Gift matched by the Simons Foundation for a total impact of $50,000
September 12, 2012 — Stony Brook Medicine has announced a $25,000 gift from two Stony Brook University alumni, Doctors Sherry and Howard Sussman, to establish the “Sussman Scholarship” for incoming students participating in the “Scholars for Medicine” program. The gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Simons Foundation for a total impact of $50,000.
“Students are our lifeblood at Stony Brook Medicine, and everything we can do to bring and make successful students from all walks of life, with the most diverse range of experiences and ambitions, will only make Stony Brook, and the entire healthcare profession stronger and better suited to improving the health of all Long Islanders,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, Dean, School of Medicine. “Sherry and Howard’s incredible generosity and leadership are very much appreciated.”
Each year, a limited number of Stony Brook’s Honors College, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), and Engineering students who intend to pursue a career in medicine are admitted to the “Scholars for Medicine” program, enabling them to earn a combined bachelor’s/MD degree in eight years. A seat in Stony Brook’s School of Medicine is reserved for each student in the “Scholars for Medicine” program who maintains a minimum 3.4 grade point average and attains a cumulative MCAT score equal to or greater than the national average for students matriculating at the medical school. “The Sussman Scholarship” will be offered to students applying to the “Scholars for Medicine” program who demonstrate financial need.
Both Sherry (’91, ’95) and Howard (’92, ’96) of Miller Place, NY, graduated from the accelerated program and met while they were pre-med at Stony Brook – Sherry was President of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Professions Honor Society and Howard was Vice President. “We are deeply grateful for the outstanding and affordable education we both received,” said Howard Sussman. “Much of our success can be attributed to this strong foundation and to our life-changing experiences at Stony Brook.”
Sherry and Howard both remain actively involved with Stony Brook University; Sherry serves as the current President of the Stony Brook Alumni Association and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at Stony Brook Medicine. Howard is an Associate Professor of Clinical Family Medicine at Stony Brook Medicine and serves as an Associate Chair in the Stony Brook Department of Family Medicine, where he is the Director of Medical Student Education. He is also a member of the School of Medicine Alumni Chapter and was selected as their 2006 Outstanding Recent Graduate.
One of the Sussmans’ goals is to attract and retain the best and brightest medical students and help alleviate some of the financial burden of higher education. “Through this endowment, we look forward to a lifetime of positively impacting the lives of our students and Stony Brook University,” said Howard Sussman. “Our message to all those who dream about someday giving back to their alma mater is “Don’t wait!” The generosity of the Simons Foundation enabled us to make a greater impact with our gift, and we hope others will recognize and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. By paying it forward, we can watch firsthand as our proverbial seeds bear fruit. We’re excited to meet the young women and men to whom our scholarship is awarded. They will know that alumni like us are personally committed to Stony Brook University.”
Sherry also serves as the Section Chief of Endocrinology at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY, and maintains a busy private practice – Middle Country Endocrinology, PC, in Smithtown, NY. Howard has received “Excellence in Teaching” and “Faculty Teacher of the Year” awards by the students of the School of Medicine and by the Family Medicine Residency. He provides clinical care at the Stony Brook Family Medicine Center in Setauket, NY. They have a son, William, and daughter, Lori Beth.
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