Pictured from left, Audrey Goodfriend, Tamara Baker, and Phyllis Stark with blankets to be donated to hospitals. Photo courtesy of Fountaingate Gardens
Audrey Goodfriend and Phyllis Stark, avid crocheters and knitters who are members of the new 62+ Independent Living Community Fountaingate Gardens in Commack, were so pleased to learn of We Care Blankets, a charity that aligns with their talents and interests. Recently, they welcomed Tamara Baker, founder of the charity, to their community to donate more than a dozen blankets for children and young adults who are going through chemotherapy.
Blankets made by Fountaingate residents will be donated to hospitals. Photo courtesy of Fountaingate Gardens
According to Baker, she started We Care Blankets more than two decades ago because she saw how cold children in treatment could be while in the hospital. “We have a network of more than 25 hospitals, and we supply them with 15,000 blankets each year, keeping children warm and comforted while they battle cancer. I’m so thankful for volunteers like Phyllis and Audrey,” Baker said.
“I think this is an amazing cause for those who are going through such difficult and challenging times,” Stark said while packing the blankets for pick up. “It creates a positive impact not only on the recipients, but also on the broader community, inspiring others to get involved!”
Goodfriend, who crochets while attending the weekly Needler’s Group at Fountaingate Gardens as well as while watching her Mets play, said, “Combining passions and interest with a purposeful act is a win-win situation; we enjoy our leisure time, but also make a positive difference in the lives of others.”
Baker noted that a network of volunteers meets regularly to wrap the blankets she has gathered from her volunteers, usually wrapping between one and two thousand blankets for delivery to the many hospitals in the We Care Blankets network.
For information or to volunteer for We Care Blankets, contact 516-797-2250 or visit their website at www.wecareblankets.org/volunteer.
136 students comprise the RSOM Class of 2027, shown here reciting the Hippocratic Oath.
New RSOM student Jasmine Stansil (center), with her parents and grandparents at the school’s White Coat Ceremony.
Dean Peter Igarashi, MD
Adam Bruzzese wearing his first white coat after receiving from Andrew Wackett, MD, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education.
136 students launch journey into Medicine at traditional White Coat Ceremony
At the Renaissance School of Medicine’s (RSOM) White Coat Ceremony, 136 incoming students donned their physician “white coats” and took the Hippocratic Oath for the first time. Held at StonyBrook University’s Staller Center, the annual ceremony brings students, their families, and faculty together as the academic year begins and members of the Class of 2027 embark on their journeys toward becoming physicians. The RSOM has held the White Coat Ceremony since 1998.
The incoming students are a select group, and according to RSOM administrators is one of the most diverse classes in the school’s history. Only 8.5 percent of all applicants to the RSOM for 2023-24 were accepted into the program. Approximately 20 percent of class consists individuals from historically marginalized communities, and 54 percent of the class are women.
Collectively the students received their undergraduate degrees from 66 different colleges and universities from around the country. StonyBrook University (20) and Cornell University (17) were the undergraduate schools with the most representation. The class has a combined median undergraduate GPA of 3.89. While many of the new students are from different areas of the country, 77 percent hail from New York State.
“To the Class of 2027, you are entering medicine at an exhilarating time,” said Peter Igarashi, MD, Dean of the RSOM, who presided over his first White Coat Ceremony. “Scientific discoveries in medicine are occurring at a breathtaking and awe-inspiring rate. Diseases that were rapidly fatal when I was a medical student, such as multiple myeloma and leukemia, are now routinely treated. Advances in human genetics have enabled truly personalized medicine, and the development of an effective Covid-19 vaccine less than one year after the onset of the pandemic saved almost 20 million lives and underscored the essential role that science plays in public health.”
All of the students have a story as to how and why they have chosen Medicine as a profession.
For New York City native Adam Bruzzese, an NYU graduate, his family’s difficulties and challenges they had within the healthcare system was a big trigger to increasing his passion for medicine. Adam’s 11-year-old sister had mysteriously become paralyzed, and he played an integral part in providing her healthcare as a teenager and college student. He witnessed disparities of care as she moved through the health system, plus the myriad of tests and physician opinions along the way. It was eventually determined her paralysis was caused by Lyme Disease.
Manteca, California native Jasmine Stansil, a standout student in high school and at the University of California, San Diego, was always fascinated by the human body as a kid. She also became captivated by how physicians can have an incredible impact on human life when she watched Untold Stories of the ER. But she was most inspired to pursue Medicine because of her grandmother, who endured multiple strokes.
