As summer arrives so too does the inevitable surge in tick activity. Our beautiful region, with its lush landscapes and thriving wildlife, provides the perfect habitat for these tiny, yet potentially dangerous, parasites. It’s crucial for residents to stay informed and vigilant to protect themselves, their families and their pets from tick-borne diseases.
Ticks, particularly the black-legged or deer tick, are more than just a nuisance. They are vectors for several diseases, including Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, hard tick relapsing fever and Powassan encephalitis. Each year, numerous cases of these illnesses are reported, with Lyme disease being the most common. Early symptoms can range from a rash and flu-like symptoms to more severe complications if left untreated.
Prevention is key
To minimize the risk of tick bites you can dress for the occasion, when venturing into wooded or grassy areas, wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks and closed-toe shoes. Light-colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks.
Tick and bug repellents are also another way to minimize risk, a repellent that contains picaridin or permethrin is most effective. Avoiding tick habitats, staying on marked trails and avoiding tall grasses and leaf litter where ticks are likely to be found are good practices. Be cautious around areas where deer are common, as they often carry ticks.
After spending time outdoors, be sure to conduct thorough tick checks on yourself, your children and even your pets. Pay special attention to areas where ticks like to hide, like under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in the hair and around the waist.
For pets, particularly dogs, check around the ears, neck and between the toes, as ticks usually like to hide somewhere warm on the body. Regular grooming and the use of veterinarian-recommended tick prevention products can greatly reduce the risk for your furry friends.
What to do if you find a tick
If you find a tick attached to your skin, don’t panic. You can use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible and then pull upward applying even pressure without twisting or jerking, as this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin.
After removing the tick, be sure to clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water and to dispose of the tick properly — submerge the tick in alcohol, place it in a sealed bag/container, wrap it tightly in tape or flush it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.
Monitor the bite site for any signs of a rash or flu-like symptoms. If you experience these symptoms, contact your health care provider promptly.
Preventing tick-borne diseases requires community-wide efforts. Local authorities and health organizations should continue to educate residents about tick prevention and control. Programs to manage deer populations and reduce tick habitats are essential in controlling the spread of ticks.
Since 2015, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center has been operating a free tick helpline at 631-726-TICK (8425). Also, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, has a tick-borne clinic at Lake Grove.
A little precaution goes a long way in protecting against the dangers of ticks.
Day of fun for kids supports blood cancer research at Stony Brook Cancer Center
Urban Air Lake Grove raised more than $10,000 at the first annual David Wolmetz Memorial Fundraiser honoring the late co-founder of the popular indoor adventure park on the first anniversary of his passing, June 11.
Admission to the park for kids of all ages included access to the most popular attractions including the 30-foot tall Sky Rider zipline, Climbing Walls, Bumper Cars, and more. Local vendors were also on hand for face painting, balloon animals, temporary tattoos and more.
Proceeds from the event will support blood cancer research at the Stony Brook Cancer Center, where Wolmetz received treatment from 2019 to 2023.
“Dave was dedicated to Urban Air Lake Grove and giving back to his community, and he really loved the second family at Stony Brook Cancer Center that took care of him over the last four years,” said Keith Handler, Co-Founder of Urban Air Lake Grove. “Dave was a force of nature. When he set his mind to something you could not stop him. We miss him greatly.”
In October of 2018, Dave was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was admitted to Stony Brook Hospital’s 19th floor, where his treatment started immediately. The wonderful staff at the Cancer Center and hospital treated him throughout his cancer journey, COVID, and subsequently several hospitalizations over the years due to his compromised immune system. Dave never lost hope and trusted his entire Stony Brook Cancer team immensely. Unfortunately, Dave lost his battle on June 9, 2023.
“He loved this place so much,” said Carrie Wolmetz, wife of Dave Wolmetz. “Even in the days that he was physically unable to walk around, he would come here. He never gave up. He focused on the positive and the people he was grateful for. The people in his life who meant a lot to him gave him strength.”
Donations to Stony Brook Cancer Center can be made here.
