Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson has created a new Cardiac Rehabilitation Program designed to help those who have suffered a major cardiac event such as a heart attack regain their overall physical, mental, and social functioning.
Studies show that individuals who have recent cardiac events and who participate in cardiac rehabilitation realize many benefits including increased life expectancy; reduced hospitalization; improved function, exercise capacity, mood and overall quality of life; a strong correlation between number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions and long-term results; and improvement of modifiable risk factors such as physical activity, dietary choices, stress levels and more.
The program, which is housed in the Frey Family Foundation Medical Arts Building on the Mather campus, is tailored to meet individual needs, combining education and exercise in a supportive environment.
After an initial evaluation Mather Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation service guides patients through a 12-week program that includes exercise training with continuous ECG or heart monitoring, educational classes on heart health, and nutrition counseling.
Their team includes experienced cardiologists, registered nurses, physical therapists, registered dietitians, and licensed social workers. Together, they providea thorough health assessment and set up a personalized treatment plan to maximize a patient’s recovery and return to well-being. Learn more at matherhospital.org/cardiacrehab, or call 631-775-2426.
On the left is Viviana Cueva Gomez and Brian Cueva with their son Mattias. On the right is Byron and Anita Gomez with their second son Thiago. Viviana and Byron are siblings. Photo courtesy St. Charles Hospital
It started on Friday, Oct. 13, and concluded with a near photo finish the next day.
Viviana Cueva Gomez, who was getting close to her due date, went to St. Charles Hospital with her husband Bryan at around 7 p.m., when she started to feel discomfort.
The medical staff admitted her to the hospital, where she and Bryan anticipated the delivery of their first child.
Around 3 a.m. on the 14th, Anita Gomez, who is married to Viviana’s brother and was also pregnant, began to experience contractions, which sent her to Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital as well.
At one point during the night, Viviana suspected that her sister-in-law was at the hospital.
Viviana asked the hospital staff if they could confirm that Anita was on the same floor.
The hospital, however, couldn’t give her that information because of confidentiality rules.
At some point during the next day, Viviana’s husband Bryan bumped into his brother-in-law Byron.
“I didn’t know my sister was there,” said Byron. “When I saw Bryan, we were joking” about how their sons were coming on the same day.
Indeed, as that Saturday wore on, Dr. Sarah Karalitzky performed C sections on both women.
Despite coming to the hospital second, Anita won the birth race, delivering her son Thiago at 4:26 p.m., while Viviana gave birth to Mattias soon thereafter, at 5:45 pm.
Separated by just over an hour with their birth times, the cousins were also just over half a pound different in weight: Thiago weighed in at 8 pounds, one ounce, while Mattias was 7 pounds, 10 ounces.
Anita Gomez holds her son Thiago. Photo from Byron Gomez
Big announcements
The extended family work in the same business, towing and fixing cars at S&B Auto Repair in Middle Island.
Viviana recalls the moment her brother shared the big news with their father Secundo at work.
Byron “started to tell my dad,” she said. “Everyone asks him what happened, is someone here [having] a baby?”
The family looked at Anita, who also works at S&B.
“Yes,” Byron said, “but someone else is, too.”
Their father looked at his daughter.
“Viviana, you?” he asked.
When she nodded, he jumped up and clapped for the impending arrival of two grandchildren.
“We didn’t believe we would deliver the same day, but things happen,” Viviana said.
Viviana, 31, and Byron, 29, have two other siblings, neither of whom is married and has children.
In addition to this momentous day, the extended Gomez family, who are originally from Ecuador, is having a memorable year, with a cousin giving birth this past June while another cousin is expecting a child in January.
“My family is growing a lot this year,” said Viviana, who lives in Medford.
Viviana Cueva Gomez and husband Bryan pose with their son Mattias. Photo from Viviana Cueva Gomez
Expectations for the cousins
Byron and Viviana anticipate that the two cousins, who were born one room apart at St. Charles Hospital and who each left the hospital the following Tuesday, Oct. 17, will be close.
“They’re going to be like brothers,” predicted Byron, who lives in Coram.
The two families haven’t yet decided whether they would consider having joint birthday parties for the Libras, whose Zodiac sign is, perhaps fittingly, represented by two equal parts of a scale.
A friend suggested the two cousins “don’t have to share the same day” for future birthday celebrations, said Viviana. Their friend wants to “go to two different parties” to celebrate each of their births.