“Watching doctors provide her care made me want to do the same for others,” says Stansil. “I am hoping to become an academic physician who will provide clinical care, teach and conduct research.”
Jerome Belford, one of the 20 class members who attended StonyBrook University as an undergraduate, described his interest in medicine as coming from a “passion that stems from a desire to promote physical and emotional health and wellness.”
From Long Island, Belford is a volunteer EMT who decided to attend the RSOM because of its broad research and clinical opportunities and standout education that provides experiential and hands-on medical training. He hopes to eventually provide patients who have historically not had access to the best medical resources improved care, either as an emergency physician or though primary care as an internist.
White coat ceremonies are an initiation rite and are symbolic to Medicine as a profession that combines professionalism with scientific excellence and compassionate care. In an era of telemedicine, aging populations, new knowledge about infections and diseases, and emerging technologies, Medicine remains a dynamic and changing profession that continues to impact the health and well-being of society.
Left, Dr. Daniel Jamorabo, gastroenterologist at Stony Brook Medicine and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. Right, Dr. David Purow, chairman of Medicine-Gastroenterology at Huntington Hospital. Left by Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville; right from Northwell Health
No one rushes to make a reservation at a pre-colonoscopy restaurant with a cleansing and well-reviewed special of the day.
In fact, for most people, the preparation for a potentially lifesaving diagnostic procedure is somewhere between unpleasant and unpalatable.
That, however, may have changed as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved another incremental improvement in the colonoscopy preparation that could make the preparation and the procedure — which can detect early signs of cancer — less bothersome.
Manufactured by Sebela Pharmaceuticals, Suflave is a low-volume preparation that tastes like a lemon-lime sports drink. It should be available in August.
“Patients really like” Suflave, with about 80 percent finding it palatable, said Dr. Daniel Jamorabo, a gastroenterologist at Stony Brook Medicine and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine.
Jamorabo called it a “wonderful addition to the bowel preparations that are out there.”
Jamorabo said the ingredients in most preparations are the same: the difference in the Suflave preparation seems connected to the flavor.
The thinking in the gastrointestinal community is that “we need to find a preparation” that is more pleasant, said Dr. David Purow, chairman of Medicine-Gastroenterology at Huntington Hospital. “That will capture more people who are somewhat reluctant to have a colonoscopy.”
Colonoscopies are a “necessary screening procedure,” Purow added, and health care professionals in the field don’t want the discomfort during preparation to discourage people from getting the procedure.
Indeed, doctors have a much higher success rate with patients when they detect evidence of colon cancer early.
Getting it right
Doctors suggested that the success of preparing for a colonoscopy varies.
Jamorabo estimated that around 10% of patients may not take all the steps necessary to have the screening.
In those circumstances, these patients have to reschedule the procedure and go through drinking fluids that clear out their systems more effectively.
Gastroenterologists urged people to ask questions if they don’t understand any of the steps they need to take to prepare.
For some patients, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their routine colonoscopy visits, as people stayed away from hospitals and medical care facilities during periods of highest viral infection.
Jamorabo added that colon cancers have started to show up in younger people.
In 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended lowering the age for screenings from 50 to 45.
“It’s showing up more” in people under 50, said Jamorabo. “It may even go lower.”
Doctors discovered stage three colon cancer in late actor Chadwick Boseman before he was 40.
“We don’t know yet” why it’s causing cancer in younger people, Jamorabo added, but “it’s not rare. It’s been going on for a couple of years. We can’t write it off as some statistical anomaly.”
Early symptoms
People can and should be on the lookout for symptoms that might indicate colon cancer.
Unintentional weight loss, such as losing 10 pounds or more in three to four months without changing diet or exercise regimen, could indicate a problem.
Blood in the stool, changes in bowel habits and ongoing constipation could also require medical attention.
More subtle signs, such as fatigue, shortness of breath or decreased appetite, could indicate that people are losing blood in their stool.
As for the overlap between COVID and colon cancer, Jamorabo believes that the ongoing inflammation from the SARS-CoV2 virus could predispose people to cancer.
“I don’t think enough time has elapsed” to know if there’s a link between the virus and colon cancer, he added.
With anxiety building over big-picture issues like global warming and an intensely divided population, people are likely increasingly worried about the state of the world.