About Urban Air Lake Grove
With 50,000 sq. ft. of active play space, Urban Air Lake Grove is home to the popular Sky Rider, a zip-line style attraction with a winding track that carries young thrill-seekers flying along 30 feet in the air, the tallest on Long Island. Urban Air Lake Grove also offers a High Ropes obstacle course, Spin Zone bumper cars, and a full set of rock-climbing walls, wall-to-wall trampoline adventures, and Urban Air’s exclusive Urban Warrior Course™ and Battle Beam. Urban Air Lake Grove is located at 3147 Middle Country Road, Lake Grove, NY 11755. Phone: (631) 861-4125.
The four person MSU crew Patricia Babiam, Kristofer Martin, patient Bill Rothmeier, Anthony Papaleo and Frank Time, reunite for a reunion.
By Daniel Dunaief
Ralph Sabatino, a lawyer and St. James resident, was in his bedroom, sitting at his computer when he fell out of his chair.
Ralph Sabatino of St. James. Photo courtesy Stony Brook Medicine
When his sister Maria, who was visiting from New Jersey in April of 2023, came into the room, she immediately called his wife Claire, a registered nurse, to come check on him.
“I noticed his left arm and left leg were paralyzed,” said Claire Sabatino, who has been married to Ralph for almost 44 years. “HIs speech was garbled.”
Claire called 911 and told the dispatcher that her husband was exhibiting the signs of a stroke. Within minutes, an EMS ambulance and one of the two Mobile Stroke Units from Stony Brook hospital arrived.
In the mobile stroke unit, technicians conducted a CAT scan, forwarding the results to Dr. David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center at Stony Brook Medicine. When he arrived at the hospital, Sabatino bypassed the emergency room and went directly into an operating room.
Fearing the worst, Claire Sabatino called their adult daughter Gabrielle and told her to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.
“I never saw anybody with the symptoms my husband was exhibiting that fully recovered in the past,” she said. “When I saw him on the floor, I thought that would be the way he’d live for the rest of his life, if he survived. I wasn’t sure he would.”
After the stroke and the operation, Sabatino, who is now 68 years old, has no symptoms following what is far too often a life-altering condition.
“It’s sometimes hard for me to fathom how massive the stroke was because I have had no lingering effects,” he said.
Indeed, Sabatino estimates that the time between when he had the stroke until he was wheeled in the recovery room was about an hour and a half.
“Stroke is an emergency,” said Fiorella. “Although it’s not painful, numbness, weakness involving one side of the body, difficulty with speech, understanding speech, difficulty with vision, anything that presents acutely shouldn’t be ignored. It needs prompt attention.”
As a way to recognize the signs of stroke and the urgency to get help, doctors in this field suggest that people remember the acronym BE FAST, which stands for balance, eyes, face, arm, speech, time.
With seniors representing the fastest growing population on Long Island, residents and their families and caregivers need to be aware of stroke symptoms and, in the event of a stroke, to have an action plan in place.
“We have an aging population and the prevalence of stroke is increasing,” said Fiorella.
In Suffolk County, Stony Brook has two mobile stroke units, positioned on the Long Island Expressway at Exits 57 and 68. These units are located within 10 miles of 46 EMS territories.
Since Stony Brook started deploying these mobile stroke units in April of 2019, these specialized and life-saving ambulances have responded to about 8,000 stroke calls.
During those years, the hospital has demonstrated a significant reduction in time to treatment, with more patients receiving clot busting medications while in transit, and lower rates of mortality and morbidity, Fiorella explained.
A workup and diagnosis at other hospitals can take three or more hours, which a mobile stroke unit can perform with a CAT scan.
Additional benefits
David Fiorella, MD, PhD stand for photo at Stony Brook Hospital on Monday Sept. 12, 2022. (9/12/22)
Fiorella explained that the technicians in the ambulance share considerable information about the patient while in transit, including whatever contact numbers they could collect from family members on site.
Stony Brook Hospital can then begin a dialog with those family members, preparing them for any potential procedures and, if the patient is a candidate for a new treatment, receiving authorization.
A well-established and industry leading stroke unit, Stony Brook is involved in several experimental protocols designed to improve treatment.
“Whenever we can, we offer newer and better technologies,” said Fiorella. By participating, patients not only benefit from advances in the field, but also help the thousands who come after them. Patients can “make tremendous contributions to their own care and to medicine” amid developments and advanced technologies, he said.
