Message from the SOM Alumni President

Dear Fellow Alumni,

Joan Faro, MD ’82, FACP, MBA

The School of Medicine Alumni board had an exciting and eventful summer and autumn engaging our alumni and supporting our students.

In August, we were honored to present the Distinguished Alumnus Award to David Bernstein MD ’88 during this year’s annual White Coat Ceremony. Dr. Bernstein offered sage advice and encouragement to the incoming class of 2019 and expressed his gratitude for his training at Stony Brook which he sees as the foundation of his success. In addition to his many accolades, Dr. Bernstein is the Director of Liver Disease for North Shore LIJ and has concentrated his work on developing new treatments for Chronic Hepatitis C.

In addition to honoring Dr. Bernstein, the alumni board proudly surprised the 132 incoming students with a new stethoscope sponsored by our Stony Brook School of Medicine alumni. Thanks to all alumni who generously contributed to this successful campaign.

It was a pleasure to hand each new student a stethoscope engraved with “Stony Brook MD 2019.” The students were thrilled and, as student Robert Sampson ‘19 acknowledged, “Thank you so much for donating this stethoscope to me. It was an unexpected gift for each member of my class to receive, and I am truly grateful to have such supportive alumni.”

We hosted two very successful reunion events during the weekend of October 3-4. The Class of ’85 celebrated its 30th anniversary reunion during a two-day event with a reception at Sunwood while many members from the Class of ’90 enjoyed a delicious dinner at Il Brigante together in the city for their 25th anniversary. If you’re interested in celebrating your milestone reunion with your classmates, contact Mary Hoffmann at Mary.Hoffmann@stonybrook.edu.

Thank you to all the alumni who have volunteered to become HOSTs (Help our Students Travel). We have received a great response from our alumni volunteers who have offered to assist the fourth-year students who are interviewing for residency spots around the country. We have over 50 volunteers but are always looking for more alumni who are able to assist the students while interviewing.

And finally, thank you to those who support our Careers in Medicine event. Your advice on career paths for the first- and second-year students is much appreciated. The fall event occurred on November 3 and our spring event is scheduled for April 6.

If you want to get involved, become a member of our active alumni board, or have questions, please contact me or Mary Hoffmann at Mary.Hoffmann@stonybrook.edu. Have a safe holiday season.

Sincerely,

Joan Faro, MD ’82, FACP, MBA
President, Stony Brook University School of Medicine Alumni Board