“Most gastroenterologists are probably busier than they’ve ever been,” Purow said. “Some of that is probably due to the times in which we are living.”
Stress and anxiety can cause gastrointestinal symptoms that manifest in different ways.
Even with less concern about the pandemic, doctors are still seeing more people with alcoholic liver disease, as some turned to alcohol to relieve their ongoing anxiety.
“We’re trying to expand our network of dietitians and mental health professionals that we’re working with,” said Purow.
Information is power
An important tool in preventing colon cancer involves tracking the colon’s health through colonoscopies.
Having Suflave on the market could “lower the dread” of having a colonoscopy, Jamorabo noted. “We need to make the logistics of the preparation easier.”
Employees of St. Catherine of Siena Hospital. Photo courtesy of Leg. Trotta's office
The Suffolk County Legislature created an annual recognition program so that each legislator would designate a Healthcare Hero from his or her legislative district to acknowledge their work and service to the community.
Legislator Rob Trotta named St Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown as his district’s Healthcare Hero for 2023. St. Catherine is a member of the Catholic Health, and is a 296- bed, not-for-profit community hospital that has served the residents of Smithtown for more than 50 years.
Committed to providing the highest quality of care, St. Catherine offers multidisciplinary experts in numerous specialties including bariatric surgery, behavioral health, cardiovascular care, diagnostic imaging, dialysis, emergency medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, robotic surgery, sleep medicine, stroke, woman child care, women’s health, wound care and much more.
“As the legislator representing St. Catherine’s, I have had the opportunity to know its staff, nurses, doctors ,and administrators as well as experiencing its high level of care on a personal level. St. Catherine is a tremendous asset to the community as they sponsor important events such as its annual Community Health Fair, blood drives, blood pressure checks at senior centers and complexes, clothing and food collections, flu vaccines and recognition ceremonies for EMS workers and the hospital staff,” said Leg. Trotta.
Stony Brook Medicine’s new facility at Smith Haven Mall. Photo by Aidan Johnson
By Aidan Johnson
When a person plans a trip to the mall, they may imagine buying new clothes, browsing storefronts and eating at the food court. Now they can add a trip to the doctor’s office to their list.
Stony Brook Medicine has opened a new advanced specialty care facility at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. The approximately 170,000-square-foot space, previously occupied by Sears, is now host to a plethora of specialties, offering a “one-stop shop” to patients.
Sharon Meinster, the assistant vice president of facilities planning and design, and Dr. Todd Griffin, vice president for clinical services and vice dean for clinical affairs at Stony Brook Medicine, explained how the new facility would be more accessible for patients than the offices at Technology Drive in Setauket.
The facility will open in multiple phases, likely to be completed by 2027. As their leases end at Technology Drive, the other practices will gradually make their way to Lake Grove.
“What’s great here is that there’s much better public transportation to the mall,” Griffin said. “That was one of the things that we used to hate about tech parks because many of our patients were taking two or three buses to get there.”
The closest bus stop to Technology Drive is at Belle Meade Road, and if the practice was located farther down the park, it could be difficult for a patient to get there, especially in inclement weather such as heat waves or snowstorms.
There will also be an urgent care complex built in the automotive center at the Smith Haven Mall, which will have direct ambulance support to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Since the new location connects to the rest of the mall, the idea of a buzzer system, similar to those found in restaurants, was considered, allowing patients to walk around the mall while they wait, though Griffin does hope to cut down the wait times.
The phase one services, which are currently open and occupy 60,000 out of the 170,000 square feet, include family and preventive medicine, primary and specialty care, pediatrics, diabetes education, genetic counseling, neurology, neuropsychology and pain management.
The facility will help to foster collaboration between the different doctors since they will all be under one roof.
“It’s nice to have sort of the neuro institute people together,” Griffin said, adding, “You have the surgeons and the docs all in the same space, which helps with collaboration.”
“Right now, they’re in two different locations. So when they move here, they’ll be all together,” he added, “and it’s the same thing with our comprehensive pain center.”
Stony Brook Medicine will also continue to build its Commack location, which has been open since 2017. That building sits at around 350,000 square feet and houses around 38 specialties. They aim to open a surgical center as well as an advanced urgent care center by early 2025.