In cases where patients or their representatives prefer not to use any advanced or newer technology, Stony Brook provides other life-saving services.
Fiorella added that the mobile stroke unit doesn’t only bring patients to Stony Brook, but also takes them to other comprehensive stroke centers for advanced treatment.
While strokes disproportionately affect the elderly, with the Medical University of South Carolina estimating that 75 percent of strokes occur in people 65 and older, certain conditions can increase the risk of strokes, such as smoking, vascular or heart disease, high blood pressure and peripheral vascular disease.
Another success story
The four person MSU crew Patricia Babiam, Kristofer Martin, patient Bill Rothmeier, Anthony Papaleo and Frank Time, reunite for a reunion.
Bill Rothmeier, who lives in Oakdale, was coming back from upstate in 2019 when his wife Eileen recognized that he was driving strangely.
She asked him to pull over so she could use the restroom. When she returned, she took over the driving. By the time they got home, Rothmeier’s ability to speak had declined.
Eileen Rothmeier spoke to a next door neighbor, who was involved with a community ambulance in Sayville. He had heard about the stroke unit.
“The next thing I knew, two ambulances were in front of my house,” said Bill Rothmeier, who is now 68. The MSU did a CAT scan and gave him a shot on the way to the hospital.
When he was in the recovery room, Rothmeier said Fiorella came in and told him he put in a stent and pulled two blood clots out of his brain.
“He said it like I was going out to a deli to get lunch,” said Rothmeier, who, as it turns out has owned the Lake Grove Deli for 29 years. “If it wasn’t for those guys,” including the MSU crew and Fiorella, “I could be in a nursing home or worse right now.”
Rothmeier was one of the first to receive life saving treatment through the mobile stroke unit and at the hospital.
A rewarding job
While the mobile stroke unit provides an important service for people battling a stroke, it doesn’t add any cost for the patient.
Stony Brook provides the units “free of charge,” because the “outcomes are so much better,” Fiorella said.
Patients who have untreated strokes or whose strokes are treated much later can have an irreversible brain injury, which could involve hospitalizations that last for months.
Stony Brook receives the same flat rate from Medicare for stroke victims, which helps provide financial support for the ambulance and is a “home run” for the patient, Fiorella added.
From Fiorella’s perspective, the opportunity to help people more than compensates for the 2 am calls he sometimes gets when he needs to come in for emergency surgery.
In the 25 years he’s been involved in stroke care, Fiorella has “never lost the fascination in how great the technology has become and how quickly it’s advanced,” he said. After treatment, people who couldn’t speak or understand speech and who couldn’t move the dominant side of their body can return to normal activities.
“It’s such a wonderful experience being involved with this,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of Stony Brook.”
As for Claire Sabatino, who had never heard of the mobile stroke unit before the ambulance was parked on her driveway last April, the benefit of the rapid transit and the Stony Brook team is “nothing short of a miracle.
Lucille Betti-Nash demonstrates the pencil technique at the workshop.
By Daniel Dunaief
Their illustrations, which have graced the pages of journals for decades, tell tales that move and inspire people, emphasizing and recreating the beauty, power, elegance and fine structures of living and long extinct creatures.
Invited by Zooreach to join a workshop that employs a combination of story telling, theater and art, Stony Brook residents Stephen Nash and Lucille Betti-Nash, who are both successful scientific illustrators and have been married since 1990, recently traveled to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu State in Southern India for two weeks to share their talents with local artists focusing on conservation and climate change.
The Nashes believe India is “poised to become a superpower and yet, one of the greatest challenges it faces is climate change” as well as population control, said Stephen Nash, Scientific Illustrator for the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Art at Stony Brook University.
Indeed, during their fortnight in India, the Nashes experienced temperatures that were over 100 degrees every day. At the same time, a lighter monsoon season last year, which runs from June through September, meant that the reservoirs, which provide cities with water, were depleted and local wildlife was struggling to find places to drink.
Stephen and Betti-Nash, who had worked at Stony Brook and is now retired and doing freelance work, had hoped to see elephants during their trip, but the animals had retreated to more remote regions to find water. The Nashes did, however, see plentiful cows wandering. People practicing Hinduism consider cows sacred.
