St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, 50 Route 25A, Smithtown hosts a New York Blood Center community blood drive in its Medical Office Building, Lower Level, on Thursday, Aug. 29 from 7 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. and on Friday, Aug. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please remember to eat, drink and bring your ID with your name and photo. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566, however walk-ins will be welcomed if space permits.
Catholic Health’s St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting for its Emergency Department (ED) expansion on Aug. 14. The event was attended by Catholic Health executive leadership, hospital staff, as well as local elected officials and community partners. The newly renovated and expanded emergency department officially opened to patients on Aug. 19.
The $10 million project, was partially funded with a $4.2 million grant from the New York State Facility Transformation program, as well as other funds supported by Catholic Health and philanthropic support. The ED expansion includes an additional 4,000 square feet, doubling the size, with 10 more treatment bays and a larger waiting room.
“St. Charles’ ED expansion will provide an opportunity to better manage patient flow and address the disparate needs of patients seeking emergency care, allowing for the overall higher quality of patient care,” said St. Charles Hospital President James O’Connor. “We are very excited for this major facility improvement, allowing us to continue to meet the emergent medical needs of the communities we serve.”
In addition, the renovations include additional space, which will allow for better patient management of those seeking medically supervised chemical dependency withdrawal and stabilization and rehabilitation services.
“Long Island has a drug problem of epic proportions, but Catholic Health does not run from this challenge,” said Catholic Health President and CEO Patrick O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA. “St. Charles’ expanded ED will include an additional care environment, offering specialized care for dependency patients. This will allow doctors and nurses to focus on the needs of distinct patient populations, safely and effectively.”
Family experiences, commitment to service, intrigue with biotech advances, drive many of the new 136 RSOM students to pursue medicine
At the Renaissance School of Medicine’s (RSOM) White Coat Ceremony, 136 incoming students officially began their medical school training by taking the Hippocratic Oath and wearing their physician “white coats” for the first time. Held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center on August 9, the annual ceremony brings students, their families, and faculty together as the academic year begins. The RSOM has held a White Coat Ceremony since 1998.
The incoming Class of 2028 is a highly select group, as only eight percent of all applicants to the RSOM for this academic year were accepted into the program. Collectively, the students received their undergraduate degrees from 57 different colleges and universities around the nation. Stony Brook University had the most representation, as 33 students earned their undergraduate degrees at Stony Brook. While a good portion of the students are from around the country, nearly 75 percent are from New York State.
Peter Igarashi, MD, Knapp Dean of the RSOM, congratulated the incoming class and told the students they are entering the field at a time when the practice of medicine is rapidly evolving and where discoveries to diagnose and treat disease are advancing and newer practices such as telemedicine are becoming commonplace. He emphasized the RSOM’s commitment to science-based medicine, and also urged the students to place the heart of their work around patients, as the practice of medicine is best with a “focus on a strong doctor/patient relationship.”
While the students’ paths into medicine and reasons for choosing the profession are varied, their experiences with family members who suffered from diseases, interest in service to people, and intrigue with advances in biotechnology, appeared to be some common factors for pursuing medicine.
New student stories
Gabriel Chan, a Long Island native, says that a turning point for him when deciding to pursue medicine was when his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He has entered the RSOM’s Medical Scientist Training Program, or MD/PhD program. Chan starts medical school fresh from a Fulbright Scholar experience in France where he conducted computational neuroscience research at Centre Borelli in Paris.
Reinaldo Powell, graduated in 2024 from Stony Brook with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences. He was eager to enter medicine and felt at home with the RSOM and its approach to education.
“I was always enamored by the role a physician can play in improving the lives of their patients. This was further exacerbated when I lost my mother to lymphoma when I was 14, and this inspired me to pursue a career to help those who hurt and one that looks to understand the specifics behind disease,” says Powell.
Two of the new med students are using their experience in the military as an inspiration and catalyst toward entering medicine.
Juan Diego Carvajal Ramirez, who most recently lived in California, spent time in the U.S. Army as a combat medic. That training sparked his interest in trauma medicine, and he hopes to ultimately specialize in trauma surgery. Additionally, he chose the RSOM because during a conversation with a current fourth-year medical student in the interview process he learned how much hands-on training and mentorship the RSOM faculty provides, something he sees as essential for trauma and emergency training.