Despite not having many windows, the Lake Grove facility’s lighting and paint job help to create a more welcoming atmosphere. With much more to come from the Stony Brook care facility, it is already offering a fast and easy way for locals to see their doctor and then grab a pretzel on the way out.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. File photo from Stony Brook Medicine
With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in the rearview mirror, residents have been returning to the open road and the open skies, visiting places and people.
In addition to packing sunscreen, bathing suits and cameras, local doctors urge people to check the vaccination status for themselves and their children, which may have lapsed.
“During COVID, many people did not keep up with their vaccines,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “That has led to a decrease in the amount of children who are vaccinated.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to remind doctors and public health officials for international travelers to be on the lookout for cases of measles, with cases rising in the country and world.
As of June 8, the CDC has learned of 16 confirmed cases of measles across 11 jurisdictions, with 14 cases arising from international travel.
Measles, which is highly contagious and can range from relatively mild symptoms to deadly infections, can arise in developed and developing nations.
Measles can be aerosolized about 60 feet away, which means that “you could be at a train station and someone two tracks over who is coughing and sneezing” can infect people if they are not protected.
The combination of increasing travel, decreasing vaccinations and climbing levels of measles in the background creates the “perfect mixture” for a potential spread of the disease, Nachman said.
Typical first symptoms include cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis, which includes red, watery eyes, can be a symptom of numerous other infections.
“Many other illnesses give you red eyes,” Nachman said, adding, “Only when you start seeing a rash” do doctors typically confirm that it’s measles.
People are contagious for measles when they start to show these symptoms. Doctors, meanwhile, typically treat measles with Vitamin A, which can help ease the symptoms but is not an effective antiviral treatment.
As with illnesses like COVID, people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of developing more severe symptoms. Those with diabetes, hypertension, have organ transplants or have received anticancer drugs or therapies can have more problematic symptoms from measles.
In about one in 1,000 cases, measles can cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE. About six to 10 years after contracting the virus, people can develop SSPE, which can lead to coma and death.
In addition to children who need two doses of the measles vaccine, which typically is part of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR, doctors urge people born between 1957 and 1985 to check on their vaccination status. People born during those years typically received one dose of the vaccine. Two doses provide greater protection.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection from measles. One dose offers 93% immunity, explained Dr. David Galinkin, infectious disease specialist at Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital.
People born before 1957 likely had some exposure to measles, which can provide lifelong immunological protection.
Nachman also urged people to speak with their doctor about their vaccination status for measles and other potential illnesses before traveling. People are protected against measles about two weeks after they receive their vaccine.
Doctors suggested that the MMR vaccine typically causes only mild reactions, if any.
Tetanus, Lyme
In addition to MMR vaccines, doctors urged residents to check on their tetanus vaccination, which protects for 10 years.
“The last thing you want to do is look for a tetanus vaccination in an international emergency room,” Nachman added.
During the summer months, doctors also urged people to check themselves and their children, especially if they are playing outside in the grass or near bushes, for ticks.
Intermediate hosts for Lyme disease, a tick typically takes between 36 to 48 hours from the time it attaches to a human host to transmit Lyme disease.
Nachman suggested parents use a phone flashlight to search for these unwelcome parasites.
From left, Allison McLarty, MD, Marc Goldschmidt, MD, Hal Skopicki, MD, PhD. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine
In 2010, Stony Brook Heart Institute’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program was established on Long Island to implant this life saving device. A VAD, also often called a left ventricular assist device or LVAD, is a surgically implanted, battery powered pump that, by supporting the lower left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber), helps a failing heart to do its job more efficiently. The VAD can be used as an intermediary step before heart transplantation or, in patients who, due to advanced age or medical condition are not transplant candidates, as a long-term “destination” device.
VAD patient Joseph Cerqueira and his wife.
Now 10+ years later, patients, their families and medical staff from the Heart Institute gathered on June 15, to celebrate the anniversary of this life saving heart device and program. (The 10-year event was postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19.)
“Nobody knew when we began putting in heart pumps 13 years ago that they would be this durable and reliable,” says Allison McLarty, MD, Surgical Director of the VAD program. “This amazing device has revolutionized the management of advanced heart failure.”
“For the VAD team, there is the immense reward of seeing these extraordinary individuals return to their homes and families with a much better quality of life,” added Marc Goldschmidt, MD, Director, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Center and Medical Director, Ventricular Device Program.
