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Stony Brook University appoints new School of Dental Medicine Dean

by Press Release - May 27, 2022

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Patrick Lloyd — Patrick M. Lloyd, DDS, MS Photo provided by Ohio State University

Stony Brook University has named Patrick M. Lloyd, DDS, MS, as Dean of the School of Dental Medicine (SDM). Lloyd’s appointment, effective July 1, was announced by Hal Paz, MD, executive vice president of health sciences at Stony Brook University and chief executive officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. Lloyd joins Stony Brook after a decade spent as the dean of the College of Dentistry at Ohio State University.

Dr. Lloyd succeeds Margaret M. McGovern, MD, PhD, who was named Interim Dean of the School of Dental Medicine on Dec. 1, 2021. While at Ohio State some of Lloyd’s accomplishments included increasing college funding support for student research, forming a college-wide workgroup to identify priorities and develop strategies to improve the school’s environment, and initiating the CARE (Commitment to Access Resources and Education) program aimed at recruiting and supporting dental students from underserved communities in Ohio, and oversaw the planning, design, and fund raising for a ninety-five million dollar expansion and renovation of the college’s clinical and administrative facilities.

Dr. Lloyd is an international lecturer on a variety of issues related to geriatric dentistry and has published widely on treatment strategies for the aged dental patient. His diverse clinical experience includes private practice in prosthodontics with an emphasis on care of the older adult and educating and training students in the area of special patient care.

Dr. Lloyd is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry and earned his specialty certificate in prosthodontics from the V.A. Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as a master of science from the Graduate School of Marquette University. After completing his specialty training, Lloyd served as chief of dental geriatrics and directed a fellowship in geriatric dentistry at the Milwaukee V.A. Medical Center.

In 1985, he was appointed to serve as national coordinator for geriatric dental programs for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1992, he joined the faculty at Marquette University, where he was head of the Special Patient Care Clinic. He held that position for four years before being named executive officer of the Department of Family Dentistry at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1996. In 2004, Dr. Lloyd was named dean at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry before heading to Ohio State University, where he has been the dean of the College of Dentistry since 2011.

“Dr. Lloyd’s vision and extraordinary experience positions him well to lead the next era of Stony Brook’s School of Dental Medicine and build upon the School’s focus to advance its dental education, research, patient care, and service to the community,” said Dr. Paz. “He has the strategic acumen and leadership skills to ensure we meet the highest professional standards, provide the best education and training experiences to our students and residents, and high-quality care for our patients.”

SBU News: Facebook posts may reveal individuals at risk for excessive drinking

by Press Release - May 27, 2022

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0-1 — This visual presentation shows the words and phrases used on Facebook posts from individuals in the study considered either high- or low-risk for excessive drinking. Credit: Rupa Jose and Andrew Schwartz

Alcoholism can be a difficult condition to diagnose, especially in cases where individuals’ drinking habits are not noticed and physical symptoms have not yet manifested. In a new study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, co-author H. Andrew Schwartz, PhD, of the Department of Computer Science at Stony Brook University, and colleagues determined that the language people used in Facebook posts can identify those at risk for hazardous drinking habits and alcohol use disorders.

Collaborating with Schwartz working on The Data Science for Unhealthy Drinking Project is Stony Brook University doctoral candidate Matthew Matero, and Rupa Jose, PhD, lead author and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.

Key to the research was the use of Facebook content analyzed with “contextual embeddings,” a new artificial intelligence application that interprets language in context. The contextual embedding model, say Schwartz, Jose and colleagues, had a 75 percent chance of correctly identifying individuals as high- or low-risk drinkers from their Facebook posts. This rate at identifying at risk people for excessive drinking is higher than other more traditional models that identify high-risk drinkers and those vulnerable to alcoholism.

“What people write on social media and online offers a window into psychological mechanisms that are difficult to capture in research or medicine otherwise,” says Schwartz, commenting on the unique aspect of the study.

“Our findings imply that drinking is not only an individually motivated behavior but a contextual one; with social activities and group membership helping set the tone when it comes to encouraging or discouraging drinking,” summarizes Jose.

Investigators used data from more than 3,600 adults recruited online — average age 43, mostly White — who consented to sharing their Facebook data. The participants filled out surveys on demographics, their drinking behaviors, and their own perceived stress — a risk factor for problematic alcohol use. Researchers then used a diagnostic scale to organize participants — based on their self-reported alcohol use — into high-risk drinkers (27 percent) and low-risk drinkers (73 percent).