Newborn Thiago with his older brother Dereck, who is five. Photo from Byron Gomez
A beaming brother
Thiago’s brother Dereck, who just turned five, is already fond of his younger sibling.
“He says he’s going to share TV and toys with him,” said his father Byron. “All the time, he’s kissing him. He really loves him.”
Indeed, Dereck used to play with a friend, but he only wants to be with his younger brother. When Dereck speaks to Thiago, he tells him he loves him and asks his father to translate his newborn brother’s movements and sounds.
“I say that he loves you, too,” said Byron.
Karalitzky, who delivered both babies, said staff members were caught up in the excitement.
An OB-GYN, Karalitzky feels “lucky to be in a field where the vast majority of the time, she’s able to be a part of good news and a happy day” in people’s lives. For the extended family, the shared birthday ensures that people “will always remember your birthday.”
Karalitzky, who has been at St. Charles Hospital for 10 years, should know: she was born on her mother’s birthday.
Her mom “always made it a special day,” Karalitzky said. “Every year, she’d say, ‘This is the best birthday present ever.’”
News Flash: Generated by ChatGPT, edited by our staff
• FDA approves RSV vaccines for the first time. These vaccines target the respiratory syncytial virus, a seasonal lung-related illness, with recommendations for adults over 60 and pregnant women in specific gestational weeks.
• Infants under eight months born to mothers without the RSV vaccination can receive monoclonal antibody treatment, providing immunological protection against severe RSV symptoms.
• There are challenges in accessing RSV shots, including delayed processing by insurance companies and pharmacy shortages. Health officials urge residents to advocate for themselves, emphasizing the importance of timely vaccinations given the approaching RSV season.
For the first time, vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — a lung-related illness that crops up during the fall and winter — have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA recommends that adults ages 60 and older receive a dose of the vaccine, either Pfizer’s Abrysvo or GSK’s Arexvy, within the next few weeks.
Women in their 32nd to 36th week of pregnancy at some point during September through January are also urged to receive Abrysvo.
For babies born to mothers who didn’t receive a dose of the RSV vaccine, the FDA has approved a monoclonal antibody treatment for infants eight months old and younger that will offer immunological protection against a common and prevalent respiratory condition that can lead to severe symptoms and hospitalizations.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a dose of RSV antibody for children between eight and 19 months entering their second RSV season if they have chronic lung disease, are severely immunocompromised, have a severe form of cystic fibrosis or are American Indian or Alaska Natives.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. File photo from Stony Brook Medicine
While local doctors welcomed the opportunity to inoculate residents, they said finding these treatments has been difficult.
“People are having a hard time getting” the vaccine, said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
Some pharmacies have told patients to come back, which decreases the likelihood that they will return for vaccinations in time, Nachman said.
Additionally, insurance companies have not immediately processed requests for vaccinations, which also slows the process, she said.
Nachman recommended that residents “continue to go back and advocate for yourself” because that is “the only way you’ll get what you need.”
RSV season starts around November, which means residents qualified to receive the vaccine or parents with infants need to reach out to their health care providers now to receive some protection against the virus.
Childhood illness
According to recent data, RSV caused 2,800 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in the first year of life, Nachman said. The range can go as low as 1,500 per 100,000.
However, that only captures the number of hospitalized people and doesn’t include all the times anxious parents bring their sick children to doctor’s offices or walk-in clinics.
“Hospitalizations are the worst of the group, [but] it’s a much bigger pyramid” of people who develop RSV illnesses, Nachman said.
In addition to recommending monoclonal treatment for children under eight months old, the CDC urges parents to get this treatment for vulnerable children who are under two years old.
Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. File photo
Like other vaccinations, the RSV vaccine won’t prevent people from getting sick. It will, however, likely reduce the symptoms and duration of the illness.
“In trials, RSV vaccines significantly reduced lower respiratory tract lung infections serious enough to require medical care,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner, explained in an email.
At its worst, the symptoms of RSV — such as fever, cough and serious respiratory illness — are problematic enough that it’s worth putting out extra effort to receive some immune protection.
“If you’re a little kid or an elderly patient, this is a disease you don’t want to get,” Nachman said.
Pigott said that data analysis shows that RSV vaccines are 85% effective against severe symptoms of the virus.
While people can receive the COVID-19 and flu vaccines simultaneously, doctors recommend getting the RSV vaccine two weeks later.
