Dear Fellow Alumni,
Whether referring to Stony Brook University School of Medicine faculty, students or alumni, the spirit of the School of Medicine community can be captured in one word: pioneers. As you will see in this spring issue of Medicine Today, both the School of Medicine of the past and the School of Medicine today have inspired a curiosity and passion in its graduates that have challenged them to become pioneers in their field.
From Dario Gonzalez, ’79, who spent November and December in Liberia on the front line in the world’s fight against Ebola; to the 40th Anniversary of the Class of 1975, who despite no access to Stony Brook University Hospital for their clinical rotations came together to become the second class in history to graduate from the School of Medicine; to Distinguished Teaching Professor Jack Stern, PhD, who guided the Stony Brook Department of Anatomical Sciences to international preeminence and will retire this year after 42 years of teaching — this issue will capture your attention with stories of courage and determination.
As President of the School of Medicine Alumni Association, this pioneering spirit is evident as I collaborate with our dedicated alumni board of directors, faculty and staff, and in the many alumni I have met at our events, including Careers in Medicine, reunions and lectures. It was also revealed in the success of our HOST mentoring program (Help Our Students Traveling) and with our class reunions.
As alumni, we know how terrific our training was at Stony Brook and we hope to make this excellent education possible for the next generation of Stony Brook students. On Aug. 23, the 140 students of the Stony Brook University School of Medicine Class of 2019 will don their new white coats and recite the Hippocratic Oath for the first time at the annual White Coat Ceremony.
As you recall from your first few weeks as a student of the School of Medicine, the start of medical school can be daunting for even the most prepared student. The School of Medicine Alumni Association can alleviate some of the out-of-pocket expenses our students incur in their first year in medical school, and with your help, we would like to surprise the Class of 2019 at the White Coat Ceremony by presenting each first-year student with a stethoscope from an alumnus.
Medical school is expensive. The cost of one year at Stony Brook is a staggering $40,000+ for in-state students and double for out-of-state students — most students must take out loans to pay for their education and many will graduate with more than $160,000 in debt. Today, I ask you to help ease this burden. Your suggested gift of at least $150 will sponsor the purchase of one 3MTM Littmann® Cardiology IIITM stethoscope for a first-year student.
Please join me in sponsoring the purchase of a stethoscope for a member of the Class of 2019.
I hope that you will contact me personally or Mary Hoffmann (mary.hoffmann@stonybrook.edu) in the Alumni Office if you have a concern or perhaps an idea that will help you connect with Stony Brook University School of Medicine.
Sincerely,
Joan Faro, MD ’82, FACP, MBA
President, Stony Brook University School of Medicine Alumni Association
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