Another Stony Brook University graduate and U.S. Army Second Lieutenant, Pamela Chen, found that all of her army training drills, including combat medic training, fit her pursuit of medicine given the discipline the work requires and its focus on teamwork and caring for soldiers.
Chen’s experience of losing her father at a young age due to Parkinson’s disease, her life in the New York City foster care system, and eventually growing up with a permanent family in Bethpage, NY, made her sensitive to the needs of people and families, especially when family members are ill.
Emily Cahill, who hails from Rockland County, NY, worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in a cell culture lab producing therapeutic antibody candidates for drug development. While she enjoyed the science and laboratory work, it was a program she was involved as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University designed to improve communication between patients and their caregivers that drove her interest in patient care and people’s stories themselves, not just their illnesses.
Cahill is interested in caring for children. She is enrolled in the RSOM’s three-year MD program and will continue on in a Pediatric Residency position at Stony Brook Medicine after graduation.
Another student, Massachusetts native Henry Wilmot, recently worked in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry in Manhattan in a consulting capacity where he collaborated with clients to support commercialization for products geared to treat rare diseases. Working in biotechnology, he says, was fascinating and had impact but he also felt a disconnect.
Wilmot comes from a family of service professionals including a social worker, paramedic and pediatrician. He felt moved to add this aspect to his career path.
“I knew that I wanted to interact at the human level with patients and bring my experience from the business side of healthcare into the clinic to advocate for patients seeking complex therapeutics.”
Captions:
The Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) welcomed the incoming Class of 2028 in August. Set for their medical school training are, from left, students Gabriel Chan, Henry Wilmot, Reinaldo Powell, and Emily Cahill.
The 136 students comprising the incoming Class recite the Hippocratic Oath for the first time.
Photo Credit:
Arthur Fredericks
By Daniel Dunaief
Imagine a typical school classroom filled with adults, listening as intently as they can to a detailed lecture about the finer points of tax law or multivariable calculus.
The adults in the room who weren’t particularly interested in the topic might struggle to concentrate, and several of them might try — perhaps unsuccessfully — to stay awake.
Now, bring a group of 8-year-olds into the same room, with the same instructor, and the same material. The likelihood that any of those younger students would fall asleep in their chair is far lower.
One reason for that difference is that the younger set, consistently, gets more sleep, while the older generation, from high school students on up the chain, typically, are not as well-rested.
“We think it’s normal, if you’re bored, to fall asleep, but it’s not,” said Dr. Steven Feinsilver, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. “Falling asleep in a lecture that doesn’t interest you means that you either have a sleep [problem] or, more likely, are sleep deprived.”
Indeed, the percentage of the population that is sleep deprived is estimated at around 50% or more, a staggering number, which means that at least half the population needs more restorative sleep.
With the start of another academic year just under a month away, sleep experts are urging students to start shifting back to their respective school sleep schedule in the coming weeks.
These sleep experts suggest that students who may sleep until 9 a.m. or later during the summer, but will soon get up for school at, say, 6 a.m., are experiencing a type of jet lag people often feel when they travel across the Atlantic.
Sleep experts say that changing an adolescent’s schedule to an earlier waking routine, a week or more before school starts, can ease that school-year transition, while others recommend shifting up wake-up time, by an hour earlier per day during the September lead-up.
“If you know you’re going to have to be waking up at 6 a.m. for the first day of high school, you should be starting to wake up within that hour, within three days or so, before that so your body gets used to it,” said Lauren Hale, professor of preventive medicine and sleep behavior expert at Stony Brook Medicine.
Routines, including getting enough sleep, are important in preparing for the mental effort required to meet daily learning challenges.
“Our brains like a consistent schedule,” said Brendan Duffy, director of Sleep Services at Catholic Health, which includes Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital and Smithtown-based St. Catherine of Siena. “It’s important to get up at the same time,” even on weekends.
Teenagers need more sleep
The academic age group that needs the most sleep is the one that is often getting the least.
High schools often start just after 7 a.m., in part because after-school activities such as athletic practices and events, as well as other extra-curricular activities, take up the hours between the end of school and the onset of darkness.
“Between 15 and 25, everybody’s clock tends to run slow,” Feinsilver said.
The school districts that have pushed high school start times back have seen their test scores go up, added Feinsilver.
He acknowledged that it’s challenging for parents who are managing their own work schedules to balance their children’s academic hours. Parents and schools can and should try to compromise, he urged.
