Our Star Faculty

At Renaissance School of Medicine, we are proud of numerous achievements of our faculty who were awarded many national and international awards.

• School of Medicine awards
• Stony Brook University Distinguished Professors
• External awards

---

Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education Dr. Roderick A. Go, Dept. of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Helen Hsieh, Dept. of Surgery	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Sima Mofakham, Dept. of Neurosurgery	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Hyungjin Kim, Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences	Excellence in Medical Student Mentoring Award Dr. Lisa Strano-Paul, Dept. of Medicine
Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Dr. Markus Seeliger, Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences	Excellence in Resident/Fellow Mentoring Dr. Lisa Fisher, Department of Medicine, Northport VA Medical Center	Excellence in Resident/Fellow Mentoring Dr. Lovedhi Aggarwal, Dept. of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine	Excellence in Faculty Mentorship Dr. Bettina Fries, Dept. of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)	Excellence in Clinical Service Dr. Alpa Desai, Dept. of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine)
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award Presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Dr. Kerim Odekon, Dept. of Medicine	Excellence in Student Mentoring at an Affiliate Site Dr. Bushra Wazed, Dept. of Medicine, Northport VA Medical Center	Excellence in Clinical Practice in the Community Dr. Anshu Singh, Dept. of Medical Services, LI State Veterans Home

---

Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education Dr. Getu Teressa, Dept. of Medicine (Hospital Medicine)	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Hwan Kim, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Joshua Dubnau, Dept. of Anesthesiology	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Markus Seeliger, Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences	Excellence in Student Mentoring Award Dr. Cordia Beverley, Dept. of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine
Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Dr. Jessica Seeliger, Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences	Excellence in Resident/Fellow Mentoring Dr. Jason Kim, Dept. of Urology	Excellence in Faculty Mentorship Dr. Sandeep Mallipattu, Dept. of Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension)	Excellence in Clinical Service Dr. Henry Tannous, Dept. of Surgery	Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award Presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Dr. Grace Natalie La Torre, Dept. of Medicine (Palliative Care)

---

Congratulations to our new SUNY Distinguished Professors, Dr. Bettina C. Fries, Dr. Richard T. Mathias, and Dr. Sharon Nachman!

Dr. Bettina Fries is chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Medicine, and is nationally recognized as a physician-scientist in the field of microbiology. She is a Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine. She is also an attending at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Nationally, Dr. Fries is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society and also a Member of the Academy of Microbiology of America. She has served as the President of the Infectious Diseases Society of New York from 2018-2019. She currently serves as the President of Medical Mycological Society of the Americas. Dr. Fries has received numerous extramural grant support, including 20 straight years of support by the National Institutes of Health. The primary focus of her research is on the pathogenesis of chronic fungal infections as well the development of monoclonal antibodies against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Dr. Richard T Mathias earned his BA and PhD degrees and his postdoctoral work in engineering from UCLA. He got his initial faculty appointment and rose through the faculty ranks at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and joined the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at SUNY Stony Brook in 1985 as a Professor. His research has focused on the Lens and the Heart. He has made important contributions both theoretically and experimentally into how the renin-angiotensin system controls contractility across the cardiac ventricular wall. He has also postulated a circulating current in the lens, which has led to increased understanding of the physiological basis of cataracts, and is now considered a dogma in the field. In 2017, he was awarded the Kinoshita Lectureship for career accomplishments in Lens Research. Dr. Mathias has achieved international recognition for his scientific research, and has enhanced both the international scientific community and Stony Brook University with his efforts.

Dr. Sharon Nachman is an international leader in the area of pediatric infectious disease and the treatment of children with AIDS, flu and measles. She has been the principal investigator of more than 30 clinical trials of promising medicine for patients treated at Stony Brook University Hospital and conducted international trials in the areas of new vaccines, Lyme disease, and AIDS. She also directs the Maternal Child HIV/AIDS Program.

 

Dr. Bettina Fries Department of Microbiology and Immunology	Dr. Richard Mathias Department of Physiology and Biophysics	Dr. Sharon Nachman Department of Pediatrics

---

Bettina Fries, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, professor of Medicine, and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, has been named a 2022 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Fries is a nationally recognized physician-scientist who specializes in mycology and also conducts research on antibodies in relation to vaccine development. Dr Fries’ work spans a wide range of disciplines, but her research chiefly investigates the pathogenesis of chronic fungal infections and the development of monoclonal antibodies against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

---

Dorothy Lane, MD, MPH, SUNY distinguished service professor; vice chair of the Department of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine; and associate dean for Continuing Medical Education in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, has received the 2023 Ronald Davis Special Recognition Award from the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM). She is a founding member of the faculty of Stony Brook’s medical school, which she joined in August 1971.

