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Beyond the Expected

Beyond the Expected

By Stony Brook University

SBU leaders and personalities host guests whose stories exemplify the diversity of our community and thought, and the global impact of our scholarship. Brought to you by the University's Office of Marketing and Communications, “Beyond the Expected” offers compelling interviews and insightful perspectives from members of the Stony Brook University community and beyond who are deeply committed to contributing their time, talent and solutions to the most pressing issues in the communities where they live, work or play.
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To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate | Dr. Sharon Nachman

Beyond the ExpectedFeb 07, 2020

00:00
20:24
Election 2020 -- Preparing for the Day After

Election 2020 -- Preparing for the Day After

From promoting voter registration, to inspiring informed engagement, and providing support for students, faculty and staff, Stony Brook University has been reaching out to the entire campus community with programs, services, messages and campaigns designed to ensure civil discourse and debate during one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history.

This episode of Beyond the Expected podcast, titled “Election 2020 -- Preparing for the Day After,” looks at why it’s so important that the community come together with empathy as a community, to bridge the partisan divide. Three University experts speak about the programs and services planned for the day -- and days -- after this historic election. In addition, the panel looks at the psychology behind today’s political climate … why people feel the way they do … and how the population can work through divisions, fear, anxiety and uncertainty, all of which have risen to fever pitch this year.

Laura Lindenfeld, the Dean of Stony Brook’s School of Journalism and executive director of the Alda Center for Communicating Science, serves as moderator of this episode of “Beyond the Expected.”

Jeff Barnett is Interim Assistant Dean of Students. In this role, he’s responsible for areas such as community-building initiatives, large-scale programming, policy development, and student crisis response and case management, and he’ll talk about specific post-Election programs.

Cathrine Duffy is Director of Stony Brook University's Healthier U initiative. In her role, she implements a full suite of programs designed to support a healthy work environment, and provide opportunities for staff and faculty to enhance their physical, fiscal and mental health. Like Jeff, she will share with us the post-Election services and support that will be available.

Yanna Krupnikov is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science. She integrates psychology and political science to identify points at which new information can have the most profound effect on the way people form political opinions, make political choices and, ultimately, take political actions.

Production Credits

Moderator/Host: Laura Lindenfeld

Guests/panelists: Jeffrey Barnett, Cathrine Duffy, Yanna Krunikov

Interim Vice President for Marketing and Communication: Teresa Flannery

Producer: Ellen Cooke

Advisor: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Media Relations: Emily Cappiello

Production Assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Frank D'Aurio and Frank Imperiale

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Nov 03, 202058:02
Coming Back Safe and Strong: Students Step Up!

Coming Back Safe and Strong: Students Step Up!

As students have been returning to college campuses, we have seen a large spike in Coronavirus cases. However, cases at Stony Brook University have remained minimal and manageable. While the University has put rigorous testing protocols in place — even partnering with an outside lab to provide rapid tests — the onus of this success has been on the students. Their compliance, as well as their persistent urging of the entire campus community to follow safety protocols, continues to help maintain our low infection rate.  This episode of Beyond the Expected Podcast -- Coming Back Safe and Strong: Students Step Up! -- celebrates student and University successes to date and looks to our future plans for fall, winter and beyond.

Moderated by Lawrence M. Zacarese, JD, MPA; Interim Chief of Police and Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety, Stony Brook University Police; this panel looks at the keys to our success to date, including the role students have played to keep our campus safe and maintain our carefully designed hybrid learning model.