The Facebook language and topics associated with high-risk drinking included more frequent references to going out and/or drinking (e.g., “party,” “beer”), more swearing, more informality and slang (“lmao”), and more references to negative emotions (“miss,” “hate,” “lost,” and “hell”). These may reflect factors associated with high-risk drinking, including neighborhood access to bars, and personality traits such as impulsivity.

Low-risk drinking status was associated with religious language (“prayer,” “Jesus”), references to relationships (“family,” “those who”), and future-oriented verbs (“will,” “hope”). These may reflect meaningful support networks that encourage drinking moderation and the presence of future goals, both of which are protective against dangerous drinking.

Overall, the authors conclude that “social media data serves as a readily available, rich, and under-tapped resource to understand important public health problems, including excessive alcohol use…(The) study findings support the use of Facebook language to help identify probable alcohol vulnerable populations in need of follow-up assessments or interventions, and note multiple language markers that describe individuals in high/low alcohol risk groups.”

Stony Brook University celebrates the Class of 2022

by Rita J. Egan - May 23, 2022

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More than 7,600 Stony Brook University students filed into Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium to take part in the 2022 Degree Commencement Celebration ceremony Friday, May 20.

The students were part of one of the largest graduating classes in the university’s 65-year history. They were awarded a combined 7,610 degrees and certificate completions. The Class of 2022 included students from 68 countries and 45 states, and the students ranged from 19 to 71. In addition to the in-person event, it was live streamed.

During the ceremony, film director Todd Haynes received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. Over the past four decades, he has taken part in several films and television projects as a film director, screenwriter and producer. He has won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for his work on “Poison,” an American science fiction drama horror film that he also wrote. Haynes is a longtime friend of Christine Vachon, founder of Stony Brook’s MFA in Film, and has collaborated often with her and guest lectured to students in the program.

Haynes had advice for the graduates.

“I just wanted to acknowledge the remarkable teachers in my life, who I feel gave to me the tools to engage with a history and a culture that contained all the contradictions and many of the challenges that we confront today, that you guys confront today,” he said. “They helped me feel inspired to engage with those challenges, not to retreat or even impose my own solutions, but to dig deeper, to raise questions and respond to them in my own way, which is what I have the unique privilege of doing as a filmmaker. I wish for every student here today those kinds of openness, those kinds of tools as you guys all step out into this wild world. You deserve to feel as optimistic and inspired as I did at your age and know that you embody all our very best hopes and finest dreams.”

Among the speakers at the event were SBU President Maurie McInnis, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and student speaker for the Class of 2022 Ahmed Syed, a biology major. During his speech, Syed told his fellow SBU students about his parents who moved to the U.S. from India when they were in their 30s. Syed’s three brothers also graduated from SBU, and his older sibling, who is now a doctor in Florida, was the student speaker when he graduated from the university.

“Stony Brook wasn’t just a college our family went to, it’s been our legacy,” Syed said. “Understand that my parents came here with nothing and now all four of their sons are college graduates. Not just four college graduates, but four Seawolves. This is nothing more than a testament to what Stony Brook stands for.”

After acknowledging exceptional students in the graduating class, McInnis had praise for all the members who she said inspired her and others.

“As you join Stony Brook’s more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, I hope you’ll stay connected to this unique and passionate community,” the university president said. “I hope you’ll continue to see Stony Brook as a second home, one that celebrates all you accomplish, strengthens your critical perspectives and supports your most ambitious endeavors.”

She quoted Jackson Pollock who once said, “Each age finds its own technique.”

“With the Class of 2022, it is very clear to me that your technique is to maintain a truly creative and collaborative spirit that will be your path forward,” McInnis said. “I know you will move together as individuals with a sense of discovery, ambition, innovation and artistry. Stony Brook University is incredibly proud of all you have achieved here — and all you will go on to create.”

A year later, Stony Brook University LEND trainees reflect on lessons learned

by Daniel Dunaief - May 15, 2022

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LEND PROGRAM 1 — Pallavi Tatapudy with her husband Nishank Mehta.

By Daniel Dunaief

Bringing together people from a range of experiences and perspectives, Stony Brook University is preparing to complete the first year of its LEND training program, which is designed to help provide support and services for people with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Over 100 trainees will complete the course this month, as the leaders of LEND, which stands for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and other related Disabilities, prepare to educate a second year of participants that is expected to exceed 300 people.