With support from the workshop provided by the US Consulate General, Chennai that is part of the Art for Conservation Program of Zoo Outreach Organization, the Long Island illustrators enjoyed their trip, made meaningful connections with local artists, and appreciated the amenities their hosts provided, including air conditioned rooms.
The Nashes continue to be in contact with the artists and appreciate how their hosts, Payal and Sanjay Molur, who is the Executive Trustee of Zooreach, took care of them “as though we were family.”
First steps
Before they traveled to India, the Nashes, who have done workshops in Peru in 2016 and Brazil in 2017, provided google drives with a set of folders including copyright free books on natural history that revealed various rendering techniques. They also shared United States government slides that revealed how artists depicted statistics of climate change.
Once the three-day class they taught began, the Nashes started their presentation with an introduction to the field of scientific illustration, including medical, forensic, technical, biological, archaeological, and paleontological areas, among others.
They discussed various illustrating techniques, from rendering various forms of wildlife to organizing and presenting scientific data. They communicated the importance of sticking to the scientific facts when producing art related to climate change and conservation.
The class, which was comprised of educators and artists in their 20’s and 30’s, were most intrigued by pen and ink illustrations. Using a pen dipped in ink, each artist could control the darkness and width of any mark by applying different pressure and changing the angle at which the pen crossed a page.
“We were pleasantly surprised by how well they took to pen and ink,” said Nash.
The Nashes didn’t bring any India ink, figuring that they could readily find it in the country that bears its name. “We were thinking it would be widely available, but we could not find it,” said Betti-Nash. “We had to settle for fountain pen ink, which was not waterproof.”
The Nashes and the students in the class discussed Manga, which are Japanese comics and graphic novels as a way of using the power of art as a sequential medium.
Betti-Nash demonstrated one of her technical strengths with water colors.
The students were “enraptured” when Nash created one of his illustrations, “watching every move with colored pencils,” Betti-Nash said.
Nash suggested they were hoping to inspire their students to come up with “their own local way of pictorially rendering data that would be more meaningful for them and for the people in their immediate village or community.”
To create illustrations that address the challenges of climate change and conservation, Nash takes what he described as a “Bing Cosby” approach, in which he tries to “accentuate the positive.” Optimistic by and about nature, Nash has seen how ecosystems can recover if allowed by humans. He prefers to show the beauty of an endangered animal rather than show a landscape denuded of trees with a lonely gibbon siting on a tree stump.
“I wouldn’t want an image with that negativity on my own walls,” Nash said. “It’s better to help people appreciate [nature] than to show the possible” cataclysmic results of climate change.
Betti-Nash urged the artists to draw their favorite animals, recreating whatever was their spark animal that led them to the field of conservation. Some chose endangered sharks, which are a part of the bycatch when commercial fishing vessels hunt for more valuable fish. Local students shared their appreciation for snakes, who perform an important role in Indian ecosystems.
Face to face with the real thing
Nash met the Molurs, who invited them to visit India, in the mid 1980’s, when he had done a drawing for a conservation education campaign on the lion-tailed macaque.
When he arrived in India, Nash saw three species of primates in the hills alongside the road in a protected area, including the lion-tailed macaque. Nash thought the animal was the size of a German shepherd, but realized it was closer to the dimensions of a domestic cat.
Nash focuses on capturing the character as well as the characteristics of an animal and suggested artists needed to be aware of the goals of their illustrations.
Betti-Nash likes to demonstrate the interaction of the animals she’s illustrating with the environment, including what they eat and what they provide to the ecosystem.
As for the workshop, Betti-Nash suggested the purpose was to “draw people in” and to get the artists to learn ways to be creative in their messages about conservation and climate change.
Nash added that they wanted to “open the students’ eyes to the possibilities and the vastness of scientific illustration” and to improve their analytic observational skills.
Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Medicine
By Daniel Dunaief
A year after its formation, the Center for Healthy Aging has not only brought groups of scientists and doctors across the Stony Brook University campus together, but has also funded several early-stage projects.
An initiative started by SBU President Maurie McInnis and that received financial support from the Stony Brook University Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund, the CHA is currently jointly run by interim co-directors Dr. Suzanne Fields, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Chief of the Division of General, Geriatric and Hospital Medicine and Dr. Christine DeLorenzo, Professor of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Center for Understanding Biology using Imaging Technology.
