Course

Noelle Marie Javier, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in New York City. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine Class of 2002. She finished her residency in Internal Medicine at both Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, New York and Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, New Jersey. She completed her two-year post-graduate fellowship training in both Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor in 2009. She then joined the faculty at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island before being recruited by the Mount Sinai Health System. In her current capacity as a clinician, educator, and scholar at Mount Sinai, much of her time is spent conducting inpatient consultative service for both subspecialties as well as assistance with the hospital medicine teams. Apart from her clinical duties, she has had opportunities to conduct research, publish, and present at local, regional, national, and international conferences such as the GLMA Annual Conference, American Geriatrics Society (AGS), the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), and the International Congress in Palliative Care (ICPC). Her areas of scholarly interest include wound care, pain management, medical education, palliative care in the nursing home, rehabilitation in palliative care, pediatric palliative care, and inclusive and affirming geriatric and palliative care for the LGBTQ population.

Michelle S. Cespedes, MD, MS, tenured Professor of Medicine, joined the Division of Infectious Disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2014. Dr. Cespedes received her undergraduate degree in Biophysics from The Johns Hopkins University. She received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Cornell. She completed her Infectious Disease Fellowship and her Masters in Clinical Investigation at New York University. Her research areas of interest are HIV prevention in high-risk populations, complications and comorbidities of HIV, and HIV related women's health issues. Her basic science interest are genetic factors that predispose HIV patients to HPV disease. She was the protocol vice-chair of two AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) studies designed to evaluate the efficacy and immunogenicity of the preventative HPV vaccine in HIV infected men and women. Her published work includes a genetic study of cervical dysplasia in HIV infected women, HPV vaccine in HIV infected populations, and misconceptions of HIV risk in minority populations. In 2014, she was named the co-Director of ID Division’s Clinical and Translational Research Center at Mount Sinai and is the clinical research site leader of Mount Sinai’s Comprehensive Health Program Downtown. In 2020, Dr. Cespedes became the Director of the HIV Service for the Mount Sinai Hospital. In 2022, she was appointed as an Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency Program at Mount Sinai. In 2025 she was named the Interim System Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease for the Mount Sinai Health System. Nationally, Dr. Cespedes sits on the Board of Directors of the Infectious Disease Society of America. She is the past Chair of the HIV Medical Association of the Infectious Disease Society of America and past chair of the ACTG’s Underrepresented Populations Committee.

Shani Wilson, RPA-C is a board-certified physician assistant (NCCPA) with areas of expertise in LGBTQ+ health, Medicated Opioid Addiction Therapy, Sexual health, Minority health disparities with emphasis on mental health, Trauma informed care and vaccine preventable diseases. Community engagement and activism have been especially important to Shani, she is passionate about giving a voice of the underserved community here in Rochester. She also works closely with local LGBTQ+ organizations such as Rochester Black Pride where she currently serves as one of the co-organizers and is currently Chairing the Police Accountability Board. Recently, Shani was appointed to the American Academy of Physicians Assistants diversity, equality, and inclusion commission. Shani is also a CEI regional champion for the Western NY region.