Joanne Hojsak, MD

Joanne Hojsak, MD is an professor of pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a board-certified pediatric intensivist at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Dr. Hojsak is the medical director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). She is involved in direct patient care in the PICU for six months per year, and initiated patient and family-centered rounds in the PICU in 2009. These PICU rounds have demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating families in daily work rounds and exemplified the benefits in patient care and satisfaction.  

Dr. Hojsak is also director of the Pediatric Pain Team, a care team that she initiated in 2002. Since January 2009, she has participated in the Clinical Quality Fellowship Program, developed by the Greater New York Hospital Association and the United Hospital Fund.  With GNYHA/UHF guidance, Dr. Hojsak is studying methods by which to improve inpatient pediatric pain management.  The Pediatric Pain Quality Initiative was started with the mission of empowering patients and families to discuss and participate in their pain management and to develop a more efficient mechanism by which to receive treatment for pain. Dr. Hojsak is also a member of the Pediatric Advanced Care and Comfort Team (PACCT), and supports patients with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

In 2003, Dr. Hojsak became a faculty member for the Art and Science of Medicine I, a year-long course for first year medical students, designed to teach the incorporation of professionalism into patient history-taking, physical examination, daily clinical encounters and research endeavors.  In July 2009 she was appointed Course Director for ASM I and is participating in medical school curriculum innovation. Dr. Hojsak is active in pediatric resident education and lectures on a variety of critical care topics, as well as pediatric pain control.  Throughout her career, Dr. Hojsak has been granted several teaching awards, including the 2004 “Excellence in Teaching” award, given by the Institute for Medical Education at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.