Guests include:

  • Marisa Bisiani, Assistant Vice President, Student Health, Wellness and Prevention Services, Division of Student Affairs
  • Rick Gatteau, PhD, Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students, Division of Student Affairs
  • Shelley Germana, PhD, Associate Provost for Academic Success, Division of Undergraduate Education

Production Credits

Moderator/Host/Panelist: Lawrence M. Zacarese, JD, MPA

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant Producer: Ellen Cooke

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Veronica Brown, Casey Borchick, Emily Cappiello

Production Assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Frank D'Aurio and Frank Imperiale

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Oct 06, 202057:40
An Interview with Stony Brook's Naturalist

An Interview with Stony Brook's Naturalist

Christopher Paparo has been exploring the wilds of Long Island’s marine estuaries for over 30 years, and in this episode of "Beyond the Expected," guest host Alan Inkles speaks with Chris as he shares his experiences snapping fascinating images of marine wildlife, as a naturalist and as the manager and public outreach coordinator for the Stony Brook Southampton Marine Science Center. Chris maintains the Center’s computerized, 5,000 square foot state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor seawater lab that contains three different seawater scenarios. He also actively assists graduate students and research faculty with their research projects.

Stony Brook’s public outreach programs are vital to spreading the word about the important research taking place at SoMAS, and fostering interest in the next generation of marine biologists. As the Center’s naturalist, Chris gives tours of Shinnecock Bay to members of the community -- from elementary school children to adults.

Born and raised on Long Island, Chris has been exploring the wilds of the island for over 30 years. He started the wildlife photography website, “Fish Guy Photos” (Instagram: #FishGuyPhotos) and is an award-winning member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New York State Outdoor Writers Association. Heis a freelance writer for several fishing and wildlife related publications, and although his work tends to focus on marine life, Chris says, “everything in the natural world is fair game.”

Production Credits

Guest Host: Alan Inkles, Director of the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Podcast Director and Chief Editor: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Camera: Brian DiLeo Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel
Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Sep 11, 202016:26
 Coming Back Safe and Strong: Welcoming Back Students

Coming Back Safe and Strong: Welcoming Back Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unimaginable, unprecedented, and highly unpredictable challenges for all of us in the world ... across the country … on Long Island … and here at Stony Brook University … where we are just three days away from opening our doors to students, on campus and virtually. In this episode, we take a look at what that campus environment will look like when students begin the fall semester. This episode of "Beyond the Expected Podcast, Coming Back Safe and Strong: Welcoming Back Students" features Marisa Bisiani, Assistant Vice President, Student Health, Wellness and Prevention Services; Rick Gatteau, Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs; Shelley Germana, Associate Provost for Academic Success in the Division of Undergraduate Education and Lawrence M. Zacarese, Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety who serves as moderator/host/panelist. The panel looks at what we've done to create the safest, most secure conditions for our students. They discuss how our student affairs, academic success, and health services teams have collaborated with their colleagues across campus to help ensure that our students have the best possible experience. Measures like COVID-19 testing … screening … virtual advising and counseling services … face mask regulations … social distancing protocols ... hybrid learning scenarios … are all covered. And, students’ most frequently asked questions are answered as the Stony Brook University community has worked to prepare themselves for an academic year like no other. Production Credits Moderator/Host/Panelist: Lawrence M. Zacarese, JD, MPA Producer: Lauren Sheprow Art Director: Karen Leibowitz Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown Production Assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald Camera: Frank D'Aurio and Frank Imperiale Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio
Aug 22, 202058:15
Bridging the Racial Divide: Being an Ally

Bridging the Racial Divide: Being an Ally

In the workplace, in the classroom, in personal relationships and in everyday life, being an ally means being in tune with the people around you. Respecting their views. Listening to them. Empathizing and caring. It means taking the responsibility to provide support through action -- even if you don’t look like the person or group you’re advocating for, or share the same background. You need to take on the struggle as your own and truly understand where they’re coming from to give their movement -- big or small -- a voice. On this episode of “Beyond the Expected -- Bridging the Racial Divide,” moderator and panelist Dr. Judith Brown Clarke, Stony Brook University Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Equity and Inclusion talks about being an ally -- what it is, how to do it and why it’s so important in today’s racially ... ethnically … politically divided society.

Guests:

Adam Gonzalez is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. He is an expert in cognitive behavioral treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments and behavioral medicine. His program of research focuses on understanding the interplay of cognitive, emotional and behavioral health factors that may affect physical and mental health, as well as disease management among chronically ill populations. In addition to his responsibilities with the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, Dr. Gonzalez is also the Co-Director of the Stony Brook University Consortium Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training programs in clinical psychology and the Co-Director of the Center for Disaster Health, Trauma & Resilience.

