Shout Outs
By Office of the President | Nov 18, 2025
Our Newest Student Lounge for our Future Physicians
We celebrated the opening of our newest Student Lounge for the foundation medical students with a fun ribbon-cutting for a vibrant, modern space designed to support connection, collaboration, and well-being. Over the past five years, this marks our third brand-new student lounge, complemented by two fully renovated lounges that have been completed to meet LCME requirements and better serve our medical students.
Student lounges play an essential role in the medical education experience. These spaces provide students with a space to decompress, study, connect with classmates, and recharge amid an intense academic and clinical schedule. They support wellness, strengthen peer networks, and foster the sense of belonging that is vital to the development of compassionate future physicians.
This project reflects the dedication of many colleagues who continue to champion student life at Downstate. Thank you to F. Charles Brunicardi, M.D.; Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D.; Adam Burgman, M.Ed.; and R. Schuyler Hooke for their leadership and commitment to enhancing the environment where our students learn and grow. A special thank you is also due to Facilities Management & Development (FM&D), under the leadership of Vice President James Minto, whose expertise and hard work helped bring this upgraded space to life.
UHD Scores a Leapfrog “B”! Big Win for Patient Safety!
Great news! University Hospital at Downstate (UHD) has earned a “B” grade from The Leapfrog Group, a strong recognition of the safety improvements happening across our hospital.
A “B” reflects solid performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, and infections, and it represents results across more than 30 national safety measures. For a safety-net hospital serving Central Brooklyn, this achievement shows real momentum in strengthening care quality and advancing our #KeepCareClose commitment.
Huge congratulations to Interim CEO Patricia A. Winston, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, and Chief Medical Officer Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, M.D., MHA, FACP, for their critical leadership on this achievement, and to our incredible UHD team of clinicians, nurses, technicians, environmental and facilities staff, patient access teams, administrators, and everyone who keeps our patients safe every day. Your hard work made this possible!
Let’s celebrate this win and keep pushing forward!
Flu? Not You!
According to the NYSDOH, influenza spreads easily and can lead to severe complications. Every year in the United States, the flu and its related complications cause about 226,000 hospitalizations and nearly 24,000 deaths. When combined with pneumonia, it ranks as the nation’s eighth leading cause of death. Getting your flu vaccine each year remains the best way to protect yourself and the people around you.
Shout-out to the powerhouse team behind this year’s Downstate Employee and Student Flu Vaccine Fair on November 4 and 5!
Mona Pervil-Ulysse, M.D., Director of Employee and Student Health Services; I. Ian Richards, Pharm.D., Director of Pharmacy Services; and Betty Jung, RN, Center for Community Health Promotion & Wellness, led a two-day effort alongside staff from Pharmacy Services, Employee Health Services, IT, Classroom Services, Central Sterile, Environmental Services, and Building Services, as well as students. Everyone worked together to keep the fair running smoothly in PHAB Hall during the day and in the UHD basement during the evening. Thank you to all for keeping our Downstate community healthy.
Note: All employees and students are encouraged to receive the flu vaccine as soon as possible. If you missed the fair, the flu vaccine is still available from Monday to Friday (closed on federal holidays) at Employee Health Services, located at 440 Lenox Road, Suite 1S, during weekday hours. For evening hours, Outpatient Retail Pharmacy will administer the flu vaccine; they are located at 470A Clarkson Avenue, Annex Building/Trailer. Call 718-270-1995 for more information.
SPH Student Meliah McPhie Recognized by Healthcare Leaders of New York
Congratulations to School of Public Health student Meliah McPhie, who received the Leonard Achan Sr. Health Equity Scholarship from the Healthcare Leaders
of New York (HLNY). As Downstate’s sole recipient, she proudly accepted the award
recently at the New York Academy of Medicine.
HLNY awards this scholarship to graduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing health equity and improving care for underserved communities. As part of the award, Meliah will receive a year of structured mentorship through HLNY’s professional network.
Meliah strengthened her application by including her President’s Bulletin feature “Lifting Every Voice for Downstate” (May 6, 2025) for her op-ed in support of Downstate that was published in the BK Reader. She noted how meaningful this recognition was and how it supported her goal of “paying it forward” in her future public health career.
Please join us in applauding Meliah for this fantastic achievement and for representing Downstate with distinction.
Meliah McPhie Recognized by Healthcare Leaders of New York
A Jamaican Heart, A Downstate Mission
A heartfelt “Irie!” to Marcia Edmond-Bucknor, M.D., Medical Director, Empire Clinic, Department of Family & Community Medicine, who is currently volunteering in Jamaica to support post-hurricane recovery efforts.
Dr. Edmond-Bucknor returned to the island she calls home to provide compassionate, hands-on care to residents facing displacement, loss, and limited access to essential services. From triage to patient education to direct clinical support, she helps ensure that families receive high-quality care during a time of significant need.