According to preliminary data, eligible residents may benefit from the RSV vaccine for two seasons, which means they would likely need to receive the shot every other year, according to Pigott.
With two vaccines approved for adults, Pigott recommended that people receive whichever shot is available.
“Both reduce a person’s chances of getting very serious lung infections,” Pigott explained, adding that several measures can help people protect themselves from the flu, RSV and COVID.
Getting a vaccine, washing hands, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth, avoiding close contact with people who are sick with respiratory symptoms and wearing a mask in places where respiratory viruses are circulating can all help.
Those who are symptomatic should stay home when they are sick and wear masks when they are around other people.
Suffolk County Department of Health Services officials indicated they are aware of the challenges of getting shots and monoclonal antibodies and “ask people to be patient.”
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Many shops in the Village of Port Jefferson will participate in this year's event. Photo from Mather Hospital
Paint Port Pink, Mather Hospital’s annual month-long breast cancer community awareness outreach, kicks off Sunday, October 1 with the lighting of pink lights by community partners in Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, and surrounding communities. Paint Port Pink’s goal is to raise awareness about breast cancer, encourage annual mammograms, and bring the community together to fight this disease.
Lamp posts along Main Street in Port Jefferson will glow with pink lights, along with the Theatre Three marquee and many store windows. Many related events will be held throughout the month.
“Pints for Pink,” hosted by Po’Boy Brewery, 200 Wilson Street in Port Jefferson, returns on Thursday, Oct. 5 to celebrate the survivors and educate the community. Attendees can sample craft beers and ciders while receiving health information. The $25 fee includes registration for the 2024 Northwell Health Walk at Port Jefferson. Proceeds support the 2024 Walk for the benefit of the Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital. Register at matherhospital.org/pints-for-pink.
Decorate your business window for a chance to win tickets to a 2024 concert at Jones Beach. Send photos of your window by Sunday, October 15 to [email protected].
The EmpowerHER: Navigating Women’s Wellness symposium on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 East Broadway, Port Jefferson features a panel of Mather physicians discussing different aspects of women’s health and well being. Co-sponsored by Decision Women in Commerce and Professions, the $20 admission fee includes the symposium, a buffet dinner, a glass of wine and registration for the 2024 Northwell Health Walk at Port Jefferson. Register at matherhospital.org/EmpowerHer.
Friday, October 20 is Wear Pink Day/National Mammography Day and everyone — including your pets — are encouraged to get their pink on. Post photos on social media with #paintportpink and send them to [email protected] to be posted on the hospital’s Facebook page.
You could win a $100 gift card for best pumpkin. Photo from Mather Hospital
The ever popular “Pink Your Pumpkin” contest returns and encourages everyone to get creative with their pumpkins for a cause. Photos should be emailed to [email protected] by Tuesday,Oct. 24 and posted on social media with #paintportpink. The winner will receive a $100 gift card.
A full calendar of events and a list of Paint Port Pink community partners offering promotions to benefit The Fortunato Breast Health Center is available at www.paintportpink.org. Call 631-476-2723.
Paint Port Pink is sponsored by Decision Women in Commerce and Professions, Riverhead Toyota, Lippencott Financial Group, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, Precision Lawn Irrigation, Po’ Boy Brewery and Tuscany Gourmet Market.
Five things everyone should know about breast health
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., except for skin cancers, representing about 30 percent (or one in three) of all new female cancers each year. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the U.S. after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Every two minutes someone is newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Only one in three women over 40 have an annual mammogram.
“It is important to maintain breast health and the easiest way to do that is to obtain your annual screening mammogram,” said Lan Chan, MD, radiologist at Mather Hospital’s Fortunato Breast Health Center. “You should not ignore your breasts just because there is no family history of breast cancer. In fact, three out of four women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer.”
According to Dr. Chan, five things everyone should know about breast health are:
1. Major health organizations including the American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology and Society of Breast Imaging recommend starting screening mammography at age 40.
The ACS reports that the chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer in her life is about one in eight. That is why increased awareness, education and early detection are important parts of breast health care. A mammogram can reveal a tumor as much as two years before you or your healthcare professional can feel it. That’s why it’s important to schedule your mammogram.
2. Obesity has been linked to breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight can decrease the risk of breast cancer.
Having more fat tissue can increase your chance of getting breast cancer by raising estrogen levels, according to the ACS. Also, women who are overweight tend to have higher levels of insulin, which have been linked to some cancers, including breast cancer.