The CHA has several themes, including helping people live longer and healthier lives. In addition, it will serve as a research center that will include basic science, translational, clinical and health services research.
McInnis spoke with Dr. Peter Igarashi, the Dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, to create this initiative.
Dr. Igarashi wanted to make it a center where people from different departments in the university, the five Health Sciences Schools and the Program in Public Health, as well as affiliated institutions such as the Northport VA and the Long Island State Veterans Home collaborated on innovative projects related to aging.
Fields and DeLorenzo anticipate the collaborative research with bioinformatics, pharmacology and bioengineering, for example, will help clinical providers prescribe effective medications for older patients safely through special alerts/ suggestions, identify patients at risk for falling through mobility sensors, and assist clinical providers with AI diagnostic tools.
‘Shark Tank’
Last June, the CHA held a workshop in the style of the “Shark Tank” television show.
Over 100 faculty members attended that meeting from different parts of the university, where they formed groups with other attendees to pose research questions and address challenges people face as they age.
“There was so much enthusiasm there,” said DeLorenzo. “We have so much expertise on campus. We have brilliant researchers who are working on everything from age-related effects at the cellular level all the way through to lifestyle interventions for elderly folks.”
After that meeting, the CHA provided $40,000 to two projects, hoping the support could help ideas get off the ground enough that the principal investigators could then apply to larger funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging, for additional funding.
Led by Adam Singer, the chair of the Emergency Room department, one group of faculty developed ideas to help people who suffered from falls.
“When people who are elderly come into the ER and they’ve fallen, the chances” of them falling again doubles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said DeLorenzo. “What I love about that pitch the table gave, which was a mixture of clinicians, biomedical engineers, a respiratory therapist, and a physical therapist is that people were coming at this question from all angles.”
The group pitched an idea to create an intervention program that helps explain how to change a person’s lifestyle to prevent another fall.
Senescent cells
Markus Riessland, an Assistant Professor in the Empire Innovation Program in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, led the other funded pitch.
Riessland’s project looks at a particular type of cell that can become problematic as people age.
Older cells sometimes get stuck in a senescent state, where they don’t die, but give off signals that cause an inflammatory response.
Riessland’s group “got together and asked, ‘How can we intervene to clear away these senescent cells?’” said DeLorenzo.
Young immune systems typically recognize senescent cells and remove them. As people age, the immune system has a diminished ability to detect and remove these cells, causing inflammaging, which describes a build up of inflammation during the aging process, Riessland explained in an email.
“If you remove senescent cells from an old mouse, these mice show improvements in the function of virtually all tissue” including heart, liver, lung and brain and the lifespan increases by 30 percent, Riessland added.
Researchers have hypothesized that there is also a threshold number of senescent cells a human body can tolerate. If a person exceeds that threshold, it “causes inflammaging and age-related symptoms,” he wrote.
Based on his laboratory work, Riessland found that specific neurons in the brain become senescent and that these neurons secrete proinflammatory factors.
Riessland and his colleagues aim to ameliorate this inflammation and have found a molecular regulator that could be a drug target.
Based on the work Riessland did through the CHA study, he and his colleagues are writing a grant proposal for the National Institutes of Health. In the future, he, DeLorenzo and Dr. Carine Maurer will perform a clinical trial on Long Island that will assess the feasibility to ameliorate the inflammaging process in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Fall awards
In the fall, the center gave out six awards for $40,000 each and six for $100,000, many of which were in basic science, according to Dr. Fields.
“There was a broad array of topics, with some translational and some basic,” said Fields. “We’re following up with those people.”
Nancy Reich, a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, received support as a part of the fall round.
The funding from CHA has “allowed us to begin to investigate the development of pancreatic cancer in the older population versus the young using a mouse cancer model,” Reich explained in an email. “Our hypothesis centers on the immune defense response.”
Search for a new director
Now that the center has made some headway and brought various teams together, the university is searching for a permanent director.
“It’s a real joy and pleasure to see this center start up,” said DeLorenzo.
DeLorenzo urges anyone interested in learning more to check the center’s web site, Center for Healthy Aging | Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.
