DOWNSTATE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR HELPING COMMUNITY
Nov 14, 2006
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University has been honored by inclusion in President
George W. Bush’s inaugural Higher Education Community Service Roll. SUNY Downstate
was one of 11 SUNY campuses to make the list. The honor roll supports the civic engagement
mission of the nation’s 4,140 colleges and universities. State University of New York
Chancellor John R. Ryan commended the SUNY campus winners.
This new recognition program was designed to increase public awareness of the contributions
that college students are making within their local communities and across the country
through volunteer service, such as SUNY Downstate’s Community Service Project. The
Honor Roll’s emphasis this year was on recognizing service activities performed in
response to the Gulf Coast and Atlantic hurricanes of 2005. The program also identifies
and promotes community service model programs and practices in higher education.
SUNY Downstate was cited for its students’ participation with Habitat for Humanity
repairing homes in Florida damaged in last year’s hurricane season. Downstate’s student
volunteer community outreach programs also included teaching proper nutrition and
the dangers of obesity to high school students in Brooklyn; providing influenza and
pneumococcal pneumonia vaccinations to people over 50 or with chronic conditions;
and informing local young people about the opportunities in careers in medicine and
health.
Downstate’s Community Service Project is coordinated by Michael Harrell, assistant
vice president for governmental and community relations.
The Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is sponsored by the Corporation
for National and Community Service, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation,
the USA Freedom Corps, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban
Development.
### About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers
(AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY
AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for
the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at
Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s
exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With
a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate
offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community. UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis
for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond
its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions,
including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions,
School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation
through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and
BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.