Shout Outs
By Office of the President | Dec 2, 2025
Uplift. Protect. Demonstrate. Fitness the UPD Way
Many thanks to the Police Benevolent Association of New York State for sharing great photos of our University Police Department (UPD) in action at Downstate’s recent Community Healthy Lifestyle Fair. The pictures capture our UPD team doing what they do best—keeping the community safe, engaged, and motivated to stay active. From strength demonstrations to simple movement tips, they showed that fitness is for everyone, and a little encouragement goes a long way.
Celebrating Gratitude, Friendship, and Home at Downstate
Thank you to all the members of the Downstate community who came together to serve an early Thanksgiving dinner to our students. This tradition always brings warmth to campus as the holiday season begins.
We are grateful to everyone who helped make the gathering such a success, and we wish all of our students a safe and restorative Thanksgiving holiday.
United for Better Health
Downstate recently hosted the “Health Is a Human Right” Symposium and Health Fair
on November 22, bringing together community members, advocates, students, and health
leaders for a powerful day of learning and action.
Co-organized with the Brooklyn NAACP and Public Health Solutions, the event explored how Brooklyn residents experience health daily, especially in a borough with the state’s largest Medicaid population, and highlighted what our communities say they need to close gaps in access, prevention, and care.
Speakers and participants explored how health becomes a shared responsibility when communities, institutions, and policymakers work closely together. Attendees left with a renewed sense of purpose and a clear commitment to advancing health justice across our borough and our state.
Many thanks to all who helped make this vital gathering possible!
‘Thank You’ to the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness
A big thank you to the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness for leading recent community outreach events. The Center partnered with God’s Battalion of Prayer Church last month to offer free screenings, flu shots, and health education at their annual community health fair. The event was well-attended and provided comprehensive services. Betty Jung, RN, led a team of medical students, a nursing student, and volunteers who offered free vision screenings, administered flu vaccines, conducted blood pressure screenings, and provided health education and referrals for follow-up care.
Downstate showed its commitment at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. Special thanks to Alishia Goodridge, MBA, Assistant Vice President for Community Relations & Government Affairs, for elevating our presence with a sponsored tent, and to Radiology Management for uniting our team with T-shirts that carried our message forward.
As we head into the end-of-year holidays, we thank the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness, and everyone, including faculty, staff, students, and volunteers who have worked with alongside Betty Jung, RN; Sarah L. Marshall, DNP, MS, RNC, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, and the Center’s team, for making a tangible difference in the communities we serve.
Saying ‘Thank You’ with Service
Gina Panozzo, RN-PMH-BC, CNE, Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing, spent Thanksgiving week in Philadelphia
at St. Francis Inn, a Franciscan community in the Kensington section that has quietly
sustained some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods since 1979. The Inn, run by friars,
sisters, and volunteers, provides daily meals, clothing, hygiene essentials, and access
to a small free clinic staffed by volunteer nurse practitioners. The Inn serves 140–200
meals twice a day, seven days a week, with special holiday efforts reaching 1,000
meals or more.
Gina joined the volunteer team to prepare and serve meals, offer health education in the yard, and support guests who often face chronic homelessness, food insecurity, and limited access to care. She also spent time sharing health guidance with the priests and brothers who serve at the Inn—community caretakers who often overlook their own well-being while tending to others.
We extend our thanks to Gina for representing Downstate with compassion and for bringing her clinical expertise to a community that rarely receives it.
Hurricane Melissa Relief in Jamaica
In support of the hurricane relief effort, the Department of Human Resources and the
Payroll Office recently shipped three “barrels” filled with clothing, hygiene kits,
and non-perishable food products to Jamaica. Thank you, Team HR, for your effort and
generosity.
32nd Annual NAHSE Scholarship Gala
SUNY Downstaters recently had the privilege of attending the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) 32nd Annual Scholarship Gala—an event dedicated to recognizing excellence, advancing equity, and cultivating leaders who will shape the future of healthcare.
This inspiring evening honored both seasoned veterans and emerging professionals, continuing NAHSE’s 60-year legacy of creating pathways for minority leaders and improving healthcare services for underserved communities.
Click here to view the event program Scholarship Gala Flyer and enjoy a few photos from this memorable occasion:
