15/09/2025
Su***de contagion or clusters, in which su***des may occur in close chronologic or geographic proximity, is a concept especially important in the health-care workplace.
The Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City experienced a tragic cluster of su***des among young female health care professionals between 2016 and 2017. In just two years:
Three women died by su***de: two physicians, Dr. Deelshad Joomun and Dr. Esha Baichoo, and one medical student, Kathryn Stascavage.
These deaths involved individuals from diverse backgrounds (two were originally from Mauritius), and at least two took their lives by jumping from the same 33-story hospital residential building.
Colleagues reported a culture of silence, lack of transparent communication or public mourning by the institution, and insufficient institutional support or investigation into the root causes of these su***des.
This cluster drew attention in the press and among physician su***de prevention activists, but—reflecting broader trends in medicine—official tracking and systemic investigation by accrediting organizations was lacking.
SEPTEMBER 17 IS NATIONAL PHYSICIAN SU***DE AWARENESS DAY.
See https://DoctorLifeline.org and https://DrLornaBreen.org for more information, and how you can help.
