Beyond the Job Title: Introducing Staff Spotlight

By Office of the President | Oct 6, 2026

Lori Bruno Helps Downstate Turn Plans into Progress

Meet our first staff spotlight honoree, whose interests span public service, family travel, competitive game nights, and Boston sports.

Depending on how you first met Lori Bruno, MPH, you may know her through a grant application, a hospital project, Downstate’s strategic plan, or even a discussion about parking. That variety is what she likes most about her job.

“There are some people at Downstate who think I do one thing, and there are others who think I do something else because of how they originally met me,” she explains. “Our office supports all aspects of our institutional mission, so we get the chance to work with everyone.”

Lori joined Downstate in January 2006 and now serves as Assistant Vice President for the Office of Policy and Planning. More than 20 years later, she still finds new challenges and reasons to enjoy the work.

“It’s never boring,” she says, “and I love working with all these smart, amazing people from across the institution who are trying to make a positive impact in Brooklyn and beyond.”

Her work helps Downstate answer practical questions like, What do we want to accomplish? What will it take? Who needs to be involved, and how will we measure progress?

One example is IMPACT 2030, Downstate’s institution-wide strategic plan. Lori directed the planning process, bringing together more than 100 staff, students, and faculty across five workgroups. At its November 2022 launch, the President’s Bulletin recognized her leadership alongside Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Heidi J. Aronin, MPA, and the Planning Office team. Her office continues to oversee the plan’s implementation.

Lori also helps secure resources for patient care. In 2021, she collaborated with UHD leadership on a successful application for $945,421 through the Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The funding supported a virtual health platform to help clinicians assess patients remotely, conduct virtual rounds, and coordinate timely discharge.

Earlier Bulletins recognized her work securing capital funds as part of a $547,000 grant announcement from the NYC Council and then-Borough President Adams in December 2019. She was also among the colleagues thanked that October for helping make the hospital’s new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit a reality.

More recently, Lori led Downstate’s successful application for $2.758 million in Congressionally Directed Spending, which was awarded to the hospital in fall 2024 with support from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. This is the largest award she has secured to date. The funding is being used to purchase much-needed hospital equipment, including operating tables, portable X-ray machines, and echocardiography machines.

Across her years at Downstate, grant applications Lori has helped develop and coordinate have resulted in more than $9 million in awards. She also manages budgets and reporting requirements to keep funded projects moving.

Her work supports Downstate’s educational mission, too. Lori co-chaired the Self-Study Steering Committee and the working group focused on planning, resources, and institutional improvement for Downstate’s successful 2025 Middle States reaccreditation. The self-study involved more than 100 faculty, staff, and students.

For the hospital, she coordinates applications for state approval when clinical services change and analyzes data to help leaders understand patient needs and service use. She also coordinated the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment, combining community outreach and data analysis to identify local health priorities.

Before joining Downstate, Lori conducted health services research at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science at Tufts University, where she also studied community health and child development, and her Master of Public Health in health policy at Columbia University.

Her interest in public service began at Boston Latin School through the John William Ward Public Service Fellowship, an internship program that introduced her to career possibilities.

“I didn’t even know my job existed when I was in high school,” Lori recalls.

Today, she volunteers with the same program, meeting with applicants and recommending students for selection. She wants young people to have the chance to explore public service, just as she did.

Outside Downstate, Lori enjoys traveling with her husband and their two daughters, especially to places with warm weather, beautiful scenery, and good food. The Boston native met her husband, who grew up in Sheepshead Bay, in college. They have been married for 22 years and live on Long Island.

She also enjoys game nights with friends and family, which can get more competitive than they probably should. And while New York has been home for years, her loyalty to Boston sports remains firm, with a possible exception for her husband’s Mets.

For Lori, Downstate’s appeal comes back to its people and the opportunity to contribute. Each year brings “new projects to oversee, new problems to solve, and new opportunities for growing Downstate.” For more than two decades, she has helped turn those opportunities into progress. We’re pleased to begin our staff spotlight series with Lori and recognize her commitment to Downstate.

Tags: Faculty / Staff