“A VAD program at Stony Brook Heart Institute has been a tremendous asset for both the community and the hospital. Patients with the most complex heart conditions have access right here, close to home, to all the state-of-the-art services they need,” said Hal Skopicki, MD, PhD, Co-Director, Stony Brook Heart Institute and Chief of Cardiology.
Among the patients who attended today’s event was Joseph Cerqueira, 63, who received a VAD in 2017 and a heart transplant the following year. Following his surgery, Joseph returned to his work as a corporate chef.
“Everybody went the extra mile to make me comfortable and knowledgeable on how to adapt to every aspect of life with a VAD,” said Cerqueira. “Now my quality of life is perfect. I still get tired and I know my limitations, but besides that I do whatever has to be done.”
Canadian wildfire smoke reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground over Long Island. Photo by Terry Ballard from Wikimedia Commons
Brian Colle saw it coming, but the word didn’t get out quickly enough to capture the extent of the incoming smoke.
Dr. Jeffrey Wheeler, director of the emergency room at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. File photo from St. Charles Hospital
The smoke from raging wildfires in Quebec, Canada, last week looked like a “blob out of a movie” coming down from the north, said Colle, head of the atmospheric sciences division at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. As the morning progressed, Colle estimated the chance of the smoke arriving in New York and Long Island was “80 to 90 percent.”
Colle, among other scientists, saw the event unfolding and was disappointed at the speed with which the public learned information about the smoke, which contained particulate matter that could affect human health.
“There’s a false expectation in my personal view that social media is the savior in all this,” Colle said. The Stony Brook scientist urged developing a faster and more effective mechanism to create a more aggressive communication channel for air quality threats.
Scientists and doctors suggested smoke from wildfires, which could become more commonplace amid a warming climate, could create physical and mental health problems.
Physical risks
People in “some of the extremes of ages” are at risk when smoke filled with particulates enters an area, said Dr. Jeffrey Wheeler, director of the emergency room at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. People with cardiac conditions or chronic or advanced lung disease are “very much at risk.”
Dr. Robert Schwaner, medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine and chief of the Division of Toxicology at Stony Brook University Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook University
Dr. Robert Schwaner, medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine and chief of the Division of Toxicology at Stony Brook University Hospital, believed the health effects of wildfire smoke could “trickle down for about a week” after the smoke was so thick that it reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground.
Amid smoky conditions, people who take medicine for their heart or lungs need to be “very adherent to their medication regimen,” Schwaner said.
Physical symptoms that can crop up after such an event could include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness or breathing difficulties, particularly for people who struggle with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
When patients come to Schwaner with these breathing problems, he asks them if what they are experiencing is “typical of previous exacerbations.” He follows up with questions about what has helped them in the past.
Schwaner is concerned about patients who have had lung damage from COVID-related illness.
The level of vulnerability of those patients, particularly amid future wildfires or air quality events, will “play out over the next couple of years,” he said. Should those who had lung damage from COVID develop symptoms, that population might “need to stay in contact with their physicians.”
It’s unclear whether vulnerabilities from COVID could cause problems for a few years or longer, doctors suggested, although it was worth monitoring to protect the population’s health amid threats from wildfire smoke.
Local doctors were also concerned about symptoms related to eye irritations.
Schwaner doesn’t believe HEPA filters or other air cleansing measures are necessary for the entire population.
People with chronic respiratory illness, however, would benefit from removing particulates from the air, he added.
Wildfire particulates
Dr. Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, an air pollution expert and environmental epidemiologist from Stony Brook University’s Program in Public Health. Photo from Stony Brook University
Area physicians suggested the particulates from wildfires could be even more problematic than those generated from industrial sources.
Burning biomass releases a range of toxic species into the air, said Dr. Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, an air pollution expert and environmental epidemiologist from Stony Brook University’s Program in Public Health.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has done a “fairly decent job” of regulating industrial pollution over the last few decades “whereas wildfires have been increasing” amid drier conditions, Yazdi added.
In her research, Yazdi studies the specific particulate matter and gaseous pollutants that constitute air pollution, looking at the rates of cardiovascular and respiratory disease in response to these pollutants.
Mental health effects
Local health care providers recognized that a sudden and lasting orange glow, which blocked the sun and brought an acrid and unpleasant smell of fire, can lead to anxiety, which patients likely dealt with in interactions with therapists.
As for activity in the hospital, Dr. Poonam Gill, director of the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Stony Brook Hospital, said smoke from the wildfires did not cause any change or increase in the inpatient psychiatric patient population.