Juliette Passer is a practicing New York attorney, corporate diversity director, and Stony Brook University professor in the Political Science department who teaches courses on diversity, gender and inclusion. Juliette brings to the equation an extensive background in working with governments, and political organizations as well as multilateral institutions, to achieve these corporate goals for private companies. As such, she brings a unique business and legal understanding of international business transactions and business and political environments in architecting cross-border investments.

Production Credits

Moderator/Host/Panelist: Judith Brown Clarke, PhD

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Assistant producer: Emily Cappiello

Topic Co-Creators: Veronica Brown, Emily Cappiello

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production Assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Jul 30, 202059:16
 Stony Brook’s Diversity Plan in Action

Stony Brook’s Diversity Plan in Action

The killing of George Floyd and similar tragic incidents have widened the racial divide in America and caused national unrest. At the same time, they’ve opened up a bigger conversation across the country about structural and systemic racism as it exists today. They’ve brought some of the critical issues of our times -- from implicit bias to negative stereotypes and far worse -- to the forefront of our consciousness.

Dr. Judith Brown Clarke, Chief Diversity Officer at Stony Brook University, serves as Moderator in this episode of the “Beyond the Expected” podcast.  She and her guests look at what Stony Brook is doing -- around campus and across disciplines -- to deal with these types of issues and how to be accountable for change and growth, with everyone playing a role. Dr. Brown Clarke is working to ensure the University provides a campus environment that is just, equitable and tolerant.

As the University is enhancing its Diversity Plan, we will get to hear from three distinguished panelists from the University’s faculty/staff who will give insight into what’s happening in their areas of academia, front-line medical care and procurement. They’ll also share the barriers they’ve had to break, both personally and professionally, as people of color, to get where they are today.

Guests:

Carmen Gonzalez is Stony Brook University’s Assistant Vice President for Procurement. She has held U.S. and global supply chain roles in both the higher education and corporate sectors. As part of her role at Stony Brook, she leads the areas of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Business, which are integral components of our commitment to supplier diversity. It’s how we ensure we not only have a diverse student and faculty population, but that we are giving our diverse vendors the opportunities to partner with us and thrive.

Dr. Zebulon Vance Miletsky is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and a historian specializing in recent African-American History, Civil Rights and Black Power, Urban History, Mixed Race and Biracial identity, and Hip-Hop Studies. His research interests include: African-Americans in Boston; Northern freedom movements outside of the South; mixed race history in the U.S.; and the Afro-Latin diaspora. He is the author of numerous articles, reviews, essays and book chapters and is currently working on a manuscript on the civil rights movement in Boston.

Dr. Jedan Phillips, MD is a family medicine specialist and full-time faculty member at Stony Brook Medicine, where he treats patients and is involved with medical education and leading-edge research. Dr. Phillips also serves as the Medical Director for Stony Brook Medicine’s Home Outreach and Medical Education -- or HOME -- program. This is a walk-in medical clinic for the uninsured that provides learning opportunities to medical students, and healthcare to the community -- a program that helps address some of the racial disparity issues in our current healthcare system.

Production Credits

Moderator/Host: Judi Brown Clarke, PhD

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Topic Co-Creators: Veronica Brown, Emily Cappiello

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production Assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Jun 26, 202058:25
Coming Back Safe and Strong: Pursuing a Cure

Coming Back Safe and Strong: Pursuing a Cure

With the world turning its attention more to treatment solutions and even potential COVID-19 cures, Stony Brook University has been leading antibody screening, enrolling patients in a convalescent plasma trial and conducting more than 180 dedicated research projects across all disciplines … all with the aim of winning the long-term Coronavirus battle. Stony Brook University Interim President Michael Bernstein hosts this episode of Beyond the Expected podcast and is joined by three Stony Brook guests to talk about how our researchers have stepped up and responded, about the research they're doing, and about the latest thinking on what antibodies can and can’t tell us about this disease.