Top row: Dr. Matthew Lerner, Dr. Michelle Ballan (co-director and director)
2nd row: Pallavi Tatapudy, Isaac Rodriguez, Morgan McNair
3rd row: Sarah Grosser, Anjolie Nagarwalla, Jenny Andersson
Bottom row: Christopher Rosa, Ava Gurba

Matthew Lerner, LEND Center Co-Director, Research Director of the Autism Initiative, and Associate Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry & Pediatrics, and Michelle Ballan, LEND Program and Center Director, Professor, and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Social Welfare and Professor of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, run the program, which is the first on Long Island to receive a federal grant that supports training students, families, professionals and self-advocates.

Lerner described three key takeaways for the $2.2 million, five-year grant.

First, “if we want to be effective in supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders we have to be interdisciplinary,” he said.

Second, the group, which includes trainees at three different levels depending on their time commitment to the program, needs to “listen to the voices of autistic people,” Lerner added. For too long, “they’ve been an afterthought at the table of care.”

Third, the work is a “process and not an outcome,” he said.

Many of the participants in the program appreciated the opportunity to engage in an interdisciplinary effort.

Self-advocate

Ava Gurba, a self-advocate and master’s student at Stony Brook University who has autism and cerebral palsy, said she saw LEND as her chance to “reframe the professional discipline” and inform people in a range of fields about what life is “really like” for her and others.

Many professionals in health care have limited experience working with self-advocates.

“They have only interacted with disabled people as clients in a therapeutic setting or as research subjects,” Gurba said.

Researchers and service providers don’t often know how to incorporate the lived experience for the family and from self- advocates, she added.

Gurba suggested that some professionals need to “unlearn” practices that don’t incorporate the values and needs of people with disabilities.

The medical community is often looking for cures, while Gurba said she and others with disabilities are more often looking for ways to be integrated into the community, through social, employment, or educational opportunities.

Clinical training

For Alan Gerber, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook, LEND provided autism-specific clinical training, including planning treatment and reviewing the progress for specific patients.

“It gives me an opportunity to get together with an inter-disciplinary cohort and see things from a different lens,” Gerber said.

Gerber plans to be a clinical researcher and will conduct post doctoral research at the Yale Child Study Center.

LEND “made me think very deeply about what is clinically meaningful research,” Gerber said. When he speaks with families, pediatricians and social workers, he wants to do the kind of research that is “really going to change a family’s life.”

Gerber hopes to remain in contact with other members of the LEND community, where he felt he was part of a team.

Paradigm shift

As a high school bilingual speech language pathologist who works closely with individualized education plans, Jenn Solomon wanted to understand more about the lives and challenges of people with developmental disabilities.

LEND provided a paradigm shift for Solomon in helping her understand disability. “I can listen to what people with disabilities have to say, and I can reflect and learn,” Solomon said.

One of Solomon’s broader goals is to advocate on behalf of students who have obstacles to overcome.

Jenny Andersson, who works for the New York State Department of Education Office of Special Education funded project called the Educational Partnership, suggested that LEND “exceeded what I had imagined.”

Like other trainees, Andersson, who is Director of the Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement Center, appreciated the participation of self-advocates.

“I approach everything in my work now and ask, ‘Did we invite all stakeholders to the discussion?’”

Ripple effects

Andersson is excited to see the ripple effect of the program, where other professionals benefit from what trainees learn and discuss and change their practices.

Indeed, Dr. Pallavi Tatapudy, a second-year psychiatry resident at Stony Brook, said her husband Nishank Mehta, who is a first-year orthopedic surgery resident at Stony Brook, has learned about advocacy from some of the discussions she had through LEND.

“This experience of working together and hearing all of these personal insights, you cannot get from a textbook,” Tatapudy said.

Tatapudy understands the value of consulting with people who have disabilities and with their families. “The patient is the expert,” she said.

When she worked in the inpatient psychiatric unit on the 12th floor of Stony Brook Hospital, Tatapudy said she spoke to a family who was admitting a child with a neurodevelopmental disability. She asked parents for an idea of ways to comfort their child that de-escalate emotionally charged moments at home. His parents said a particular blanket from home provided comfort, which they brought to the hospital.

Tatapudy is “proud” that Stony Brook is a LEND center, joining 60 others throughout the country.

