Shout Outs
By Office of the President | Apr 22, 2025
Accelerated Success: Downstate’s Nursing Program Ranked #1 in New York
Congratulations to the College of Nursing! Best Value Schools has ranked SUNY Downstate’s Accelerated Nursing Program #1 on
its list of the 20 best programs in New York State. The ranking highlights our 60-credit
program’s strong academic foundation and hands-on clinical training, noting that it
“includes residencies at local healthcare facilities to give students practical experience.”
Downstate also earned praise for having the highest graduation rate among all programs—an impressive 99 percent. This recognition reflects the College’s commitment to preparing skilled, practice-ready nurses to meet the challenges of today’s healthcare landscape.
Whether you’re a career changer or a recent graduate, the Accelerated B.S. in Nursing program continues to offer a fast, rigorous, and supportive pathway into the profession.
Dr. Anziska Leads National Conversation on Muscular Dystrophy Care
Yaacov Anziska, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, chaired the Case Management Track, Navigating Transition: Strategies for Care Across Settings and Life States, at the 2025 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference. Held March 16–19 in Dallas, Texas, the event convened clinicians, researchers, and care teams from across the country to share best practices for improving care for individuals with muscular dystrophy.
Downstate Residency Programs Among Nation’s Most Viewed
Downstate’s Neurology and Pediatrics residency programs continue to attract national
attention. In the 2024 residency match cycle, FREIDA—the AMA’s Residency & Fellowship
Database—ranked Downstate’s Neurology residency as the 8th most viewed among 188 programs
and Pediatrics as the 10th most viewed among 219 programs. These rankings reflect
over 55,000 and 90,000 program views, respectively, and speak to Downstate’s training
programs’ ongoing strength and appeal.
Dr. Sivan Kinreich to Guest Edit BMC Psychiatry Neuroimaging Collection
Sivan Kinreich, Ph.D. is a guest editor for BMC Psychiatry’s upcoming Neuroimaging in Mood Disorders collection.
The collection will spotlight research on brain connectivity, diagnostic biomarkers,
and neurobiological changes in mood disorders—aiming to support more effective interventions
for mental health.
Dr. Kinreich’s expertise spans neuroscience, computer science, and engineering, focusing on brain imaging and using advanced computational approaches—including AI and machine learning—to analyze multimodal data. She also holds two patents in fMRI and EEG technologies with practical applications in improving quality of life.
Celebrating a Doctoral Milestone and Groundbreaking Public Health Research
Congratulations to Aliye Talal Mosaad, DrPH, MPH, who successfully defended her doctoral dissertation—marking a significant achievement in her academic journey and a valuable contribution to public health research.
Dr. Mosaad’s dissertation, “Thermoregulatory Stress and the Ageing Mind: Investigating Environmental High Heat Exposure as a Risk Factor for Dementia,” explored the relationship between prolonged environmental heat and cognitive decline. Leveraging data from the CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network at the three-digit ZIP code level and clinical records from the All of Us research program, she found that each additional 10 days of extreme heat exposure (defined as two or more consecutive days with a heat index above the 90th percentile) was associated with a six percent higher odds of dementia or mild cognitive impairment—even after accounting for demographic and clinical risk factors.
Her timely research underscores the potential link between sustained heat exposure and cognitive decline in aging populations. As climate change accelerates, this work reinforces the critical need for targeted, equitable public health strategies to safeguard older adults—especially those most vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
Thank you to Dr. Mossad’s dissertation committee, including Drs. Laura Geer, Jackie Myers, Peter Barr, and especially Dr. Elizabeth Helzner, Associate Professor and Interim Chair of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, for her leadership and support.