“We have events, and we would love for the community to go to them,” said DeLorenzo.
DeLorenzo encourages community members to reach out to Fields and her with any questions.
Riessland added that the CHA-funded projects will “have an impact on the understanding of the aging process itself.”
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis celebrates with Class of 2024 graduates on May 17. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
By Daniel Dunaief
The New York public university that could is looking for a new president.
Maurie McInnis, who started her tenure as president of Stony Brook University four years ago, is resigning to become the president of Yale University, effective July 1st. She will become the first permanent female president of Yale.
McInnis, who earned master’s degrees and a doctorate at Yale, is leaving Stony Brook after important wins and achievements for the university, several of which the Simons Foundation helped make possible.
The State University of New York plans to oversee the leadership transition until the downstate flagship university can find its seventh president.
“It has been a pleasure working with Maurie McInnis these past few years,” Marilyn Simons, chair of the Simons Foundation, said in a statement. Her “leadership at Stony Brook has left it in a strong position” and she is “confident that Stony Brook’s supporters will continue to invest in and build upon its successes.”
Maurie McInnis is the sixth President of Stony Brook University. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
Reached by the Times Beacon Record Newspapers on the day of the announcement, some faculty expressed appreciation for McInnis’s contribution and for the positive momentum for the university.
“It’s a huge loss for Stony Brook University,” Heather Lynch, IACS Endowed Chair of Ecology & Evolution, wrote in an email. “President McInnis has been an effective advocate for our institution and has led a number of major initiatives that will pay dividends in the years to come.”
Governors Island win
During McInnis’s tenure, which started in March of 2020 just as the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic was causing dislocation in communities and universities around the world, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution of the New York Climate Exchange research center on Governors Island.
Competing against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and a group co-led by CUNY and The New School, Stony Brook University won the rights to develop the project with the support of a $100 million donation from the Simons Foundation and $50 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The exchange will house a 400,000 square foot, state-of-the-art campus dedicated to research, education and public programs that address climate change.
The center, which will cost $700 million to construct and is expected to open in 2028, will run solely on electricity generated on site and will generate enough power to provide some energy to the city. It will also be one of the first sites in the country to achieve True Zero Waste, and will meet all of its non-potable water demand with rainwater and treated wastewater.
“President McInnis inspired Stony Brook students, faculty, and staff to be bold and to confront global challenges like climate change,” Kevin Reed, Associate Provost for Climate and Sustainability Programming explained in an email. The Climate Exchange will provide a path for the development of local solutions to climate impacts in New York and beyond.
“The impact of her leadership at Stony Brook will be felt for years to come,” Reed added.
Simons Foundation donation
Last year, the Simons Foundation agreed to donate $500 million over the course of seven years to Stony Brook University. The university plans to use the gift, named the Simons Infinity Investment, for student scholarship for a diverse student body, endowed professorships, research initiatives, development of new academic fields and clinical care.
The gift from the Simons Foundation and the Climate Exchange win are “outstanding achievements at Stony Brook,” said Shirley Kenny, who was president of Stony Brook University from 1994 to 2009. “She is certainly to be congratulated for these and other achievements.”
During McInnis’s tenure, Stony Brook also reached its highest ever rankings among U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges listing. The magazine named SBU the top ranked public university in New York, the 26th highest ranked public university in the United States, and the 58th highest rank in its 2024 Best Colleges guide. The University was ranked 93rd in 2022.
“We congratulate [McInnis] on this prestigious appointment, merely the latest in her series of extraordinary professional accomplishments,” SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said in a statement. Her “election is a testament to both her exceptional ability and the esteem with which Stony Brook is viewed by its peers. I know that we will have superbly talented candidates to choose from as we begin this search for [her] successor to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious public universities and a true engine of research innovation and social mobility.”
McInnis, like other college presidents, contended with challenges during this time, including protests related to Israel’s military action after Hamas’s attack on October 7.
McInnis “dealt with the recent demonstrations on campus in an effective manner,” Bruce Stillman, president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stony Brook, explained in an email. He congratulated her on her appointment at Yale.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY1) added that McInnis “deftly handled the Stony Brook protests and I am confident she will bring a needed dose of common sense to the Ivy League.” In an email, LaLota added that he has been “working with her for the last two years to ensure Congress is doing everything we can to support Stony Brook and I appreciate her fierce advocacy for the university.”
