Allison J. Applebaum, PhD, right, an expert in the psychological needs of caregivers and a Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will lead the new Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving
Mount Sinai’s new Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving is a groundbreaking initiative designed to improve how America's health care system recognizes and supports caregivers.
Allison J. Applebaum, PhD, an expert in the psychological needs of caregivers and a Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will lead the new Center. Dr. Applebaum joined Mount Sinai in September 2024 from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she was the founding director of the Caregivers Clinic, an innovative program providing targeted psychosocial care to family caregivers of patients with cancer, from diagnosis through bereavement.
Her work in the field of psycho-oncology has focused on the development of new approaches to address the psychological needs of caregivers at different points along the illness and caregiving continuum. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Applebaum will expand her focus beyond oncology to address the needs of caregivers of patients with all illnesses and disabilities.
"By supporting caregivers effectively, the Center will not only improve individual lives but also demonstrate a more compassionate and effective model for health care systems everywhere,” says Dr. Applebaum.
There are an estimated 53 million caregivers in the United States, a number expected to grow rapidly as the population ages, creating an urgent need for change in health care.
“Millions of individuals navigate the complex, challenging, and profound journey of caring for loved ones facing serious illness. Through these experiences, they witness first-hand how caregivers often lack the support, recognition, and resources they need to fulfill their critical role,” said Dr. Applebaum. “This gift to establish the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving reflects the family's dedication to ensuring that caregivers are engaged, supported, and empowered as vital members of the care team. By supporting caregivers effectively, the Center will not only improve individual lives but also demonstrate a more compassionate and effective model for health care systems everywhere.”
Dr. Applebaum will bring innovative approaches to families in the caregiving trenches, while also establishing training programs for pre- and postdoctoral fellows in caregiving science across a wide range of disciplines.
In addition, she will bridge partnerships with health care institutions, community organizations, and caregiver advocacy groups to extend the Center’s impact beyond Mount Sinai. Within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Center will join together with the Center to Advance Palliative Care to develop and disseminate caregiver support models and tools nationwide, leveraging decades of experience gleaned by the latter center.
The Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving was established through a visionary founding gift from Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert W. Gottesman in memory of Trudy’s brother, Steven S. Elbaum, who recently passed away at the age of 76. The initiative was formally announced in May 2025.
“Our family's experience with caregiving during Steve's illness revealed the profound stress and challenges caregivers face daily. This center will honor his legacy by providing support and resources to caregivers nationwide," said Judy Elbaum, Steve’s wife.
"Steve's extraordinary gift was his ability to embrace and nurture those around him. He was a true caregiver—someone who listened deeply, offered wise counsel, and always considered the well-being of others," said Trudy Elbaum Gottesman.
“We are deeply grateful to Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert Gottesman for their vision and generosity in making this important initiative possible. Caregivers—most often family members, friends, and other loved ones—are the unsung heroes of our health care system,” said Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair of the Mount Sinai Health System. "With the establishment of the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving, Mount Sinai is committed to setting a new standard in health care by ensuring caregivers receive the training, emotional support, and recognition they deserve."
The Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving will integrate comprehensive caregiver support into the core of American medical practice, recognizing caregivers as essential members of the health care team.
The Center will transform caregiver support through the following key initiatives:
pioneering scalable support models for nationwide implementation
pursuing innovative caregiving research
training the next generation of caregiving scientists
advocating for policy reforms that recognize caregivers as essential health care partners
The Center's research will directly inform national guidelines and policy recommendations, fundamentally reshaping how the health care system supports caregivers. The Center will offer direct clinical care through targeted psychosocial support for the parents, partners, children, siblings, and friends of patients receiving care at Mount Sinai.
"Caregivers are essential providers of physical, emotional, financial, and practical support to loved ones, but they remain an often-invisible force in American health care,” said R. Sean Morrison, MD, Ellen and Howard C. Katz Professor and Chair of the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai. “It is time for academic medicine to move beyond acknowledging the problem of caregiver burden to creating effective, scalable care models that can be implemented nationwide to support this under-recognized workforce."
"Just as palliative care was two decades ago, recognizing and supporting caregivers is the next urgently needed change in health care," said Diane E. Meier, MD, Founder and Director Emerita of the Center to Advance Palliative Care. "The Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving will enable us to pursue the multifaceted approach that caregivers deserve."