For Lerner, who was a LEND trainee about a dozen years ago and continues to stay in touch with his LEND cohort, the effort helps experts learn from each other and from self-advocates who can share their perspectives. “None of us has enough expertise to do this alone,” he said.

Simons Foundation partners with SBU to improve diversity in STEM fields

by TBR Staff - May 12, 2022

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Stony Brook, NY; Stony Brook University: Simons Foundation Gift — David Spergel, Simons Foundation president, and Maurie McInnis, SBU president, announced on May 11 that SBU would be the recipient of a $56.6 million gift from the Simons Foundation to fund a STEM program. Photo from Stony Brook University

At a press conference held May 11 at Stony Brook University it was announced that the Simons Foundation along with its sister foundation, Simons Foundation International, was gifting $56.6 million to SBU.

The funds will be used in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics program to be launched in the fall of 2023. The Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program will provide scholarships, housing and stipends to 50 new students each year in the STEM fields.

“We could not be more excited and grateful to enter this new partnership with the Simons Foundation,” said SBU President Maurie McInnis, in a press release. “The Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program will allow young people to reach their potential as they bring new, much-needed diversity of perspective to science and innovation. At any given time, we will have 200 future STEM leaders on our campus, forging their way in the STEM fields and setting the stage for future generations of students to follow in their footsteps.”

Simons Foundation’s new president David Spergel was on hand for the presentation. The $56.6 million gift is the Simons Foundation’s largest gift under his leadership.

“We need scientists and mathematicians who are reflective of our diverse world, and the scientific and educational communities must work together to find, train, and support underrepresented scientists and mathematicians,” Spergel said. “That’s why the foundation is making its largest investment yet in diversity through the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program. Stony Brook University has shown a real commitment already to access and opportunity. They’re our ideal partners in this.”

In a joint statement, Jim and Marilyn Simons, co-founders and co-chairs of the foundation, said they were “proud to see the foundation taking steps to increase diversity in STEM fields.”

“The support network, tight-knit community, and sense of belonging that students will find in this program will be life-changing,” the couple said. “We’re incredibly proud to be part of a program like this, with positive implications not just for Stony Brook, but for New York State and the broader scientific and mathematical communities.”

Justin Fincher, SBU vice president for advancement, said, “The power of this gift is that it is not dedicated to existing programmatic or budget needs; rather, it will exclusively support hundreds of Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars students.”

According to SBU, there is a major need for programs such as the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program to address the lack of diversity in STEM fields. STEM careers have seen a 79% growth in employment in the past 30 years, making STEM one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. workforce. Yet Black and Hispanic workers only make up 17% of the U.S. STEM workforce, compared to 28% of the total workforce. Only 12% of full-time faculty at PhD-granting institutions are Black or Hispanic, a disparity that also exists in STEM higher education programs.

Underrepresented college and university students are much more likely to switch from a STEM major to another course of study than their peers, according to SBU. 40% of Black STEM students switch their major during undergrad, compared to 29 percent of white STEM students, and Black STEM students are also twice as likely as their white peers to leave college without a degree. Just 7% of all STEM Bachelor’s degrees were awarded to Black students in 2018

Stony Brook University Hospital appoints new Chief Medical Officer

by Press Release - May 4, 2022

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0-3 — Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine

Stony Brook University Hospital has appointed Jonathan M. Buscaglia, MD, FASGE, AGAF, as Chief Medical Officer, effective as of April 28. In his new role, Dr. Buscaglia will oversee all clinical operations, including the quality of care and patient safety, coordination of clinical care, development of clinical information systems and physician engagement. Reporting to Carol Gomes, CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital, Dr. Buscaglia and the entire senior executive leadership team will work collaboratively to champion the continuous improvement of patient care.

Dr. Jonathan M. Buscaglia
Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine

“The role of chief medical officer is a critical component of hospital operations and I’m delighted to welcome Dr. Buscaglia to this role,” said Hal Paz, MD, executive vice president of health sciences at Stony Brook University and chief executive officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. “I look forward to working together as he continues to build on our commitment to prioritize quality throughout the system.”

“Dr. Buscaglia brings more than 20 years of experience as a physician leader to his new role, including more than ten of those years right here at Stony Brook Medicine,” said Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, chief executive officer for Stony Brook University Hospital. “His proven dedication to the growth of our healthcare system, and multidisciplinary approach to deliver the highest level of care, is pivotal as we continue to meet the healthcare needs of our community.”