Benefits on the athletic field
A return to school also means the restarting of athletic programs, some of which begin before the first day of the new academic calendar.
Student-athletes are pushing their minds and bodies, as they juggle demanding academic requirements with training and competition.
Sleeping the estimated optimum of seven to nine hours per night not only helps improve an athlete’s competitive skills but also helps prevent physical problems.
Sleeping enough is a “way to avoid injuries,” said Duffy, who has been talking to students in a range of ages all the way through college.
Duffy added that professional teams are also encouraging athletes to budget for the sleep their minds and bodies need.
Additionally, he suggests sleep is a form of prehab, as sufficient rest can prevent injuries that would require rehabilitation.
Duffy has spoken with several area teams about the importance of sleep, including the Stony Brook women’s soccer team.
“For 90% of the players, this is the first time” they hear about the importance of sleep athletically, said Tobias Bischof, the head coach of SBU women’s soccer team. “My players are 18-to-22 years old and it’s not on their radar yet how important sleep is.”
He describes sleep as “probably the greatest recovery tool we have” and believes it’s “super important for injury prevention.”
As a coach, Bischof has started journaling his sleep patterns and believes he and others can be better coaches with enough rest.
He suggested that coaches are under tremendous pressure and sleep helps him become more patient.
Numerous factors contribute to success on and off the field with these student athletes, including nutrition, hydration, self-care and relationships with their families, as well as sleep, Bischof added.
The soccer coach doesn’t ask about sleep when he’s speaking with high school players who might join the SBU team, but it comes up when athletes ask about ways the school works with athletes beyond training.
He describes mental health support as well as sleep education.
“You always want to make them a better version of themselves,” Bischof said.
Jim Taylor, who specializes in the psychology of sports and parenting and who has been a consultant to the U.S. and Japanese ski teams, met Duffy when they were on a podcast panel related to sport psychology in 2022. Taylor suggested that sleep is much more than a physical process, as it has psychological and emotional implications.
“One of the most powerful tools that athletes have is sleep, which impacts them in so many ways,” he explained in an email.
Taylor, who competes in triathlons, has seen his results improve from top 20 in his age group to two national championship titles and three world championship podiums.
“Of course, I’m sure other factors contributed to my improved results, but I know that improved sleep was a key contributor,” he explained.
Mental health
Sleep can also be a sign of, or a contributing factor to, mental health issues.
In a Sleep-to-Rise campaign, the Sun Belt Conference suggests that talking about sleep is a gateway to discussing mental health.
Not getting enough sleep or poor sleep quality can increase the risk for mental health issues, while poor sleep itself can reflect mental health challenges.
In its sleep-to-rise online effort, the conference urges athletes to consider sleep a “competitive advantage.”
“With student-athletes, we emphasized the importance of prioritizing your sleep,” Lauren Shear, assistant commissioner of Championships & Sports Administration at the Sun Belt Conference, explained in an email. “This meant highlighting how sleep affects both mental health and physical health.”
Shear added that the conference tries to provide educational resources on mental health, nutrition, sleep and other factors to equip the student-athletes with the information they need to succeed in and outside competition.
She tries to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night and has noticed that when she gets six or less, she’s more irritable and lethargic. She’s also more likely to get sick.
Stony Brook’s Hale added that sleep, unlike diet or other life changes, can provide a noticeable benefit.
“People can see immediate results quicker than other behaviors,” Hale said. “If you choose not to have dessert, you might feel like you lost something and you don’t see a benefit the next day. If you actually got a full night of sleep, you might feel the benefits that day.”
Sleep tips from SBU’s Hale
• Prioritize your sleep health
• Try to have regular sleep times, even on
weekends
• Make sure you get morning light
• Avoid substance use, like caffeine late in
the afternoon
• Put screens away before bedtime
• Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet place
• Pay attention to your body. Figure out when you get restorative rest compared with when you don’t.
Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson has announced that it has received five stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the second consecutive year, the highest rating possible using data that evaluates outcomes, patient experience and process. Mather was one of only three Northwell hospitals and 381 hospitals nationwide to earn the top rating.
Northern Westchester and Glen Cove were the other five-star Northwell hospitals. Northwell achieved four-star ratings at Huntington Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.
