Matt McCulloch is an educator of fitness and movement professionals and co-founder of Kinected, an integrative movement center in New York City. A classically trained dancer, he began studying Pilates 20 years ago as part of his own rehabilitation program from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. He is trained in both original and contemporary approaches and over the past decade, has educated several hundred instructors, creating pragmatic teaching tools for fitness professionals. Additionally, Matt is a GYROKINESIS® & GYROTONIC® instructor, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified trainer, and in the near future, hopes to assist Dr. Laitman in his toe-reaching goals. Read more…

Stephanie Pieczenik Marango, MD
Dr. Stephanie is a licensed physician & certified yoga teacher who owns a Mind-Body Medicine practice in New York City.  She believes that everything you need to know you can learn from your body; she shares the body's wisdom via yoga teacher trainings throughout the city, and living anatome™,  a curriculum she co-founded that teaches anatomy (via yoga & Pilates) to medical students. Her teachings can also be found on the new anatomy app, FAMI: Shoulder Joint.

Adam Bender, MD
Adam Bender is a Board Certified Neurologist and an Associate Clinical Professor at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he has been a faculty member since 1975. He is also an attending neurologist at the Lenox Hill Hospital. After receiving his medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, he did an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Columbia University service at the Harlem Hospital Center followed by residency training in neurology at the Columbia University New York Neurological Institute. He then was a Clinical Associate at the National Institutes of Health, Medical Neurology Branch. His clinical interests include general neurology, neuromuscular diseases, myasthenia gravis, and polymyositis. He is a strong proponent of using exercise to prevent and treat many musculoskeletal injuries.

Elliot Fishbein, PT
Elliot Fishbein is a Physical Therapist specializing Functional Manual Therapy here in New York City.  After receiving his Bachelors degree from the University of Maryland at College Park, he went on to receive his Physical Therapy degree from SUNY Stony Brook.  He has since completed certification programs in Functional Manual Therapy, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) and Vestibular Rehabilitation.  He is also certified as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist with the American Physical Therapy Association and has completed his Fellowship with the American Academy of Orthopedic and Manual Physical Therapy.  In addition to working in private practice, he is adjunct faculty at the Long Island University School of Physical Therapy and associate faculty with the Institute of Physical Art.  In his spare time Elliot enjoys biking, playing basketball, playing guitar and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Mark Klion, MD
Mark Klion is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with specialty training in sports medicine. After receiving a Bachelors degree from St. Lawrence University, he went on to obtain both his medical degree and residency training from The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Hospital, respectively. He completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Chicago, specializing in arthroscopic surgery and reconstructive knee and shoulder surgery. Dr. Klion is a clinical instructor at Mount Sinai and is an active member of the shoulder and sports medicine service. Dr. Klion performs the newest techniques for knee ligament reconstruction, cartilage repair, regeneration, and meniscal transplantation.  Dr.Klion is a founding member of TRIARQ Network LLC and serves as Chief of the Medical Advisory Board.  Dr. Klion’s outside interests in training has led him to complete six marathons and three iron man triathlons, including Hawaii Iron Man 2000.

Anthony Pagano, MPhil
Anthony Pagano is a graduate student working at the Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He earned a Master’s degree from the CUNY Graduate Center in October of 2009 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. His research revolves around the growth and evolution of the upper respiratory tract and skull anatomy in human and non-human primates. He also studies fossil humans and is interested in the reconstruction of their soft tissue anatomy from skeletal landmarks. At Mount Sinai, Anthony is an instructor of gross anatomy. He enjoys flamenco music and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Joy Reidenberg, PhD
Joy S. Reidenberg is a Professor of Anatomy and Functional Morphology at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine.  Dr. Reidenberg received a BA in 1983 from Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences.  She earned her M. Phil. in 1985 and her Ph.D. in 1988 in Anatomy from Mount Sinai's Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, and joined the faculty later that year. Dr. Reidenberg studies the comparative anatomy of the mammalian head and neck, and has examined a variety of animals ranging from mice to humans.  Her particular fascination is with whales, especially in understanding how they produce sounds. She is the comparative anatomist in a documentary series called Inside Nature's Giants, which won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (equivalent to an Emmy Award!). Teaching is a passion for Dr. Reidenberg, and her energies in this regard have made her one of our most respected educators. She was recently profiled in O, the Oprah magazine, and honored by the American Association of Anatomists for her excellence in teaching and research.

Jason Saleh, MD
Jason Saleh is a the Chief Resident in The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. His experience in musculoskeletal medicine began with his work as a personal trainer, and soon evolved into working in several physical therapy clinics, most notably at the Sports Physical Therapy Institute, where he worked with athletes of the United States Rowing Team. Since completing his degree in Exercise Physiology from Rutgers Univeristy, Dr. Saleh has researched novel ACL reconstruction techniques, investigated various diagnoses in patellofemoral pathology and served as a senior teaching assistant for the Gross Anatomy course at Mount Sinai, where he was elected to the medical school honor society.  Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Saleh will begin his sports medicine fellowship at Stanford University where he will serve as consultant surgeon to both the Stanford football team and the San Francisco 49ers.  Outside of medicine, he enjoys kayaking, guitar, rock climbing, photography and spending time with his lovely wife Rachel.

Aaron Weiss, MD
Aaron Weiss is a second year resident in the Integrated Thoracic (I-6) residency program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine under Dr. David Adams.  Additionally, he is enrolled simultaneously in the graduate school at Mount Sinai as a candidate for a PhD in Systems Biology and Clinical Research.  He obtained his undergraduate degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis, and went on to study diabetes in mouse models at the Washington University School of Medicine.  He then matriculated to medical school at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine where he conducted multiple clinical research projects in the areas of cardiothoracic surgery, critical care, endocrinology, and systems biology.  He has published his work in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals.  Additionally, he was an active member of student council and the admissions department and was the head-teaching assistant for the first year Gross Anatomy and Physiology courses. Upon graduating, he was awarded the Mrs. David A. Dreiling Surgery Prize and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society.  When not busy with residency, Aaron enjoys exercising, exploring NYC, traveling, electronic dance music, cliff jumping, and, of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers.