2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards Profiles

Vito Cannavo
1975- BA History

Vito Cannavo ’75 is a partner in the firm of Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath & Cannavo, one of the leading personal injury firms in the nation. Mr. Cannavo is in charge of one of the firm’s General Negligence departments. He has won numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in medical malpractice, premises liability, motor vehicle and firefighter- related litigation. Mr. Cannavo is currently serving as President of the Columbian Lawyers Association of Brooklyn. He has been listed in New York magazine and Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top lawyers in New York, and he has received the highest rating (AV®) from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. He has also been listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Cannavo resides in Staten Island, NY

2012 Distinguished Recent Alumnus
Andrez S. Carberry
2000- BA Political Science
2002- MA Public Policy

Andrez S. Carberry, ’00, ‘02 is the Employment Counsel for Avon Products, NA. Prior to joining Avon, for several years Mr. Carberry served as an Associate Attorney at Fox Rothschild, LLP (New York City) and as Associate Corporate Counsel for the Employment and Labor Division of the New York City Labor Department. Mr. Carberry serves as an adjunct professor of law at Hofstra University School of Law. Mr. Carberry has numerous honors to his credit including the Legal Rookie of the Year Award, New York City Law Department (2005-2006) and recognition as one of New York’s “Rising Stars” by New York Super Lawyers (2011). He was selected for the New York State Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Diversity Fellowship Program for 2011-2012. He also serves on the board of directors for the Pajama Program, a New York City-based charity that provides new pajamas and books to underprivileged children who are abused, orphaned or fostered. Mr. Carberry resides in New York, NY.

David Gelernter, PhD
1980- MS Computer Science
1983- PhD Computer Science

David Gelernter, PhD, ’80, ‘83 is professor of computer science at Yale, contributing editor at the Weekly Standard, former board member of the National Endowment for the Arts, and regular contributor to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. His books include Mirror Worlds, the novel 1939, the memoir Drawing Life, and others. He’s published essays, fiction and reviews in Commentary, The Weekly Standard, Wall Street Journal, National Review, ArtNews, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Scientific American and many others. His essays are widely anthologized. The first museum show of his paintings will open at the YU Museum in Manhattan this fall; his next book, America-Lite, will be published June 19. Dr. Gelernter resides in Woodbridge, CT.

Suzanne Johnson, PhD
1974- PhD Psychology

Suzanne Johnson, PhD ‘74 is a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine and 2012 President of the American Psychological Association. She received her B.A. in psychology from Cornell and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from SUNY at Stony Brook. From 2002-2010, she served as the first Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences a FSU College of Medicine in Tallahassee. Prior to that time, she was a distinguished professor and director of the Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Gainesville. Dr. Johnson has numerous publications in the areas of pediatric psychology and clinical health psychology and has received many research, teaching and service awards. She has over 30 years of continuous research funding from the National Institutes of Health, including a Research Career Development Award. Dr. Johnson resides in Tallahassee, FL.

Joseph L. Tromba, M.D.
1977- BS Biological Science

Dr. Joseph Tromba graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook in 1977 with a BS in Biology and second major in Italian Studies. He pursued his medical training at the University of Catania, Italy where he graduated with the highest honors. Dr. Tromba completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at The Jamaica Hospital and was named Chief Resident. Dr. Tromba was a developer and founding member of the Endoscopy Center of Long Island, one of the largest free-standing ambulatory centers on the east coast. Dr. Tromba is an Attending Physician at Winthrop University Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Stony Brook Medical School. He is actively involved in the training of the Residents and Fellows and was nominated teaching Attending of the year. Dr Tromba has served as an Adjunct Professor of Gastrointestinal Physiology at Hofstra University. Dr. Tromba is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Tromba is an advisory board member to the Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University. Dr. Tromba resides in Garden City with his wife Suzanne and daughter Gabriella

2012 Distinguished Service Award Recipients
Robert Lourie, PhD and Lisa Lourie

Robert Lourie was raised just outside of Boston, MA. After dropping out of high school in the 11th grade, he joined the US Navy where he spent 6 years, most of them aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. Upon discharge, he entered MIT where he obtained undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Physics. He met his wife Lisa while both were graduate students. He was a professor of physics at the University of Virginia until his cousin, Jim Simons, prevailed upon him to try working at Renaissance. His 6-month sabbatical from the university is now in its 19th year.

Originally from Massachusetts, Lisa Lourie graduated with a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Rochester. She met her husband Robert while pursuing her Masters in Health Care Management. She worked as an ICU/CCU nurse and had two children before moving to Long Island. She now serves as president and owner of Spy Coast Farm a sport horse breeding enterprise with locations in 3 states.