Looking Forward to 2022
By Dawn Walker | Dec 31, 2021
Message from the Office of the President
Brooklyn, NY – Happy New Year to you all! I wish you all the best in health and happiness as we welcome 2022.
Having gone through nearly two years of global changes related to COVID-19, like you, I am ready to move on. However, we can only do this if we continue to follow the guidance of public health officials as we face yet another strain of the virus.
Like many other academic health sciences centers and healthcare facilities, the pandemic heavily impacted Downstate. Our first responders and emergency staff continue to stand on the frontlines providing care to affected patients and taking care of the physical environment. Our academic enterprise makes consistent adjustments to learning modalities for students. Our administrative and operations teams accommodate various telecommuting platforms for those faculty and staff who can work remotely, ensuring that operations face little to no disruption.
While we look ahead to 2022, we know that Downstate is better prepared to manage the challenges we may face related to COVID. And, I am reminded of your resilience and cooperation, where everyone’s efforts help minimize the transmission of COVID-19.
With the availability of vaccines and boosters, we have the opportunity to protect ourselves, our families, and our colleagues even further. If you have not done so, I encourage you to get a booster and inspire your friends and family to do the same.
As we step into 2022, we will continue developing education, research, and clinical care. Additionally, we will continue to promote interdisciplinary research and those efforts that blend the sciences.
Though vaccination rates at Downstate for faculty, staff, and students exceed 98 percent, we remain cautious in our operations while remaining agile. Despite the pandemic, we are also on track for another year of increased enrollment and graduation. In addition, we continue to be responsive to unparalleled challenges in a world more globally and technologically connected than ever before.
As 2021 ends, please take a moment to reflect on all you and we have accomplished. I hope you will take some time to refresh and refocus on the year ahead and the opportunities that may await.
But, most importantly, I hope you take the time to safely reconnect with those who matter most and cherish special moments with family, friends, colleagues, and those who matter most.
Thank you for all you do, and I extend my best wishes for a safe and happy new year!
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Contact: Dawn S. Walker
917.439.9666 | 347.533.2071
dawn.walker@downstate.edu
About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is the borough's only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care. It is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City and Brooklyn's 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate's teaching hospital, backed by an outstanding medical school's expertise and world-class academic center research facilities. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties—many of them ranked as tops in their fields—comprise Downstate's staff.
In addition to high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis (kidney diseases)—and offering the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn, among many other distinctive programs—Downstate also sponsors a major learning center for young children with developmental disorders and disabilities. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at @sunydownstate.