In addition to the eerie scene, which some suggested appeared apocalyptic, people contended with canceled outdoor events and, for some, the return of masks they thought they had jettisoned at the end of the pandemic.
“We had masks leftover” from the pandemic, and “we made the decision” to use them for an event for his son, said Schwaner.
When Schwaner contracted the delta variant of COVID-19, he was coughing for three to four months, which encouraged him to err on the side of caution with potential exposure to smoke and the suspended particulates that could irritate his lungs.
The Renaissance School of Medicine Class of 2023 included 127 graduates, shown here as a class reciting the Physicians’ Oath for the first time as MDs. Photo by Arthur Fredericks
Peter Igarashi, MD, Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine, encouraged the Class of 2023 as they enter the field of medicine. This year he presided over his first convocation as dean of the school. Photo by Arthur Fredericks
Newly minted physicians – Graduates from the Renaissance School of Medicine celebrate and cheer during the school’s 49th Convocation. Photo by Arthur Fredericks
127 RSOM graduates begin residencies in summer; one-quarter will stay at SB Medicine, others to practice in NY and all over the country
The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University celebrated its 49th Convocation on May 17 by conferring MD degrees to 127 graduates who will begin their first assignments as resident physicians this coming summer. Collectively, they will practice in New York State and 19 other states. Approximately one-quarter of the class will be residents at Stony Brook Medicine locations.
Peter Igarashi, MD, presided over the convocation for the first time as Dean of the RSOM. He also led the graduates in reciting the Hippocratic or Physicians’ Oath for the first time as MDs. John M. Carethers, MD, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, University of California, San Diego, delivered the Convocation Address.
“All of you are beginning a career in medicine when the need for physicians has never been greater, and the skills you have learned while at Stony Brook have laid the foundation for your career,” said Hal Paz, MD, MS, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, Stony Brook University, and Chief Executive Officer, Stony Brook University Medicine, who delivered the welcome remarks.
“Among you, we have future residents in internal and emergency medicine, anesthesiology, neurology, psychiatry, and pediatrics, to name just a few – all committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered care in a wide range of communities. I’m delighted to learn that a majority of you are staying in New York, with many beginning your careers right here at Stony Brook.”
One of the new graduates who will remain at Stony Brook Medicine as a resident in Emergency Medicine is Erin Lavin. Remarkably, she gave birth just a day before the Convocation and was on hand – with baby girl – at the ceremony.
“For most of you, almost your entire medical school education has taken place under the oppressive cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is certainly not what you signed up for when you arrived in 2019,” said Dr. Igarashi. “When the pandemic struck New York, you rapidly pivoted to remote learning and social distancing. When in-person clerkships were again permitted but vaccines were not yet widely available, you bravely came into the hospital to learn how to take care of patients. Your resilience and dedication have brought you here today.”
The graduates join more than 5,800 Stony Brook alumni who earned their MD degrees from the RSOM. This latest group of newly minted physicians joins the healthcare workforce in a post-pandemic era that requires a continuing need for more physicians because of such trends as aging populations, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and new long-term illnesses emerging from the pandemic. The transformation of healthcare such as the growth of telemedicine and more specialty care services will also broaden these new physicians’ opportunities.
Primary Care services such as Medicine and Pediatrics will remain as needed and growing practices in our society. According to an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2021 report, our country faces primary care shortages ranging from 21,000 to 55,000 practitioners over the next decade. A significant portion (21 percent) of the graduates will enter primary care fields starting with their upcoming residencies.
Some of the new graduates moved into the field of medicine more quickly than the traditional four years. The RSOM’s 3-year MD program continues to add students. This year, 11 students graduated from that track, the highest number in the school’s history.
Brian A. DeFeo has been named as Mather Hospital’s VP/Associate Executive Director of Finance. He succeeds Joseph Wisnoski who will remain at Mather in a consulting capacity until the end of 2023 to assist Mr. DeFeo during the transition.
Mr. DeFeo joins Mather Hospital from Northwell STARS (Sports Therapy & Rehab Services) in Melville, where he has held a variety of finance leadership roles since 2007. He currently is Senior Director of Financial Operations of STARS, responsible for the finance and business operations of 23 rehab locations.
Mr. DeFeo received a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Hofstra University and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Adelphi University. He resides in East Northport with his wife and daughter.
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