Guests:

Dr. Elliot Bennett-Guerrero is Medical Director for Perioperative Quality and Patient Safety for Stony Brook Medicine. He’s also Professor and Vice Chairman for Clinical Research in the Department of Anesthesiology in Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. Dr. Bennett-Guerrero has been involved in research projects running the gamut from the safety and effectiveness of blood transfusion, to surgical site infection, postoperative morbidity and cancer recurrence. Most recently, he launched a clinical trial of donated, post-convalescent plasma from up to 500 COVID-19 patients and is also conducting antibody testing with 500 healthcare workers.

Dr. Bettina Fries is Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Medicine, and is nationally recognized as a physician-scientist in the field of microbiology. She is a Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine. She is also an attending at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society as well as the American Academy of Microbiology. A primary focus of her research has been on the development of antibodies against multidrug-resistant bacteria and on Cryptococcus neoformans. During this pandemic, Dr. Fries has consulted on COVID-19 infected patients and chairs the clinical trial task force that reports to our Hospital Incident Command System. 

Dr. Richard Reeder is Vice President for Research and serves as Associate Vice President for Brookhaven National Laboratory Affairs, acting as Stony Brook’s liaison to the nearby Department of Energy laboratory co-managed by Stony Brook University and Battelle Memorial Institute. He is also a member of the Brookhaven Science Associates Board of Directors and retains the position of Professor of Geochemistry in the Department of Geosciences, where he served as Chair for 2008-2013. Dr. Reeder’s research interests have spanned several primarily environmental-based areas. 

Production Credits

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

https://renaissance.stonybrookmedicine.edu/COVID_DonatePlasma


May 28, 202057:31
The Coronavirus Effect: Class of 2020 Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Class of 2020 Response

With graduation, commencement and impending job searches in the air, Stony Brook University is bringing to bear the full breadth of its resources to create the best possible experience for soon-to-be alumni, in our true ‘Stony Brook Strong’ spirit. In this episode of Beyond the Expected: The Coronavirus Effect, we'll see how professionals across our campus are working to deliver the special celebrations the Class of 2020 deserve, the career assistance they need in an unpredictable economic climate, and the overall support the SBU alumni network offers to help this unique class transition from students to alumni.

Diana Hannan, Executive Director, SBU Conferences & Special Events
Diana Hannan has more than 30 years of professional experience in conference and event management and related fields, with more than 15 years producing Stony Brook University events. That has included everything from academic conferences, to galas, to one-time special events like groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings, to annual milestone events like State of the University addresses and commencement ceremonies. All that said, perhaps nothing could adequately prepare her -- or any of us -- for the challenges she and her team would face trying to provide an appropriate celebratory sendoff for our Class of 2020. We’ll get to hear about how her team, and many others, are dedicating themselves to moving conferral degrees to a virtual setting, helping new alumni feel celebrated and hoping to bring them back in the future for an in-person ceremony.

Kimberly Joy Dixon, Director of Employer Engagement and Diversity Recruitment, Career Center

As Director of Employer Engagement and Diversity Recruitment at the Career Center, Kimberly Joy Dixon builds and maintains relationships with employers from various industries who seek to recruit students for internships, full-time jobs, part-time positions and volunteer opportunities. She also develops programs to connect students to employers that want to diversify their workforce and prepares students for national diversity-related internship programs. We’ll get to hear about unique challenges -- but also heartening successes and reasons for optimism -- as the Career Center is connecting the class of 2020 with employers and helping guide them toward their chosen career paths in the wake of COVID-19.

Matthew Colson, Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Alumni Association
As Executive Director of Alumni Relations and the Stony Brook University Alumni Association, Matt Colson is responsible for the overall development and oversight of events, programs, services and communications for more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. He works closely with the Alumni Association’s Executive Committee and develops student and alumni experiences that will create and sustain lifelong relationships between alumni and the University. Matt will talk to us today about alumni programs, how alumni are stepping up and connecting with our students, and how the alumni network is as strong as ever and ready to support their new fellow alumni.

