Debra Messina, MD ’88
Dear Fellow Alumni,
As the newest Board President, I am delighted to represent the School of Medicine Alumni Board. We embody more than 4,500 alumni worldwide, and on behalf of the board, please join me in thanking Joan Faro, MD ’82 for her two terms as Board President. Under her tutelage, the board accomplished significant strides in engaging alumni, supporting our students, and supporting the School of Medicine — our three mission pillars.
Within the past two years, we have hosted five extremely successful reunions for the classes of ’76, ’85, ’88, ’90 and ’99. These reunions were led by an enthusiastic reunion committee, and nearly half of the graduates of each class returned to reminisce, reconnect, and revisit the school and hospital. We encourage you to reach out to us if you would like to help organize your own reunion. We are already planning reunions for 2017. Many of the classes have established class gifts.
Our most successful initiative this past year was the stethoscope drive. You may have received a request to sponsor a stethoscope for an incoming medical student, and if you have already given, thank you for your support. We received more than 120 sponsors last year, and this year we are ahead of schedule. Our students are extraordinary and each year, we attract the best and the brightest. Accordingly, three quarters of our graduates go on to become chief residents.
We are proud to announce this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, A. John Iafrate, MD, PhD ’00. Dr. Iafrate is world-renowned and the Medical Director of the Center for Integrated Diagnostics and an Associate in Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Iafrate received his MD/PhD from Stony Brook in 2000. He received his award at the White Coat and Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony on August 14, 2016, which included our stethoscope presentation to the Class of 2020.
As a board, we are continuing to look to ways to improve our effectiveness. We have recently revised the bylaws and need your vote to ratify them. Please review the updated bylaws dated December 2015 and vote here.
Also, in an effort to assist our fourth-year students, we hope you will join the many alumni who HOST our students as they travel far and wide for their residency interviews. If you would like to offer advice as they prepare for their interviews, please let us know. Many first- and third-year medical students who wish to enhance their clinical skills by traveling to remote corners of the world to provide healthcare to indigent people also need our support.
For further information about all our programs, I encourage you to visit our website and help us continue our mission.
In closing, I would like to thank Drs. Lisa Vignogna ’96 and William Schweizer who join me as executive officers and the entire board for their efforts and commitment, the members of the Advancement Office for their guidance, and lastly my fellow alumni for their generosity and support, which makes our Alumni Association possible.
Debra Messina, MD ’88
President, Stony Brook University School of Medicine Alumni Board
