The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell announced the promotion of Senior Associate Dean for Education and Associate Professor of Medicine and Science Education Samara Ginzburg, MD, to vice dean and dean for education, effective immediately. Dr. Ginzburg is a founding member of the leadership team for the Zucker School of Medicine, which opened its doors to its first class of students in 2011.
In 2006, Dr. Ginzburg joined Northwell Health as the director of the ACGME Education Innovation Project to integrate competency-based education into the internal medicine residency program. Dr. Ginzburg subsequently became director of undergraduate medical education (UME) for Northwell and, in 2009, she joined the leadership team for the School of Medicine under Founding Dean Lawrence G. Smith. Clinically, Dr. Ginzburg works as part of the endocrine team at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Helene V. Fall, President of the Eastern Long Island Hospital (ELIH) Auxiliary, was honored with the 2022 Theodore Roosevelt Award from the Eastern Long Island Hospital Association.
The Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council created the Theodore Roosevelt Award in 1958 to recognize those who demonstrate exceptional volunteer commitment to a hospital and its community. This honor is not awarded to a recipient each year, but only when a candidate makes exemplary contributions on behalf of the hospital and demonstrates outstanding efforts in volunteerism. The award reflects renowned Long Island resident and President Theodore Roosevelt’s life-long devotion to public causes.
Northwell Health has appointed Eric Cruzen, MD, MBA, to senior vice president and executive director of the Emergency Medicine service line. As head of the service line, Dr. Cruzen will be responsible for operations at the 17 emergency departments within Northwell Health, the system’s extensive ambulance fleet and have medical oversight over Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care’s 51 locations.
Dr. Cruzen is a graduate of the integrated six-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After completing a residency in Emergency Medicine in Orlando, Florida, he worked all over the United States as a physician in the U.S. Army Reserve before joining Northwell. A graduate of the Zarb MBA program at Hofstra University, Dr. Cruzen also serves as an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Christopher Nelson, MBA, joins Catholic Health’s St. Joseph Hospital as its new president. Nelson will oversee all areas of operations at St. Joseph Hospital, with a particular focus on executing strategies for growth, continued improvement in quality and patient experience, while boosting employee engagement and workforce development.
A seasoned health care executive, Nelson brings many years of experience in administrative leadership. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations for NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island (formerly Winthrop-University Hospital). There he was responsible for all aspects of integration, inclusive of safety, quality, strategy alignment, capital planning, financial performance and patient experience. Under his leadership, the hospital made major improvements in key performing indicators. Prior to that, Nelson served as the hospital’s vice president of administration for surgery and cardiac services.
Nelson began his career in health care in the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, holding several leadership positions, stationed around the globe, and receiving numerous awards including the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Nelson earned a Master of Business Administration from Long Island University, C.W. Post campus and a Bachelor of Science in health care management from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital has appointed Tommaso Addona, MD, FACS to Chief of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Addona also holds the title of Chief of Plastic Surgery at Catholic Health’s St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, NY. Dr. Addona is a board-certified plastic surgeon and is partner and president at Long Island Plastic Surgical Group (LIPSG). LIPSG is the largest and oldest private and academic plastic surgery practice in the United States.
Nirvani Goolsarran, MD, FACP, CMQ, CPHQ, has been named Chair of Medicine and Chief Quality Officer at Mercy Hospital. In this dual role, Dr. Goolsarran is focusing on medical education, clinical quality and patient safety. Previously, Dr. Goolsarran was at Stony Brook University Hospital where she held various roles, including Associate Vice Chair for Safety, Quality and Compliance; Professor of Medicine; and Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency.
Physician-scientist, Anissa Abi-Dargham, MD, was selected as the new Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health in the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM) at Stony Brook University. Dr. Abi-Dargham is an internationally recognized neuropsychiatrist who has pioneered the use of combined MRI, SPECT, and PET imaging modalities to unravel the molecular mechanisms and pharmacology of schizophrenia and drug and alcohol addiction.
Dr. Abi-Dargham earned her medical degree at St. Joseph University in Beruit, Lebanon, and completed a psychiatry residency at the University of Tennessee. Following fellowships at the NIH and Yale University, she served on the faculty at Yale and Columbia University, where she was the Director of Clinical and Imaging Research in the Lieber Center for Schizophrenia Research and Director of the Silvio O. Conte Center at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. In 2016, Dr. Abi-Dargham joined RSOM where she is currently SUNY Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Vice Chair for Research in Psychiatry, and Associate Dean and Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Science. She holds the Lourie Endowed Chair in Psychiatry at Stony Brook. Dr. Abi-Dargham also serves as the Founding Director of the Long Island Network for Clinical and Translational Science (LINCATS), a role that she will continue while serving as Chair of Psychiatry.
Mount Sinai South Nassau presented the hospital’s Employee Veteran’s Scholarships to four staff members who served in the military and are continuing their education in the health care field.
Suheil Genovese, a project manager; Tandilaya Rice, RN; and Kuwary Torrens Negron and Rashawn Michael James, students at the Mount Sinai South Nassau Robert J. Hochstim School of Radiography, each were presented $1,000 scholarships in recognition of their service to our country. The four will use the funds to continue their education and advance their careers in health care. Mark Baron, President of Parking Systems, made a $2,000 donation to match the hospital’s $2,000 scholarship fund.
Northwell Health announced that Sandra Lindsay, RN, MBA, DHSc, the first American to be vaccinated in the fight against COVID-19 and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has been appointed vice president of public health advocacy.
Her vaccination resonated around the globe, thrusting Dr. Lindsay into the spotlight as an advocate for vaccination to protect against COVID.
New York Breast Health (NY Breast Health), a division of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, is pleased to announce the addition of board-certified general surgeon and fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist Kelly Johnson, DO. She will practice at 805 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY 11021.
“We’re very excited to expand breast cancer care at NY Breast Health with world-class surgeons and oncologists, said Rusty Dreksler, chief clinical officer for New York Health. “We’re thrilled to have Dr. Johnson join our team.”
Dr. Johnson’s path to breast surgical oncology was fueled by personal experience. She watched as her grandmother fought and beat breast cancer twice but eventually succumbed to recurrent disease. This not only turned her path toward breast oncology but further deepened her knowledge of the importance of support through all stages of cancer care and one’s own journey.
She believes the center of patient care is the partnership, trust, and relationship created between the patient and provider. “There is no cookie-cutter model of care,” said Dr. Johnson. “Every person is unique, and I enjoy working together with my patients to provide an individualized, patient-centered approach to care.”
Dr. Johnson received her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then completed her General Surgery Residency at Geisinger in Wilkes Barre, PA, where she was the academic chief resident. She is board certified by the American College of Surgery. Following her residency, Dr. Johnson furthered her expertise, completing a Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO)-approved Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center.