Dr. Buscaglia earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from Union College. He then completed his MD at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo. After his internal medicine residency at Montefiore Medical Center, Dr. Buscaglia completed both his gastroenterology fellowship and interventional endoscopy fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He joined Stony Brook Medicine in 2008 as Medical Director of Endoscopy where he established quality metrics for the delivery of care in digestive diseases across several medical specialties.

In 2012, he initiated Stony Brook University Hospital’s first interventional endoscopy training program and inpatient consult service. Dr. Buscaglia was appointed Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2016 and was elected President of the Medical Board for Stony Brook Medicine in 2021. He holds the Stony Brook University academic appointment of Professor of Medicine with tenure and is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of pancreatico-biliary disorders and quality metrics in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Stony Brook University names new Executive Vice President and Provost

by Press Release - May 3, 2022

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Carl Lejuez has been appointed Stony Brook Univerity’s new executive vice president and provost, announced SBU President Maurie McInnis. Lejuez will be joining Stony Brook on July 1, 2022. He presently serves as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Connecticut (UConn).

As the chief academic officer at Stony Brook, Lejuez will be responsible for oversight of the academic mission of the university, providing direct supervision for all academic units, support services and operations, including enrollment management and student success, and coordinating all academic programs. In addition, the deans and directors of the colleges, schools, libraries, centers and institutes, including those in the Health Sciences related to nonclinical matters, will report to him. He will also work collaboratively with Harold Paz, executive vice president of health sciences and CEO of Stony Brook University Medicine.

Prior to his affiliation with UConn, Lejuez served as interim provost and executive vice chancellor and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at The University of Kansas. He was also a professor of psychology and associate dean for research for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland, a research professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and an adjunct faculty member at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, CT.

“In Dr. Lejuez, we have a leader who comes to the table with a strong track record of experience in public higher education,” said President McInnis. “I am confident Carl will help Stony Brook University meet its ambitious goals around research and academic excellence, and will be a stalwart supporter of our students, staff and faculty. He will help us find additional ways to strategically elevate our research, scholarship and art making while raising the bar even higher for amplifying our efforts to improve student success.”

“Joining Stony Brook University offers a tremendous opportunity to build upon the university’s long-standing commitment to excellence,” said Lejuez. “As a leading Association of American Universities public research institution, Stony Brook excels in educating students, creates a supportive and inclusive working environment, attracts outstanding faculty and spearheads research that improves the world. I am excited to work with President McInnis and the university community to elevate our academic programs and celebrate the accomplishments to come.”

Lejuez holds an MA and PhD in clinical psychology from West Virginia University and earned his BA in psychology from Emory University.

SBU News: Modeling study projects 21st century droughts will increase human migration

by Press Release - April 30, 2022

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MigrationBedoinGL-1024x576 — A migration journey through a Bedouin camp in the Negev Desert (Saharan-Arabian desert), Israel (2017) – a scene that will likely be more common in many areas of the world due to increasing 21st Century droughts. Photo y Gallya Lahav

Stony Brook-led research combined social science and climate models in a paper published in International Migration Review

Drought and the potential increase in the number of droughts worldwide due to climate change remains a concern for scientists. A recent study led by Stony Brook University researchers suggests that human migration due to droughts will increase by at least 200 percent as we move through the 21st Century. Based on a series of both climate and social science modeling systems and other social science data, the study findings imply that migration may force the need to adjust sociopolitical policies to offset widespread human displacement in the future. The study is published in International Migration Review.

According to lead author Oleg Smirnov, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University, the research team worked from an ensemble of 16 climate models to generate drought projections for rest of the 21st Century. They centered on two greenhouse gas emissions scenarios: an optimistic one consistent with the Paris Agreement, and a pessimistic one based on current use of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

It is important to note that while the Groundswell report assesses human migration projections due to climate change by 2050 in six world regions, this study analyzes potential drought-induced human migration around the entire world for the whole century going forward.

Both Smirnov and co-author Gallya Lahav, PhD, a migration specialist and Associate Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University, assessed the sociopolitical climates and policies in connection with the climate models. Co-authors and climate experts Minghua Zhang, PhD, of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), and Tingyin Xiao of Princeton University, generated global drought projections for two emissions scenarios for the period of 2008 to 2100 in order to complete the analysis.

Overall, they project there will be a massive increase in drought-induced migration in the coming years – 200 percent more based on the optimistic climate projections and as high as 500 percent more if world leaders fail to cooperate on climate change mitigation measures.

“One interesting finding is that we also identified a large group of people who will want to migrate but fail to do so as droughts cover large areas of land making possible destinations difficult to get to or inferior to their land of origin,” explains Smirnov.

The authors estimate that this segment of “immobile” people will also increase by about 200 percent in the optimistic scenario, yet almost 600 percent under the “business as usual” or pessimistic scenario.

“Our models make us not only concerned about the increasing number of environmentally displaced people that may spread across the globe, but we are equally, if not more, concerned about the large number of these ‘immobile’ persons – who may be desperate to leave but unable to do so, which may contribute to social suffering and instability,” emphasizes Smirnov.

Furthermore, “given that environmentally-induced migrants largely fall outside of international legal frameworks like the Refugee Convention which protects those fleeing war or conflict, a multi-lateral holistic policy approach is vital in this grey area,” adds, Lahav, a previous consultant to the United Nations Population Division.

Despite the scientific quest to systematically assess and predict future migratory outcomes, the researchers agree that the social science aspect of the study may have additional unknown variables and complexities when projecting because of the political aspects of migration. The authors write “we can only talk about potential migration pressures, as opposed to actual migration, since we do not know how future political responses will affect and potentially constrain future migration flows. Similarly, we do not rely on the absolute number of migrants, since these numbers are sensitive to the arbitrary modeling assumptions.”

As the researchers chart the drought-induced migration models toward the end of the 21st Century, they warn that many countries will have large numbers of migrating peoples. They state that the largest number of people displaced by drought under unmitigated change would occur in these countries: Nigeria, Egypt, China, Turkey, Algeria, Mexico, Morocco, and Venezuela. The projected largest number of immobile persons would be those in Turkey, Mexico, Morocco, Algeria, Brazil, Mali, and China.

Overall, say Smirnov and colleagues, the study findings provide solid evidence that global climate change mitigation would be less costly in terms of human suffering and economic loss from drought-induced migration than policies designed to deal with the overwhelming challenges of unmitigated climate change.

This research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the “Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation” collaborative (grant numbers 0940822 and 0940744).

New SBU study suggests women under-represented in major science journals

by Daniel Dunaief - April 30, 2022

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20180307.01 Women in Medicine Research Day — A. Laurie Shroyer Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook University

By Daniel Dunaief

Publish or perish.

It’s the academic paradigm that defines the importance of getting great research and ideas in front of the public. Not only does publishing enable researchers to share discoveries, but it also provides additional rungs on a career ladder.

Science journals with greater impact can raise the visibility of up-and-coming researchers, helping them win more competitive grants, get papers published in other journals, and receive coveted promotions and tenure.

In a recent study led by A. Laurie Shroyer, Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair for Research at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, women authors in positions considered significant — first, second or last — appeared at a rate that was below their representation in academic medical school faculty for the three top ranking medical journals.

Published in the journal PLOS ONE of 1,080 author citations from 2002 to 2019 in The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers determined that women were listed as senior, or last, authors 18.6 percent of the time. Meanwhile, 26.8 percent of women were first authors.

The first and last author rates for women were lower than the 37.2 percent of women full-time academic faculty members, according to Shroyer. “This is truly striking. I never in my wildest dreams thought [the publication rate for women] was this low” particularly for last authors.

Indeed, the percentages varied by journal, with the New England Journal of Medicine coming in the lowest for first authors, at 15.83 percent, and the Journal of the American Medical Association showing the highest rate, at 35.39 percent. Lancet had 29.39 percent.

In response to emailed questions about the study, officials at the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that the journal does not ask authors to self-identify.

“With a group of publishers lead by the Royal Society of Chemistry, we’re developing best practices for encouraging diversity among authors,” said Eric Rubin, M.D., PhD and Editor-in-Chief of the NEJM. “Diversity in medicine is important, and we are taking steps where we can to encourage change or highlight inequities.”

In September 2021, the NEJM published an editorial that said having more diversity among researchers is one way to help make trials more representative. Additionally, in April 2021, the NEJM published a Special Report about the diversity of the medical student body.

“We believe we must diversify our own ranks and encourage diversity at all stages of medical training,” Dr. Rubin added.