3. Breastfeeding has health benefits for mothers. It has been shown that breastfeeding decreases the risk of breast cancer. Many studies suggest that breastfeeding for a year or more slightly reduces a woman’s overall risk of breast cancer, with longer duration associated with greater reduction, according to the ACS.
4. Women at high risk for breast cancer can obtain supplementary screening MRI as another form of imaging to detect breast cancer.
5. Men should not ignore lumps on their chest. Men can also develop breast cancer.
The ACS notes that while breast cancer occurs mainly in women, men can get it, too. Men have breast tissue and can develop breast cancer. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer and can spread to other areas. The American Cancer Society estimates for men in the United States for 2023 about 2,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed and about 530 men will die from breast cancer
Schedule a mammogram
The Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson uses state-of-the-art breast imaging technology in a warm and assuring environment with a commitment to giving you personalized breast healthcare.
Their staff of professionals provides 3D mammograms and offers individualized follow-up care, education for patients, families, and the community, as well as breast cancer support groups.
Their Breast Center radiologists are specialists who only read breast imaging studies and look back as far as possible at your history of breast images for any subtle changes or abnormalities to provide the most accurate reading.
The Breast Health Center has also partnered with the Suffolk Cancer Services Program (CSP) to provide free breast cancer screenings to individuals who qualify. The CSP provides breast cancer screenings to women age 40 and older without health insurance in Suffolk. If any follow-up testing is needed, the CSP will provide those tests too. If cancer is found, CSP will help enroll people who are eligible in the NYS Medicaid Cancer Treatment Program for full Medicaid coverage during treatment.
To find out if you are eligible for free screenings or to schedule your annual mammogram, call 631-476-2771.
Dr. Saathi (center) was honored with a plaque outside an isolation room dedicated in his honor by Stanley and Dr. Marion Bergman (3rd and 4th from right). They posed with members of their caregiver team, including nurses and a member of the Food & Dining Services staff. Photo courtesy of Mather Hospital
Port Jefferson’s Mather Hospital recently dedicated the Isolation Room on its 3North Intermediate Care Unit in honor of neurosurgeon Sumeer Sathi, MD to memorialize a generous donation from the Bergman Family Foundation.
The donation was the result of Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc. and his wife Dr. Marion Bergman wanting to acknowledge and express their gratitude for the care they received from Dr. Sathi and Mather Hospital.
Dr. Sathi is a clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York and has served as chief of neurosurgery at Mather Hospital and St. Charles Hospital since 2002.
“We truly appreciate the excellent care we received at Mather Hospital by Dr. Sumeer Sathi and the Neurosurgical team, where we both elected to have our spinal surgery performed,” said Stanley and Dr. Marion Bergman. “In recognition of the exceptional team of professionals at Mather, we are pleased to make this contribution to the hospital in honor of Dr. Sathi.”
“It is so gratifying when an individual steps forth to show their gratitude to Mather Hospital through a thoughtful donation, which in turn allows us to grow and advance our ability to provide exceptional care,” said James Danowski, Chairman of the JTM Foundation, which generates philanthropic support for Mather Hospital.
Currently the Foundation is raising $20 million for the various transformational program initiatives at Mather Hospital including a new 26,000-sq- ft Emergency Department expected to open in 2025.
Starting soon, all newborns in New York state will receive testing for congenital cytomegalovirus. Photo by Farajiibrahim from Wikimedia Commons
Starting later this month or early next month, all children born in New York state will receive testing for congenital cytomegalovirus, an infection that can cause hearing loss and learning deficits.
The state will track children who test positive for this virus, which is related to the virus for chickenpox, herpes and mononucleosis, over the years after their birth to provide early intervention amid the development of any symptoms and to provide a baseline for understanding how the virus may affect the growth and development of other children born with the virus.
Mothers who contract CMV, which is the most common congenital virus and the leading nongenetic cause of deafness in children, for the first time while they are pregnant can transmit the virus to their developing child.
Local doctors suggested that this testing, which other states would likely examine closely, provided a welcome opportunity to gather information about their children, even if the test raised questions or concerns about what the diagnosis means.
“Knowledge is power,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. “The more you can tell a parent about what’s going on, the more they can make informed decisions.”
To be sure, Nachman anticipated that more parents initially might opt out of having their child’s screen result reported in their newborn record, until pediatricians and obstetricians have had a chance to talk with them.
