SUNY Downstate Students Craig Ness and Jasmine Patel Receive Chancellor’s Award
Apr 3, 2014
Brooklyn, NY – Two SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University students were among those honored by State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher at a ceremony in Albany at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, April 2.
Craig Ness of Brooklyn, who will graduate in May from SUNY Downstate’s College of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine degree and from Downstate’s School of Public Health with a Master of Public Health degree, received the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Also receiving the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was Jasmine Patel of Staten Island, who will graduate with an MD degree from the College of Medicine, also this spring.
Chancellor Zimpher said of the more than 300 SUNY and CUNY students receiving Chancellor’s Awards or awards from the national honor society, Phi Theta Kappa, “As proven leaders and role models, scholar athletes, creative artists, and civic volunteers, each student is recognized not just for academic achievement, but also for the profound impact they have on college campuses and local communities across New York State.” She added, “Congratulations to the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University students being recognized today.”
In addition to working towards the completion of two degrees in four years, Craig Ness has delivered weekly lectures in physiology, pathology, and cardiology to local Brooklyn under-represented minority high-school students in order to increase their interest in the health sciences. Mr. Ness also serves as director of Mexican operations for One Small House, a non-profit organization assisting the poor in Northern Mexico. Founded in 2001 by Robert Katz, MD, a 2011 graduate of Downstate’s College of Medicine, the volunteer-led organization has built more than 45 homes for destitute families, a hospice facility, a school for students with special needs, and a community health center.
Jasmine Patel will receive her medical degree from SUNY Downstate as part of the joint BA-MD program that Downstate runs with Brooklyn College. She serves as chief medical officer for the student-run Brooklyn Free Clinic, after serving as chief financial officer and health educator. In addition, Ms. Patel served as a Sugar Scholar, volunteering with Medicine In Action, a nonprofit volunteer organization, to provide women’s health and primary care services to the underserved in Jamaica. Ms. Patel has also served in numerous campus service roles, including as a resident director, student center manager, anatomy tutor, and teacher of a non-credit first-year elective, Anatomy through Art and Sculpture.
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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.