CMS assigns star ratings to U.S. hospitals based on 46 hospital quality measures, which are divided into five quality categories: safety of care, mortality, patient experience, readmission rates, and timely and effective care
“I am exceptionally proud of the entire Mather team for this rating that reflects our culture of providing high-quality patient care and exceptional patient experience,” said Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “By maintaining a five-star rating for a second time, Mather is distinguished in the minds of our patients and the community as the place to go for consistently providing the highest levels of care. We are committed to continuous improvement in safety and patient satisfaction and will continue to invest in resources and initiatives that enhance the care we provide to our community.”
To learn more about the CMS ratings and the hospital rating data base, go to https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson has opened a special monitoring unit for individuals with epilepsy. Patients will come in for multi-day admission and will undergo continuous video electroencephalography (EEG), which will allow the healthcare team to make a more accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Consisting of four single beds in the hospital’s 3 North patient unit, the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) is staffed by epileptologists, neurologists, nurses, hospitalists, and EEG technicians. The unit is headed by Usman Mirza, MD, who completed his residency in neurology and a fellowship in EEG/Epilepsy, both at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.
“The Epilepsy Monitoring Unit is very important in the optimal evaluation and management of patients living with epilepsy and suffering from seizure-like events,” Dr. Mirza said. “Studies show that longer video EEG recordings increase the chances of capturing brain wave abnormalities. Furthermore, the data obtained about their seizures/events can be a vital learning tool for patients and families to be better prepared and to play a stronger role in their treatment plans.”
Video EEG uses a video camera and recorder to track brain wave activity during and between seizures so doctors can review and analyze what happens when the patient has a seizure and determine the best course of treatment. Other times, patients who may be having seizure-like events benefit from being evaluated in the EMU to clarify diagnosis and guide management.
Referrals to the unit will be made by a neurologist or other healthcare providers in consultation with neurology.
“This new program is another example of how Mather Hospital embraces innovative ways to raise the health of the community and exceed expectations of what healthcare should be,” said Kevin McGeachy, Executive Director.
Concert at the Engeman Theater raises $45k for Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro
More than 200 guests turned out to a spectacular gala benefit concert put on by the Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro on Tuesday, June 18th, at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, NY, to help support the Capital Campaign to build a new Ronald McDonald House at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. The event raised $45,000 for the effort.
Romantic singing sensation Anthony Nunziata headlined the evening with a mesmerizing mix of covers and original songs. Long Island’s own Leah Laurenti opened the show with a heartfelt rendition of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know,” setting the tone for a night of touching performances and community spirit.
Inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano served as the emcee, highlighting the critical need for a Ronald McDonald House at Stony Brook Medical Center by introducing the Griswold family, who utilized the Ronald McDonald Stony Brook Family Rooms in 2017. The Griswolds stayed bedside as their 3-month-old son Nash underwent multiple life-saving procedures. Today, Nash is a thriving, active seven-year-old. Their story underscored the importance of having a nearby sanctuary during medical crises, a need the new Ronald McDonald House aims to fulfill.
Nick Croce, Co-Chair of the Stony Brook Advisory Council and RMHC New York Metro Board Member, organized the event and welcomed attendees. Reflecting on the evening, Croce expressed, “I want to thank our event sponsors and guests for showing up in support of our efforts to build a home-away-from-home for families with sick children here on Long Island. Our goal is to relieve as much stress as possible so families can be there for their sick children.”
Construction for the new Ronald McDonald House in Stony Brook is set to begin this year, with an expected opening in 2026. The new facility will feature 30 private bedrooms, plus a fitness center, communal kitchens, a movie theater, a playroom, and much more. It will provide essential support to families, ensuring they can stay close to their hospitalized children without the added burden of finding and funding nearby accommodations.
To learn more or to get involved in the Capital Campaign to build the Ronald McDonald House at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, visit https://www.rmhcnym.org.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities NY Metro
Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Metro (RMHC NYM) provides free lodging, meals, and emotional support to keep families seeking medical treatment for their sick children near the care they need and the families they love.
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has been recognized as a 2024-25 Best Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, ranking in the top 15 in the state. SBUH climbed to a No. 12 ranking overall in New York State out of more than 153 hospitals statewide, up from No. 13 in the state last year. In addition to ranking in the top 8% overall in New York State, SBUH also rated high performing in 5 adult specialties nationwide, including Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Urology and Pulmonology & Lung Surgery. The announcement was made in a press release on July 16.