There will be a “lot more opting out in the beginning” until parents understand what the test means and how it might help in understanding a virus that could affect their children’s health and development, Nachman said.
One in 200 babies
New York State recently received a contract from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to add screening for this virus for a period of a year.
Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine
Parents of babies who test positive will receive referrals to infectious disease specialists across the state for follow-up and evaluation.
The state predicts about one out of every 200 newborns may test positive for the virus, according to the New York State Department of Health website.
Over half of the adults in the U.S. have had CMV, while most people don’t know they’ve had it because they show no symptoms.
Those who develop symptoms have sore throats, fever, fatigue and swollen glands, which are the kind of nonspecific conditions that characterize the body’s response to infections from other viruses.
Opt-out options
While all babies will receive a congenital CMV test, parents can choose to opt out of having their children’s screen result reported in their newborn screen record.
The state urges parents who would like to opt out to do so quickly, as newborn screen reports are complete five to seven days after birth.
Parents have several ways to opt out. They can scan the QR code found on their brochure, which will bring them to the Newborn Screening Program website and opt out portal. They can also remove and fill out the opt-out form in the parent brochure and give it to the hospital to submit with the newborn screen specimen.
Alternatively, parents can email a picture of the completed opt-out form to [email protected] or they can call the program at 518-473-7552 and press option five. Finally, parents can mail the opt-out form to the NYS Newborn Screening Program in Albany.
First steps
Nachman is co-leading one of the 11 units across the state in pediatric infectious disease with Dr. Andrew Handel.
The teams will meet once a month to discuss issues around CMV.
“One of the goals of the project, which is why it’s funded by NICHD is can we identify who is at risk” to develop problems such as hearing loss.
Among the numerous unanswered questions the group hopes to address is whether early treatment would be a way to prevent problems from developing, even among children who test positive but are asymptomatic. Giving medication to all children who test positive comes with its own problems, as the medication for CMV has side effects, said Nachman.
It’s not like “taking a dose of Tylenol, given several times a day for weeks at a time,” said Nachman.
While women who have had CMV prior to pregnancy are unlikely to transmit the virus, Nachman discourages people from intentionally contracting the virus before becoming pregnant.
“We don’t encourage people to go out and get CMV so they’ll be cleared by the time they’re pregnant,” in part because people can develop symptoms, conditions and secondary infections after having the virus.
By monitoring the health of children after their diagnosis, the state hopes to understand more about the virus and its effects.
“We need to follow enough children long enough” to be able to address those medical questions and concerns, Nachman said.
The study might be able to find markers that could predict who might be at risk for hearing loss in the early years of a child’s life, she said.
During hearing screens that could occur every six months, children born with CMV can receive early intervention.
“The sooner we see something, the sooner we can act on it,” Nachman said.
As for developmental issues, children who show even a glimmer of a developmental delay can also receive early intervention.
At this point, Stony Brook has been participating in clinical trials for a vaccine, which, if approved, could be administered to adolescents.
The trials for the vaccine, which could last for 10 years, are still in the early stages of development.
Studies have shown that having confidence in the kitchen leads to fewer fast food meals and more meals as a family to strengthen a healthy lifestyle. A study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior also highlights that young adults with strong cooking skills are more inclined to eat healthy as an adult. This summer, kids are getting to experience food moving from farm-to-table and work on building healthy habits through unique cooking and nutrition classes at Stony Brook Medicine.
Stony Brook Medicine is committed to helping kids gain kitchen experience and learn healthier cooking habits at an early age. On August 15, fourteen kids between the ages of 7 through 10 established healthier cooking habits through learning healthy recipes. On day one of the Healthy Cooking and Baking Classes, kids made hummus and veggie wraps, tabbouleh and fruit smoothies. The 3-day series teaches kids how to prepare their own meals and pick produce from the 2,242-square-foot rooftop garden known as Stony Brook Heights Rooftop Farm. The hospital’s rooftop farm supplies approximately 1,500 pounds of produce per year for patient meal trays and local charities. The program is organized by the Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine’s Nutrition Division.
Kids also learned about how food and ingredients are grown; harvested and chose ingredients to prepare healthier food options; tried a variety of fruit and vegetables with the health benefits behind them; and learned proper use of kitchen equipment to prepare meals using ingredients they picked by hand. In addition, each gained a hands-on approach to sustainable methods in farming, such as composting, choosing local foods and water conservation.
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.”
Prev