Credits

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager/Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.


May 13, 202057:38
The Coronavirus Effect: Cross-Campus Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Cross-Campus Response

Ingenuity, innovation and cross-campus collaboration have been keeping patients more comfortable, care providers better protected and, bottom line, saving lives as we enter the third month of the COVID battle here at Stony Brook University. I’m Interim President Michael Bernstein and host of this podcast series, Beyond the Expected -- The Coronavirus Effect. Today, we will talk with two experts from Stony Brook University whose areas have been driving results through engineering-driven medicine, which is in partnership with Stony Brook Medicine. They’ve been redesigning ventilators, improving respirators and making hand sanitizer ... all at the rapid pace pandemic conditions have necessitated. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the effort, 9,000 faculty and staff have helped care for 5,000 symptomatic patients who have come through our doors since we saw our first COVID-suspected patient back in February. Let’s hear more about the unparalleled work they’ve been doing across campus, together, to meet the challenge

Fotis Sotiropoulos serves as Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University and is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering. Since joining the faculty in October of 2015, Dean Sotiropoulos has steered the College towards tackling major societal grand challenges by advancing convergence science initiatives in collaboration with the School of Medicine, the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences and Brookhaven National Laboratory. He is driving University-wide initiatives in Engineering-Driven Medicine and Artificial Intelligence and is at the forefront of the College’s strategic commitment to expand diversity and invent the future of engineering education in the era of exponential technologies.

Peter Tonge is the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Radiology at Stony Brook University. Dr. Tonge is a founding member of the Institute of Chemical-Biology and Drug Discovery, co-Directs the NIH-funded chemical biology training program, and has strongly supported initiatives to build the infrastructure for non-invasive positron emission tomography (PET) human imaging that links chemistry with life science departments and the School of Medicine.  He is also the Director of the Center for Advanced Study of Drug Action, whose mission is to improve the prediction of drug activity in humans, thereby increasing the success rate of new drug approvals. He will talk with us about the research and solutions the Department of Chemistry has been offering to help deal with the pandemic crisis

Production Credits

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

May 06, 202059:09
The Coronavirus Effect: Nursing Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Nursing Response

Stony Brook University Hospital has cared for more than 5,000 potential coronavirus patients. For 59 days, and counting, the Hospital has drawn on the full force of its resources and expertise to battle this disease. In this edition of Beyond the Expected -- The Coronavirus Effect: Nursing Response, Interim President Michael Bernstein talks to three dedicated Stony Brook nurses who will share their experiences, their stories, and what it has meant to be on the frontline of the surge both professionally and personally.

About the Guests

Cindyann Beck, BS, RN, Nursing Policy Coordinator, Department of Regulatory Affairs

Cindyann Beck has been with the Hospital for 15 years, originally as a Neonatal Intensive Care Registered Nurse (RN). For the past 10 years, she has been responsible for the oversight of nursing policies and standards of care, and more recently joined the Department of Regulatory Affairs to help the Hospital maintain regulatory readiness and compliance. Some of her COVID-related responsibilities have included making rapid adjustments to policies and procedures in response to the unique care environment as well as disruptions to the supply chain brought on by the pandemic. She has also taken on special projects and tasks as needed to support the nursing staff during these difficult and uncertain times.

Lesley Pronesti, RN, Teaching &Research Center Nurse III, Surgical Oncology
Lesley Pronesti is a Registered Nurse in Stony Brook University Hospital’s Surgical Oncology unit. She has been with the Hospital for 10 years. Currently she serves in a supervisory role, where she trains other nurses, while continuing to provide patient care. Lesley helped to launch the Stony Brook Medicine #InThisTogether movement on social media, inspiring others to share their positive views on how Stony Brook University Hospital has supported its staff and cared for patients.

Alison L. Rowe, MS, RN, NEA-BC, CEN, Associate Director of Nursing, Department of Emergency and Cardiac Services

Board certified in Nursing Administration, Alison Rowe has held a leadership position at Stony Brook University Hospital for more than 10 years, serving as the Associate Director of Nursing for Emergency and Cardiac Services for the past five years. She manages more than 500 staff members caring for patients in inpatient and outpatient departments. Her expertise includes nursing administration, regulatory requirements and nursing across diverse patient populations.

