Profile of a Stony Brook Medicine Alumna: Patricia Matos-Puente, MD, Serves Those Who Need Her Most

Dr. Patricia Matos-Puente ’84

Patricia Matos-Puente, MD ’84 practices medicine on Long Island in an uncommon way: she does house calls. No office. No group practice. Only house calls. She is not a “concierge doctor” who caters to society’s elite. Instead, she serves elderly Medicare patients ranging in age from 75 to over 100.

“Over the course of my career, I realized how beneficial house calls were for patients like mine—people who are physically unable to leave their homes, people who need a doctor who knows them well. So I decided to focus my work on this population.”

Starting with the traditional black medical bag and now traveling with a car full of files, equipment, and more, Puente sees about 60 patients. “It’s very gratifying to be able to sit with patients and hear their stories. I see the whole picture and can often help keep them out of the hospital or offer palliative care toward the end of their lives.”

Since the sixth grade, Long Island native Patricia Matos-Puente, MD, knew she wanted to be a doctor. She loved reading medical magazines, watching medical television shows, and playing with an actual stethoscope given to her by her family physician.

Puente earned a degree in music at a private, out-of-state college before deciding to “come home” to Long Island and study medicine at Stony Brook University, knowing it had a reputation for quality—and tuition she could afford.  Her decision to attend Stony Brook was one she never regretted.

Dr. Matos-Puente Playing the Oboe at “Opera Night.”

“From the very beginning at Stony Brook, we were immersed in clinical experiences, starting with learning how to take patient histories. I didn’t realize the value of it until I did my residency and found myself extremely well prepared, not only for my residency but also for the type of practice I have today.”

To thank Stony Brook, Puente and her husband, Jorge—a 1982 Stony Brook School of Medicine alumnus—recently made a generous contribution to the Dr. Aldustus E. Jordan Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine Endowed Alumni Scholarship. Dr. Jordan is a beloved associate dean of student affairs in the Stony Brook School of Medicine.

“Dr. Jordan is very special to medical students, so we opted to give to the scholarship in his honor. Stony Brook is a top university,” concluded Puente, who visits Stony Brook regularly as an oboe player in the Stony Brook wind ensemble. “Because of our Stony Brook education, we have both had successful and fulfilling careers.”

“We depend so much on the generosity of medical school alumni like Pat and Jorge Puente,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. “With their help and the financial endorsement of others who have benefitted from a Stony Brook medical education, we can continue to conduct groundbreaking research, practice exceptional patient care, and of course, produce caring and skilled physicians for society.”

To learn more about this scholarship or to make a gift, please contact Duante Stanton, philanthropic adviser, at 631-444-2687 or duante.stanton@stonybrookmedicine.edu.