McInnis shared some thoughts on her tenure.
“I have been so proud to lead Stony Brook during this exciting time in its history,” McInnis said in a statement. “When I talk with other leaders in higher education, it is clear that they recognize Stony Brook is an institution on an upward trajectory, combining groundbreaking research with expanded opportunities for students from all backgrounds. I want to express my appreciation to all the faculty, students, and staff who are achieving great accomplishments. I am confident that Stony Brook’s best years lie ahead.”
Michael Epifania, DO
Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine
Michael Epifania, DO, and his practice at 280 Union Avenue in Holbrook have joined Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group, Stony Brook Medicine’s expanding network of community practices.
“We are excited to welcome Michael Epifania, DO, to our growing network of community practices,” said Dara Brener, MD, Clinical Quality Director of Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group. “We continue to grow our primary care practices, as we feel it is important to have a good foundation of care in each community and this starts with your primary care physician.”
Dr. Epifania is a family medicine physician who provides primary care to patients in Holbrook and the surrounding communities. “I look forward to bringing my expertise, intellect, and passion to Stony Brook Medicine, fostering strong connections with patients and families, and furthering my commitment to holistic care and community well-being,” he said. For more information, call 631-216-9253.
An international panel of sleep experts including researchers at Stony Brook University formally agree in a consensus statement that reducing pre-bedtime digital media, especially for children and adolescents, will improve sleep health. Getty Images
SBU Professor Lauren Hale Chairs the National Sleep Foundation’s panel that published a consensus statement
Since the smartphone’s emergence in 2007, digital screen time has ballooned in use over the years for children and adults. How use of smartphones and other digital screen devices affects sleep continues to be debated. In a review of 574 peer-reviewed published studies on the issue, an international panel of sleep experts selected by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has drawn up a consensus statement about digital screen use and sleep.
The consensus statement, titled “The Impact of Screen Use on Sleep Health Across the Lifespan: A National Sleep Foundation Consensus Statement,” is published in Sleep Health, the journal of the NSF. They assessed studies on screen time and its effects on sleep including research on children, adolescents, and/or adults.
After an extensive review of this large collection of studies over the course of a year, the panel reached consensus on a number of key points.
They agreed that: 1) In general, screen use impairs sleep health among children and adolescents; 2) The content of screen use before sleep impairs sleep health of children and adolescents, and 3) Behavioral strategies and interventions may attenuate the negative effects of screen use on sleep health.
”Upon review of the current literature, our panel achieved consensus on the importance of reducing pre-bedtime digital media to improve sleep health, especially for children and adolescents,” says Lauren Hale, PhD, Chair of the Consensus Panel and Professor in the Program of Public Health at Stony Brook University, and in the Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook. “We also identified the gaps in the literature and the need for future research.”
The NSF provides recommendations for best practices to reduce the impact of screen use on sleep.
In summary, they suggest:
Avoiding stimulating or upsetting material near bedtime
Implementing early, regular, and relaxing bedtime routines without screens
Setting time limits around screen use, especially in the evening and at night
Parents talking with children about how using tech and screens can impact sleep
Parents modeling appropriate nighttime screen use for children
“The expert panel examined available scientific evidence, paying close attention to studies that examined whether, how, and for whom screen use might negatively impact sleep health. We found that stimulating content of screen use, particularly at night, has a negative effect on sleep health in young people,” adds NSF Vice President of Research and Scientific Affairs, Joseph Dzierzewski, PhD.
Lauren Hale and three other coauthors on the consensus statement were from Stony Brook University: Gina Marie Mathew, Isaac Rodriguez, and librarian Jessica A. Koos, who helped identify the published peer-reviewed original research and literature reviews using databases, including the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed, Elsevier’s EMBASE, and Clarivate’s Web of Science.
Insufficient sleep duration is both widespread and associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression. Having inconsistent sleep schedules is also associated with adverse health outcomes. For more information about sleep health, see this NSF webpage on Sleep Health Topics.