“We are immensely proud to be recognized by U.S. News for our commitment to excellence in patient care,” said William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Officer in Charge, Stony Brook University and Executive Vice President, Stony Brook Medicine. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication, skill, and compassion of our entire Stony Brook Medicine team and reflects our unwavering focus on providing patients the highest quality of care.”
“This honor highlights Stony Brook University Hospital’s continued efforts to deliver the highest quality care to our patients,” said Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer at Stony Brook University Hospital. “I am grateful to our entire team for their tireless efforts ensuring that our patients receive the comprehensive treatment and support they deserve.”
The evaluation of SBUH includes data from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, which make up the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions; only 11% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.
“For 35 years, U.S. News has been a leading resource for patients navigating their health care decisions,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “A ‘Best Hospital’ recognition empowers patients to seek out medical care from the best of the best to treat their illness or condition.”
To calculate the Best Hospitals rankings, U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals Specialty rankings methodology and Procedures & Conditions ratings methodologymeasure patient outcomes using data from millions of records provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This year, among other methodology refinements, U.S. News incorporated new data on care provided to patients with Medicare Advantage insurance and on care provided to outpatients, nearly doubling the number of patients included in its annual data analysis. The Procedures & Conditions ratings are based entirely on objective quality measures.
For more information, visit Best Hospitals.
Two Stony Brook Heart Institute (SBHI) cardiothoracic surgeons have been inducted into the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Member inductions are reserved for a limited number of select physicians each year and SBHI has the distinction of having two cardiothoracic surgeons as AATS members. Henry Tannous, MD, Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Director, SBHI, was inducted during AATS’s 104th annual meeting on April 29th and Allison McLarty, MD, Director, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program and Co-Director, Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program, was selected by the AATS for induction in 2020. The membership recognizes expertise, innovation and outstanding reputation for clinical excellence in both adult cardiac and thoracic surgery.
“It is an honor to have been inducted into the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and to be acknowledged among so many esteemed researchers, clinicians and clinical leaders,” says Dr. Tannous. “I am immeasurably grateful to join this noteworthy group of individuals, including my accomplished colleague Dr. McLarty. Our entire cardiothoracic team is focused on one goal — to deliver the best in surgical outcomes to our patients.”
From Dr. McLarty, Stony Brook’s first AATS inductee: “Being a part of the elite AATS community is humbling and inspires me daily to be even more resolute and unwavering in my pursuit of cardiothoracic excellence. It is a pleasure to extend my congratulations to Dr. Tannous.”
Stony Brook’s Chair of the Department of Surgery, Apostolos Tassiopoulos, MD, shared his congratulations, “Drs. Tannous and McLarty have truly set a benchmark in their striving for quality cardiothoracic care — their hard work and dedication are always evident, and this honor is well deserved. Placing Stony Brook among the most advanced facilities in the U.S., our skilled and dedicated heart and lung surgeons and our growing cardiothoracic program continues to raise the bar for cardiac and thoracic care here on Long Island.”
Founded in 1917, the prestigious AATS is composed of more than 1,500 of the world’s foremost cardiothoracic surgeons from 46 countries and recognizes the height of professional achievement and significant contributions of those at the top of their field.
For more information about Dr. Tannous and Dr. McLarty, visit https://heart.
Mather Hospital’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) unit was launched 30 years ago on June 14, the first such unit on Long Island and the only one in Suffolk County available for emergencies 24/7.
The unit treats a wide range of conditions that respond to intense oxygenation, saving sight, limbs and lives. Staffed by critical care nurses, the unit has hyperbaric physicians representing family practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pulmonology and cardiology.
“Thank you and congratulations to all of our current team and all of those who have helped to get us where we are today,’ said Joseph C. White, MD, Director of Hyperbaric Medicine at Mather. “We have changed medicine on Long Island by bringing a service that did not exist and may never have come to our Island…Hopefully, we will continue to serve the community for at least another 30 years!”
Long called upon to treat divers with decompression sickness or “the bends” HBOT is now used to treat a variety of medical conditions including carbon monoxide poisoning; non-healing wounds, especially in diabetics; and soft tissue injury or infection due to radiation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also helps to preserve skin grafts and flaps, and most recently has been shown to be effective in treating patients with sudden blindness due to retinal artery occlusion.
Find more information at www.matherhospital.org/care-treatment/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-unit
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