The Lancet, meanwhile, indicated that the data they collected on gender representation among their authors, peer reviewers and Editorial Advisory Board members led them to develop new strategies to improve gender representation in the editorial process, including a diversity pledge and no all-male panel policy, according to a public relations statement. All Lancet International Advisory Boards are now 50 percent women. This past March, the Lancet hosted a webinar on gender equity.

Shroyer lauded The Lancet for providing a public disclosure of their author gender profiles. The Lancet’s “positive actions are admirable,” she said..

A request for comment from the Journal of the American Medical Association was not returned by press time.

While the JAMA women first author rate did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference from the Association of American Medical Colleges, it was different, at 20.8 percent for last authors and for any significant author role, at 32.8 percent compared to 37.2 percent overall.

To be sure, Shroyer and co-author Henry Tannous, chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery Division and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute, didn’t receive the kind of information that would help shed greater light on the publishing process.

Shroyer explained that it would be helpful to have journal-specific editorial office data on author specific and publication specific details for manuscripts received, reviewed and accepted.

Without access to editorial office databases, “it will not be possible to discern the potential reasons behind the lower women author publication rates,” Shroyer explained, adding that with the unknown rate of gender-based submissions, it is possible that the relative proportion of submitted articles published might not be different between men and women.

“My hope is that this publication may inspire all of these top medical journals to publish their own summary reports and to share their own editorial office databases to facilitate future research in this field,” she said.

An ongoing pattern

Shroyer began investigating the author and publication characteristics associated with multiple successful publications in top medical research journals in late 2017.

To determine if the pattern had changed over time, Shroyer and Tannous divided the publication rates into early, 2002 to 2008; mid, 2009 to 2014; and late, 2015 to 2019. Using samples from these years, Shroyer concluded that there were no differences over time.

Among other conclusions, Shroyer said women first authors less commonly published clinical trials as compared with observational study designs. Their projects were also more frequently focused on infectious disease topics. Men, on the other hand, published more work focused on cardiovascular topics.

Shroyer added that the sampling of three journals’ records does not prove a gender bias. She could only show a discrepancy in the author publication rates.

She’s an advocate for individual investigator-based identifiers that are just numbers, which would allow for a more thorough and detailed analysis of any trends in publication rates.

This research provides a call for “greater transparency and accountability” Shroyer said.

As a potential optimistic sign, Shroyer found that first/ last authors with the same gender more often published clinical trials and had higher Web of Science citation counts, compared with first authors with different genders. First authors who were the same gender as last authors also had higher multiple top medical research journal publications.

While this doesn’t necessarily point to a clear mentor benefit, Shroyer suggests this connection between women principal investigators and their research staff may create greater publishing opportunities and advancement for women in science.

“My hope is that we can find ways to help each other,” she said. “Preliminary analysis shows potential promise.”

Squires family heirloom returns to Port Jefferson

by Raymond Janis - April 29, 2022

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A flag once flown outside of the post office in the former Echo area of Upper Port has been returned to Port Jefferson and now resides at the Village Center.

The flag is unique in that it contains only 46 stars. It had flown outside the Echo post office between 1908 and 1912. Chris Ryon, village historian, charted the timeline of the 46-star flag.

“The 46-star flag came about when Oklahoma became a state in 1907,” Ryon said. “The following July Fourth in 1908 produced the 46-star flag, as stars are always added to the flag on July Fourth. In 1912, it jumped from 46 to 48 stars because two more states were added, Arizona and New Mexico. That flag lasted until Hawaii and Alaska were added in the late ‘50s.”

Before the present boundaries, “the post office was right up against the railroad tracks in Upper Port Jefferson,” Ryon said. “That area was called Echo — Echo was a racehorse and that’s what it was named after. The post office was the building on the right when you crossed over the railroad tracks into Port Jefferson Station. That building is still there, but it’s an empty building right now.”

On April 10, Lee Squires Sussman and her son Grayson Sussman Squires met with Ryon to exchange the flag. “This has been in the family and has been passed down through the generations,” Ryon said. “She decided it belonged back in Port Jefferson.”

A journey through time

Last week, TBR News Media reached out to Lee Squires Sussman for an exclusive interview. Through our correspondence with her, which included a phone interview and an email exchange, she detailed her genealogical background and her family’s place in the local history of Port Jefferson.

