Education
Black Men’s Health Forum
In honor of the late Dr. Samuel L. Kountz, Jr., we sponsored an annual lecture in his name. Dr. Kountz, Jr., was the first African-American
transplant surgeon in the United States. He was most distinguished for his pioneering
work in the field of kidney transplantations, research discoveries, and inventions
in renal science. Dr. Kountz, Jr. established the SUNY Downstate Transplant Program
in 1965 and was appointed Chairman of the Department of Surgery at SUNY Downstate.
The Office of Diversity Education and Research and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH) sponsored the 2nd Annual Dr. Samuel L. Kountz, Jr. Lecture on Black Men’s Health. This year’s lecture, Violence and its Impact on Black Men’s Health was conducted by Mr. Tendaji Bailey, Community Intervention Coordinator and Mr. Muhammed Rilwan-Muritala, 4th year medical student and Intern for the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI).
Dr. Samuel L. Kountz Jr. Diversity Awards Ceremony
This year we hosted our first ever Dr. Samuel L. Kountz, Jr. Diversity Awards Ceremony honoring the unsung heroes and outstanding men of Downstate. The award recipients were:
| Samuel L. Kountz, Jr. Diversity Champions Award | Outstanding Service Award | Excellence in Mentoring Award |
| Clinton Brown, MD Department of Nephrology |
Officer Keith Callum University Police/ Public Safety Department |
Michael Joseph, PhD, MPH School of Public Health |
| Anthony Joseph, MD Department of Nephrology |
Roger Le Doux, Employee and Student Health Services |
Michael Joseph, PhD, MPH School of Public Health |
| Officer Robert Keys III University Police/ Public Safety Department |
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| Joseph Hawkins Facilities Management & Development |
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| Victor Ruiz Office of Admissions, College of Medicine |
L to R: Christopher Roman, Roger Le Doux, Joseph Hawkins, Michael Joseph, Victor Ruiz, Keith Callum, Anthony Joseph
Women’s History Month
During Women’s History month, we celebrated the legacy of the late Dr. Dale Blackstock, a former faculty member in the Department of Medicine, by honoring women who passionately
serve the Downstate community. The keynote address on Breaking the Glass Ceiling was
conducted by Dr. Monica Sweeney. The award recipients were:
| Dr. Dale Blackstock Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service | Outstanding Service Award |
Diversity Champions Award
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| Sydney, Butts, MD, FACS Vice Chair and Chief, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department of Otolaryngology |
Gracel Hodge-Canning
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Magda Alliancin, EdD, CHES Employee Assistance Program Coordinator Office of Diversity and Inclusion |
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Madge Edmead
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Mary Valmont, PhD Director, Health Science Academy Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health |
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| Thelma Menns Dietary Aide Sodexo Healthcare Food Services |
Tracey Wilson, PhD Professor, Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health |
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| Dawn X. Qiu Manager IT Service Delivery |
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| Nancy Ruiz-Torchon Exec. Asst. to the Chair Department of Medicine |
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| Tanisha Ransom Accounts Payable Specialist Division of Finance |
Keynote Speaker: M. Monica Sweeney, MD, MPH, FACP 
Vice Dean for Global Engagement
Clinical Professor
Chair, Health Policy and Management
Dr. Sweeney is a graduate of SUNY Downstate’s College of Medicine. She earned her Master of Public Health degree in Health Services Management from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Sweeney completed her residency training in internal medicine at Kings County Hospital Center/Downstate Health Sciences University, and is board certified in internal medicine.
L to R: Madge Edmead, Dawn Qiu, Magda Alliancin, Tanisha Ransom, Sydney Butts, Nancy Ruiz-Torchon, Gracel Hodge-Canning, Thelma Menns, Tracey Wilson, Anika Daniels-Osaze (program organizer), Uche Blackstock (daughter of Dale Blackstock), Monica Sweeney (keynote speaker)