Dr. Reena Karani

Dr. Reena Karani is a physician and tenured professor of Medicine, Medical Education and Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai inNew York City. She received a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and a Doctor of Medicine from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She also received a Master of Health Professions Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

As a physician, Dr. Karani provides comprehensive longitudinal care to older adults at Mount Sinai Medical Center. As a professor and an education scientist, she teaches medical learners across the continuum of training, and conducts research on pedagogy and assessment in medical education and approaches to center equity and justice in teaching and learning.

Dr. Karani is a founding Co-Director of the innovative Harvard Macy Program for Postgraduate Trainees that prepares physicians for leadership careers in health professions education. She is Chair of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Board of Directors and is the first woman of color to serve in this role in the organization’s 109-year history. NBME creates assessment tools for every stage of the medical school journey and, along with the Federation of State Medical Boards, is responsible for the examination series required of every allopathic U.S. physician for licensure. Dr. Karani is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Geriatrics Society and chairs various national medical organization committees. She serves as a mentor to hundreds of medical trainees and faculty, and is a sought after speaker nationally and internationally.

Dr. Karani lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, with her wife Helen Schaub and their beloved son who is a UNIS student in the Class of 2034.