Two Downstate Faculty Attain Highest Academic Rank: Dr. Antonio Alfonso and Dr. Suzanne Mirra Named SUNY Distinguished Professors
Jul 15, 2010
Two faculty physicians at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University have been named distinguished professor, the highest academic title within the State University of New York. Antonio E. Alfonso, MD, has been named distinguished teaching professor and Suzanne S. Mirra, MD, has been named distinguished service professor.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Alfonso and Dr. Mirra for bringing honor to themselves and to our institution,” said John C. LaRosa, MD, president of SUNY Downstate. “They are wonderful role models for our students, residents, and junior faculty and an inspiration to us all.”
Dr. Alfonso is professor and chair of surgery at SUNY Downstate and chair of surgery at the Long Island College Hospital (LICH), where many of Downstate’s surgical residents train. During a career spanning more than 35 years, Dr. Alfonso has greatly strengthened the surgery departments at both venues. He has served as surgical residency program site director at LICH; as site coordinator for Downstate’s third-year student clerkship rotations at LICH; and as preceptor for the summer mentoring program, the elective fourth-year clerkship, and first-year elective introductory rotations for Downstate. In appreciation of his guidance, residents and fellows have presented him the Faculty Honoree Award in Surgery and the Golden Apple Faculty Award for Best Teacher. A clinician of national prominence, he has been listed in numerous "Best Doctor" publications. Among many leadership roles, he served as governor-at-large of the American College of Surgeons for more than a decade, and as president of the New York Surgical Society, the New York Cancer Society, and the New York Head and Neck Society. Dr. Alfonso continues to supervise independent research and to contribute scholarship that addresses major clinical issues in surgery.
Dr. Mirra, professor and chair of pathology at Downstate, has made major contributions to our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, a disorder affecting millions in the U.S. and worldwide. She helped characterize tau as the major constituent of neurofibrillary tangles, a microscopic hallmark of the disease, emphasized the overlap of Alzheimer’s with Parkinson’s disease, and helped standardize its neuropathological diagnosis. The American Association of Neuropathologists honored her in 2005 with its Award for Meritorious Contributions to Neuropathology. She served on the national board of the Alzheimer’s Association as well as on NIH study sections. A graduate of SUNY Downstate, Dr. Mirra returned to campus in 1997 as chair of the Department of Pathology, the first woman in Downstate's 150-year history to be named a permanent department chair in the College of Medicine. At Downstate, Dr. Mirra expanded the medical center's research enterprise by securing NIH funding for Alzheimer's research, recruited young neuroscientists working on basic mechanisms of memory; chaired numerous campus committees; and headed a successful accreditation study for the College of Medicine.
###
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.