Her service reflects the very essence of #KeepCareClose, bringing care directly to communities where it is needed most. For so many members of our Downstate family and the broader Brooklyn community with Caribbean roots, Jamaica is not just a place on a map; it is a place of heritage, identity, and connection.
By bringing her expertise to the recovery efforts, Dr. Edmond-Bucknor shows how Downstate’s mission and values accompany our clinicians wherever they serve, whether caring for patients in Central Brooklyn or supporting communities across the Caribbean.
Dr. Edmond-Bucknor worked with a medical mission team sponsored by MediNova, led by Henry R. Paul, M.D., a Downstate nephrologist, in collaboration with Breaking Healthcare Barriers (BHB), a Jamaica-based charitable organization, and Molloy University. Together, they provided medical and humanitarian support to residents in need.
Thank you, Dr. Edmond-Bucknor and Dr. Paul, for your leadership, compassion, and dedicated service, for reflecting the strongest of Downstate’s commitments.
A “SOHP-tacular” Halloween!
The School of Health Professions turned October 31 into a festive wonderland during its annual SOHP-tacular Halloween Celebration. Faculty, staff, students, and community members came together for a day filled with fall fun, shared laughter, and true Downstate connection.
Thanks to our deans, program chairs, staff, and the Student Admissions Office, the event showcased the creativity and generosity that define the SOHP community. Every space was alive with color, hands-on activities, and welcoming energy.
Highlights included joyful moments with SOHP students, pediatric patients from University Hospital at Downstate, and the little ones from the Children’s Center—reminders of how meaningful it is to create spaces where everyone feels seen, supported, and celebrated.
Special thanks to the SOHP Program Administrators for bringing this celebration to life. Your hard work and enthusiasm made this Halloween memorable for all.
Dr. Daniels-Osaze Leads Dialogue on African Spirituality, Wellness & Ancestral Science
Congratulations to Anika Daniels-Osaze, Ed.D., MPH, whose panel presentation, “Sacred Origins and Living Balance,” was accepted for the Third International Conference of the Academy of Africana Indigenous
Religions, Theology and Arts (AAIRTA) in Lokoja, Nigeria.
Her panel contribution explored how Kemetic (Ancient Egyptian) language preserves sacred cosmologies, illuminating creation narratives, the feminine principle, and the deep relationship between humans and nature. She connects these ancestral frameworks to modern public health, offering new insights on environmental justice, gender balance, community wellness, and decolonial healing.
Bravo, Dr. Daniels-Osaze, your scholarship amplifies African knowledge systems, strengthens global discourse, and inspires the next generation of cultural and public health leaders.
Champions of Equity: Downstate Celebrates SUNY Leadership Graduates
Congratulations to Dilip Nath, DrBA, MBA, CHCIO, CDH-E, Assistant Vice President and Deputy Chief Information Officer, on completing the
2025 SUNY Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Leadership
Institute this fall.
As part of the program, Dr. Nath presented his capstone project, Transforming the Downstate Workforce, a practical plan to expand professional development opportunities through the university’s existing Skillsoft platform. His proposal promotes accessible, self-paced learning in management communication, business development, and emerging technologies, strengthening staff skills and supporting long-term career growth. By building on a resource Downstate already uses, the project advances workforce readiness and employee development with no additional cost to the institution.
Congratulations also are extended to Dr. Daniels-Osaze, Ed.D., MPH, on completing the SUNY Black Leadership Institute (BLI). Although graduation took
place while she was in Nigeria for the conference noted above, we are delighted to
share this wonderful news. Her capstone project, Creating More Efficient Interdepartmental Systems, focused on strengthening communication, processes, and workflow across School of
Public Heallth offices to bolster faculty preparedness, enhance student support, and
ultimately improve student success and satisfaction.
Please join us in recognizing both Dr. Nath and Dr. Daniels-Osaze for representing Downstate in SUNY’s leadership institutes and for advancing projects that strengthen our community and support excellence across the campus.
Strengthening Health Access in Immigrant Communities
Thank you to the Chinese-American Planning Council for hosting the recent flu vaccination and Hepatitis B screening clinic with Downstate, the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association, and the CAMS (Chinese American Medical Society) Downstate student clubs.
Events like this strengthen care in immigrant communities. Language barriers, limited health literacy, and the lack of culturally familiar providers often prevent people from seeking timely care. Bringing preventive services directly into trusted community spaces builds confidence, reduces fear and misinformation, and ensures that families receive the resources they need to protect their health.
Thank you, Betty Jung, RN, Center for Community Health Promotion & Wellness for leading the clinic planning and training. Under her supervision, the students used their bilingual English and Chinese skills to register participants and administer flu vaccines.
By offering vaccinations, screenings, and culturally grounded health education, the clinic expanded access to care and strengthened community well-being.