“I grew up outside of Washington D.C.,” she said. “My father, Donald Fleming Squires, was the deputy director of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History when I was a child. When I was 12, we moved back to Long Island, to Stony Brook, because my dad had decided that he really wanted to get back to his roots, and back to science, not administration.” She added that by returning to Long Island, her father sought “to give back to his home community, so he went to work for Stony Brook University.”

In 1965 Donald Squires helped found SBU’s Marine Sciences Research Center, the predecessor of today’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. A renowned marine biologist, he wrote several books investigating the waters outside of New York City and Long Island. “Interestingly enough, as a sidenote, when we moved back to Stony Brook, we moved into a rental house while we looked for a place to permanently live,” Sussman said. “That house was a house that my other great-grandfather, Harry Fleming, built in Stony Brook.” She added, “We really were going back to our roots.”

Village historian Chris Ryon, left, with Lee Squires Sussman, right, and her son Grayson Sussman Squires, middle. Photo courtesy of Chris Ryon

A family keepsake

“My great-grandfather was Charles A. Squires and he was the original owner of the flag,” Sussman said. “It flew outside the post office at Echo, New York. Following his retirement, my granduncle, Dwight Squires, took over as postmaster. When he retired, my understanding is that my great-grandfather had left it with my Uncle Dwight.”

At some point in time, Dwight had given the flag to Sussman’s grandfather, Charles W. Squires. Charles W. held onto the flag into his mid-90s and passed it along to her father, Donald. When Donald moved to Tasmania, he gave the family artifacts to her.

“All of the pictures, the certificates, the family Bible, the flag and all of that came to me when my dad moved overseas,” Sussman said. “I’ve had [the flag] stored in my living room in a sea chest that has also been passed down through the family.”

After years of storing the flag, she started considering what to do with this family memento. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a high school friend had referred her to Ryon. The two got in touch and agreed to meet in Port Jefferson to exchange the flag.

“I have five Squires-related children,” Sussman said. “I discussed with the kids what to do with some of these possessions. We all agreed that the flag would be best back home where it could be viewed. It really was just a matter of finding the right time to get out to Long Island and get it to Chris so that he can display it for Port Jefferson.”

Squires legacy

At around the time when Sussman began having children, she and her father took up a deep interest in the Squires family history. Her father contacted Tiger Gardiner, author of “The South Fork Squires, Long Island, New York.”

“I would say her life’s work was the genealogy of the Squires family,” Sussman said. “She documents the Squires from really early on in Long Island. When my dad left me all of the photographs and items when he went overseas, that’s when I started getting involved in the Squires family research. It was very easy because I had all of the stuff.”

Sussman described the pride of continuing this Squires tradition, documenting and sharing her genealogy for future generations. When asked how she would like the Squires to be remembered, she said for their hard work, altruism and outlook on education, which she said were central to their system of values.

“The values that the Squires family brought to me were that public service and hard work are the foundations for success,” she said. “There were times when members of my family had money and there were times when members of my family lost all their money. When money was tight, they offered help and shelter to people who were less fortunate.”

Sussman also recalled the renovations made to her grandfather’s house to accommodate and shelter the needy, adding, “During the Depression, the attic had been made into two apartments and the basement had been made into two other apartments where people who were less fortunate lived. Those values really sunk in for all of us and they’re very clearly part of what made my family members click.”

Civic engagement and public service also mattered deeply. “They were very involved in their community and they also never quit exploring,” she said. “Those are things that are a gift to any community, beyond philanthropic gifts — a sense of pride in your local surroundings and a willingness to help.”

Sussman said her family members were acutely aware of the significance of education and passed down this value to their offspring.

“History is so much bigger than us all. It doesn’t do anyone any good to leave it in a box in the house.” — Lee Squires Sussman

“There was a sign that was printed in my great-grandfather’s printing shop in Echo that we had a copy of in our house,” she said. “I gave one to Chris. It says ‘We study to please,’ which was an old-fashioned way of saying the more modern ‘we aim to please.’” Interpreting the meaning of this sign to her, she said, “To me this was always an indicator of how important study was to my family.”

Today, the Squires family flag hangs inside the Village Center. Reflecting upon her joy in seeing the flag once again on display for the residents of Port Jefferson, Sussman said, “History is so much bigger than us all. It doesn’t do anyone any good to leave it in a box in the house. This makes me incredibly happy. I’ve shed more tears over the pictures of that flag hanging in the Village Center than I can believe. It makes me incredibly happy to see it back home.”

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