Carol Gomes with NYS Sen. Anthony Palumbo at Senate Women of Distinction event in Albany. Photo courtesy Office of Anthony Palumbo
State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) proudly announced Carol Gomes as the 2024 New York State Woman of Distinction for the 1st Senate District at this year’s annual New York State Senate Women of Distinction event at the state capitol.
“Today marks a celebration of extraordinary dedication and leadership in health care,” Palumbo said. “It is my great privilege to honor Carol Gomes as my 2024 New York State Woman of Distinction.”
On Tuesday, May 14, Gomes of Mount Sinai, joined Palumbo and guests at the New York State Senate in Albany for her recognition. As chief executive officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, Gomes has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to excellence in health care.
“It is an honor and privilege to stand beside the many accomplished women leaders in New York State for this prestigious recognition,” Gomes said.
With over 35 years of experience, Gomes has played a pivotal role in elevating Stony Brook University Hospital to its status as Long Island’s premier academic medical center. Her leadership as CEO and COO has propelled the hospital to new heights of innovation and patient care.
Under Gomes’ guidance, Stony Brook Medicine completed its largest expansion project in 2019, including the opening of the Medical and Research Translation, Stony Brook Children’s and Hospital Pavilion. Her strategic vision and operational excellence have positioned Stony Brook University Hospital as a beacon of cutting-edge health care delivery.
“Carol Gomes’ remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication make her a true inspiration to us all,” Palumbo said. “Her leadership in health care has touched countless lives, and her commitment to excellence sets a standard for others to follow.”
As a recipient of numerous leadership awards, including recognition from the American Society of Clinical Pathology and recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executives Award of Distinction, Gomes’ impact extends far beyond the walls of Stony Brook University Hospital. Her leadership in sustainability efforts and commitment to quality care have earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues and peers alike.
“Her contributions to health care in our community and beyond are immeasurable, and her legacy will continue to inspire future generations,” Palumbo said.
Scene from Stony Brook University graduation day 2024
Scene from Stony Brook University graduation day 2024
Scene from Stony Brook University graduation day 2024
Scene from Stony Brook University graduation day 2024
Honorary Degree Provided to Nobel Prize-Winning COVID Biochemist and Researcher Katalin Karikó
More than 7,600 Stony Brook University students joined the ranks of the university’s accomplished alumni at the 2024 Degree Commencement Celebration ceremony. The ceremony took place at LaValle Stadium on Friday, May 17, 2024.
Students from this year’s graduating class in the university’s 67-year history, were awarded a combined 7,785 degrees and certificate completions. All candidates, with their family and friends, were invited to participate in-person or could watch via livestream.
Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian American biochemist Katalin Karikó was bestowed with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science at the university’s earlier May 14th doctoral hooding ceremony to celebrate her efforts that helped pave the way for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccines that helped stem the spread of the pandemic.
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis, Provost Carl Lejuez, and University Deans conferred the degrees to the university students.
Stony Brook University President McInnis challenged this year’s graduating class: “Be a changemaker in the world. This is what it means to carry the spirit of Stony Brook with you.” She also paid tribute to the late former Stony Brook Department of Mathematics Chair and university benefactor Dr. Jim Simons, who she said had “a shared belief in the world-changing potential within each and every Stony Brook student that led [him] and his wife [Dr.] Marilyn [Simons] a Stony Brook alum, to make a $500 million dollar endowment gift to Stony Brook from the Simons Foundation in 2023….I am certain Jim would be so proud of you today, and I can’t think of a better tribute to his legacy than each of you leveraging your Stony Brook education in service of today’s greatest challenges.”
The Class of 2024 officially joined the ranks of more than 220,000 Seawolves worldwide. This class contains students from 65 countries and 45 states, and ranges in age from 19 – 77 years.
Degrees were bestowed in the following categories:
4,905 Bachelor’s Degrees
2,075 Master’s Degrees
580 Doctoral and Professional Degrees
225 Certificates
Several graduating students were highlighted in this resilience recording that can be found here.
As part of the ceremony, the President of the Undergraduate Student Government announced to President McInnis that more than 600 students donated to the Senior Class Gift, resulting in over $26,000 donated to the Stony Brook University Community. Also, the Stony Brook Alumni Association provided matching dollars for this gift.
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