The President's Bulletin
The President’s Bulletin is a bi-weekly publication created to keep students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, friends, and others informed about the latest news at Downstate Health Sciences University. We hope you enjoy reading the articles and find them informative and useful.
The Science of Stillness to the Heart of Downstate
by Office of the President - May 22 , 2025
A Message from President Riley
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
As the academic year ends, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the graduating Class of 2025. Your resilience, discipline, and hard work have brought you to this defining milestone of the walk across the stage and the beginning of your professional...
Transforming Occupational Therapy Training
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
At Downstate, the Occupational Therapy Program deepens its decade-long partnership with Adapt Community Network—formerly United Cerebral Palsy of New York—by giving students direct access to individuals living with disabilities. Through this...
Say “Yes” to Organ Donation
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
In March, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law, supported by LiveOnNY, to expand public education about organ donation across New York State. According to the New York State Donor Registry, nearly 10,000 New Yorkers are waiting for a transplant....
Conversations about Purpose, Empowerment, and Psychiatry
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
We are excited to share the news that Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., Dr.Med.Sc., as President of the American Psychiatric Association, will take the national stage at the APA 2025 Annual Meeting for two extraordinary conversations about health, leadership,...
Tags: Psychiatry
Changing What We Know About Alcoholism
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
More than 35 years ago, Downstate’s Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab launched a groundbreaking study on alcohol use disorders. The result, the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), continues to shape our understanding of addiction,...
Tags: Psychiatry, Research
Earth Day Groove in the Grove
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
What began as a single Earth Day table in the Atrium is now an annual campus-wide event. This year, more than 800 students, faculty, and staff gathered in the Grove to mark the occasion with activities focused on environmental awareness and sustainab...
Tags: Campus Events, Events
Lifting Every Voice for Downstate
by Office of the President - May 6 , 2025
Congratulations to Meliah McPhie, a student in Downstate’s School of Public Health student and a Brooklyn resident, who was recently recognized for her powerful op-ed supporting Downstate, published in the BK Reader.
Tags: School of Public Health
A Message from President Riley
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
At Downstate, redefining healthcare in Brooklyn is more than medicine—it’s about imagination, partnership, and the courage to explore extensive possibilities.
Environmental Study Offers Blueprint for Urban Health
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
A new study co-led by Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Elizabeth Hénaff, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine, and...
Stop the Bleed, Pack the Bag, Ready, Set, Go!
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
When you hand the mic to the next generation of leaders, you get an educational, energizing, and game-changing experience—like Downstate’s Youth-Led Emergency Preparedness Day, which introduced middle and high school students to critical skills...
Understanding the Folate Connection to Autism
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
For more than three decades, Edward V. Quadros, Ph.D., Hematology/Oncology Division Research Professor in the Department of Medicine, has been chasing the answer to a question that did not make sense: Why do some children with autism show signs of...
Tags: Department of Medicine
The Hidden Connection Between Allergies and the Heart
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
Most people consider allergies minor—sneezing, itchy eyes, or a lingering cough. Few connect them to heart disease. New research from Downstate suggests that it may need to change. Common allergic conditions like asthma and hay fever may increase...
AI Meets Mental Health with New Global Research Hub Partnership
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that Downstate is one of eight SUNY campuses selected to receive state funding to develop new academic departments, centers, and institutes focused on Artificial Intelligence and Society. At Downstate, this...
Symposium Sets the Stage for Coordinated Action on Health Disparities
by Office of the President - April 22 , 2025
The 8th Annual TRANSPORT Symposium, hosted by the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, brought together SUNY Downstate faculty, students, clinicians, and community-based organizations to focus on practical strategies for addressing health disparities...