Dr. Lane is a decorated physician and a fixture in the field of preventive medicine. She has spearheaded numerous research initiatives dedicated to advancing preventive medicine practices, particularly in the areas of women’s health and cancer screening. As founding director of the Stony Brook Residency Program in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine, she has mentored 142 medical practitioners. Dr. Lane has also published more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

One of Dr. Lane’s leading initiatives while at Stony Brook was her role as principal investigator of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Women’s Health Initiative Center (WHI) since its inception in 1994. Stony Brook Medicine was one of 40 national centers — and the only one based on Long Island — that conducted the landmark WHI study of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among postmenopausal women. She was principal investigator of a series, spanning 30 years, of National Cancer Institute–funded research projects focused on improving public and physician breast and colorectal cancer screening rates. Dr. Lane also directed one of the five initially funded Centers for Disease Control and Prevention colorectal cancer screening demonstration programs, which covered the cost of colonoscopy screenings for uninsured and underinsured health center patients in Suffolk County.

Dr. Lane is a past president of the ACPM and served as chair of the American Board of Preventive Medicine and president of the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the national Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The Ronald Davis Special Recognition Award is named after the late Ronald Davis, MD, the first preventive medicine physician to serve as president of the American Medical Association. The award was first given in 2009 to former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher. For a list of previous winners see this link.

---

Sandeep Mallipattu, MD, professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, is among the newest members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and will be officially inducted on April 21, 2023.

An international organization with more than 3,000 physician-scientist members from all medical specialties, the ASCI is dedicated to the advancement of research that extends understanding of diseases and improves treatment. Members are also committed to mentoring future generations of physician-scientists.

Dr. Mallipattu is only the 19th Stony Brook University faculty member elected to the ASCI, and the first since 2015.

“The ASCI is among the few organizations focused on the special role of physician-scientists in research, clinical care, and medical education, as well as leadership positions in academic medicine and the life sciences industry,” said Vincent Yang, MD, PhD, the Simons Chair of Medicine. “Sandeep’s election is testimony of his research prowess and achievements.”

Dr. Mallipattu has conducted groundbreaking research on the molecular mechanisms of chronic kidney disease and how these mechanisms catalyze the disease’s development and progression. He and colleagues have uncovered new details about kidney regulation and function, and advanced the science behind kidney regeneration.

---

Congratulations to our new SUNY Distinguished Professor, Dr. Danny Bluestein, and new SUNY Distinguished Service Professors, Drs. Judith Ann Crowell and Lawrence Hurst!

Dr. Danny Bluestein's research interests include the elucidation of physical forces that regulate cellular function in flowing blood and the translation of this knowledge to numerical and experimental strategies aimed at optimizing the thromboresistance of mechanical circulatory support devices, multiscale modeling of thrombosis, and enhancing clinical diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases processes and progression for developing strategies to achieve better clinical outcomes of procedures and devices for patients who suffer from these diseases.

Judith Ann Crowell, MD, is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University.

Lawrence Colwyn Hurst, MD, is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery with more than 30 years of practice experience and additional qualifications in surgery of the hand. His dedication to his patients and to the field of hand surgery is evident through his long list of teaching and research credentials, as well as his exceptional quality of care.

Dr. Danny Bluestein Department of Biomedical Engineering	Dr. Judith Ann Crowell Department of Psychiatry	Dr. Lawrence Hurst Departments of Orthopedics

---

John Fleagle, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine, has won the Charles Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award. Granted by the American Association of Biological Anthropology (AABA), the award will be presented at the association’s annual conference held April 19-22 in Nevada. Known as the AABA’s most prestigious honor, this yearly award recognizes a senior member of the association who has exhibited a lifetime of contributions and commitment to biological anthropology.

Professor Fleagle’s presence in the field of biological anthropology spans half a century. Much of his work has centered around investigating primate evolution, primate locomotion, and broad patterns of evolution and adaptation across many taxa. From Argentina to India, his fieldwork has taken him across the world. In Ethiopia, Professor Fleagle directed a groundbreaking study that uncovered fresh insights into the African origin of homo sapiens.

Professor Fleagle is a MacArthur Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a member of three graduate programs at Stony Brook University – the Doctoral Program in Ecology and Evolution, the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, and the program in Anatomical Sciences.

---

Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education Dr. Eva Swoboda, Dept. Obstetrics and Gynecology	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Dongyan Tan, Dept. Pharmacological Sciences	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Pawan Kumar, Dept. Microbiology and Immunology	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, Dept. Anesthesiology	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Alan Turner, Dept. Anatomical Sciences
Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award Dr. Elinor Schoenfeld, Dept.  Family, Population and Preventive Medicine	Excellence in Clinical Service Award Dr. Marina Charitou, Dept. Medicine	Excellence in Student Mentoring Award Dr. Kamal Buttar, Dept. Family, Population and Preventive Medicine	Excellence in Student Mentoring Award Dr. Uchechi Oddiri, Dept. Pediatrics

---

We are delighted to present the inaugural class of RSOM Graduates of the SUNY Clinical Leadership Academy aiming to to support the development of high-potential physicians to serve as physician leaders and support SUNY’s academic medical centers. The SUNY Clinical Leadership Academy officially launched on June 8, 2021 and concluded on January 25, 2022.

 

• Azin Abazari, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Residency Program Director / Mentor: Dr. Robert Honkanen
• Thomas Corrado, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Medical Director of Perioperative Services / Mentor Dr. Sergio Bergese
• Bettina Fries, Professor of Medicine and Division Chief Infectious Disease / Mentor Dr. Vincent Yang
• Sandeep Mallipattu, Professor of Medicine and Division Chief Nephrology / Mentor Dr. Vincent Yang
• Stephen Probst, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Division Chief of Neuroanesthesia/ENT Anesthesia / Mentor Dr. Kenneth Rosenfeld
• Sritha Rajupet, Director of Population Based Health Initiatives; Deputy Director Division of Graduate Medical Education / Mentor Dr. Dorothy Lane
• Massimiliano Spaliviero, Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology; Attending Surgeon / Mentor Dr. Wayne Waltzer

Many thanks also go to Dr. Laura Fochtmann, Dr. Margaret McGovern, Dr. Julie Agris and the faculty of the Program in Health Policy & Management for teaching and participating in the Academy.

 

---

Congratulations to Drs April Castillo (Family, Population and Preventive Medicine) and Amanda Levinson (Psychiatry) for their selection as the inaugural 2021 awardees for the Long Island Network for Clinical and Translational Science (LINCATS) Mentored Clinical and Translational Research Career Development Program.

Dr. Castillo's project is titled 'Assessing whether antenatal colostrum expression improves duration of breastfeeding and rates of breastfeeding exclusivity'.

Dr. Levinson's project is titled 'Developing an Ecologically Valid Toolkit for the Assessment of Postpartum Maternal Reward Responsiveness'.

---

Junior Fellow	Senior Scholar
Dr. Glennis Alvarado Dept Medicine	Dr. Michelle Ballan Dept Family, Population & Prev. Medicine
Dr. Lauren Maloney Dept Emerg. Medicine	Dr. Stephen Post Dept Family, Population & Prev. Medicine
Dr. Theofano Orfanelli Dept ObGyn	Dr. Stephen Vitkun Dept Anesthesiology
Dr. Miguel Saldivar Dept Medicine	Dr. Luis Marcos Dept Medicine
Dr. Kathleen Scarbrough Dept Family, Population & Prev. Medicine	Dr. Barbara Nemesure Dept Family, Population & Prev. Medicine

---

Congratulations to our new Distinguished Professors, Drs Carol Carter and Vincent Yang! Dr. Carter from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology is recognized for her seminal work on how pathogens escape from infected cells by exploiting cellular machinery, and thus led to a new approach to antiviral HIV drug development. Dr. Yang is the Chair of the Department of Medicine, and his work focuses on identifying the causes and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. He studies Krüppel-like factors (KLFs), a group of proteins with important physiologic functions, including the ability to convert somatic cells to induced pleuripotenti stem cells with remarkable therapeutic potential.

Dr. Carol Carter Department of Microbiology and Immunology	Dr. Vincent Yang Departments of Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics

---

Congratulations to the 2022 SUNY Chancellor’s Awardees, recognized for their outstanding contributions to our school!

Dr. Todd Griffin Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence in Faculty Service	Dr. Susan Larson Anatomical Sciences Excellence in Teaching	Dr. Kaveh Sadigh Department of Medicine Excellence in Teaching
Jessica Koos HSC Library Excellence in Librarianship	Mary J. Allen Office of the Dean RSOM Excellence in Professional Service

---

Congratulations to Dr. Clinton Rubin, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering on 2022 Outstanding Mentor Award and to Dr. David Montrose from the Department of Pathology on SBU Faculty Trustees Award!

Dr. Clinton Rubin Department of Biomedical Engineering Outstanding Mentor Award	Dr. David Montrose Department of Pathology SBU Faculty Trustees Award

Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education Dr. Kaveh Sadigh, Dept. Medicine	Early Career Research Excellence Award Dr. Joshua Plotkin, Dept. Neurobiology and Behavior	Senior Research Excellence Award Dr. Congwu Du, Dept. Biomedical Engineering	Excellence in Clinical Service Award Dr. John Ferretti, Dept. Radiology	The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award Presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Dr. Rina Meyer, Dept. Pediatrics
Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award Dr. Clinton Rubin, Dept. Biomedical Engineering	Excellence in Student Mentoring Award Dr. Kevin Zacharoff, Dept. Family, Population and Preventive Medicine	Excellence in Resident/Fellow Mentoring Award Dr. Smadar Kort, Dept. Medicine	Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award Dr. Miguel Garcia-Diaz, Dept. Pharmacological Sciences	Leadership Award Dr. Jennie Williams, Dept. Family, Population and Preventive Medicine