Production Credits

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke
Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Emily Cappiello, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown
Production assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan
YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray
Vodcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Camera: Brian DiLeo
Editor: Tony Fabrizio
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Apr 30, 202001:00:20
The Coronavirus Effect: Research Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Research Response

Saving lives today and looking for solutions for tomorrow. Facing the biggest healthcare challenge of the past century head-on, feverishly searching for clues and innovations to protect patients and providers today and prevent similar outbreaks in the future. Drawing on past and present evidence, engineering and know-how to make the world a safer place. In the latest podcast in our series Beyond the Expected: The Coronavirus Effect - Research Response, hosted by Interim President Michael Bernstein, we provide three strategic vantage points from experts leading the charge to contain and defeat Covid-19: Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, a hematologist and senior executive of Long Island’s premiere academic medical center; Dr. Lilianne Mujica-Parodi, a biomedical engineer and pioneer in the field of personalized medicine through computational neurodiagnostics, and Dr. Scott Weingart, Department of Emergency Medicine; Chief of the Division of Emergency Critical Care.

Guests:

Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, MACP, Senior Vice President for Health Sciences; Dean, Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM)

A successful teacher, clinician and biomedical researcher, Dr. Kaushansky has performed critical laboratory work leading to significant discoveries in the areas of platelet and stem cell disorders, for which he has received numerous awards. He’s a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Master of the American College of Physicians. Ken will talk about bridging the gap between the laboratory and clinical arena, along with clinical trials we’re conducting to fight COVID-19.

Lilianne Mujica-Parodi, Ph.D., Professor Director of the Laboratory for Computational Neurodiagnostics

Dr. Mujica-Parodi is Director of the Laboratory for Computational Neurodiagnostics and Professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, as well as Research Staff Scientist and Lecturer in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her interdisciplinary laboratory integrates the fields of physics, mathematics, engineering and neuroscience in developing cutting-edge neuroimaging tools to study brain-based disorders in humans. She will talk about engineering-driven medicine and share how we’re using the OuraRing to monitor doctors’ health while they’re treating patients.

Scott Weingart, MD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine; Chief of the Division of Emergency Critical Care

Dr. Weingart received his medical degree and completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is an attending in and chief of the Division of Emergency Critical Care at Stony Brook Hospital. He is a tenured professor of emergency medicine at Stony Brook Medicine and an adjunct professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is best known for his podcast on Resuscitation and ED Critical Care called the EMCrit Podcast; it currently is downloaded more than 500,000 times per month.

Apr 23, 202047:45
The Coronavirus Effect: Health and Safety of Medical Personnel

The Coronavirus Effect: Health and Safety of Medical Personnel

In literally minute-by-minute, life and death situations, healthcare providers around the world are putting their own lives at risk as they answer the call to treat overwhelming numbers of Coronavirus patients. The situation is nowhere more challenging than in New York State, Long Island and here in Stony Brook, where medical professionals have been keeping pace with the surge day by day. On this episode of “Beyond the Expected," hosted by Interim President MIchael Bernstein, Stony Brook University Hospital attending physicians share their personal experiences of being infected by, and recovering from, COVID-19, in this environment, and Stony Brook University Hospital’s Medical Director of Healthcare Epidemiology provides her expert opinions on how to stop the spread among patients and providers. 

Susan Donelan, MD, FSHEA, Medical Director, Healthcare Epidemiology Department; Hospital Epidemiologist; Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases and Medical Director, Regional Training Center, MARO Region
Susan Donelan has a strong clinical expertise in infectious diseases such as Lyme Disease and West Nile Virus, hospital-acquired infections, and MRSA. She has an interest in emerging infectious diseases, and her Ebola care plan is adaptable for patients who may have diseases like MERS-CoV and avian influenza. She has certified training in pandemic planning and preparedness, and trained for a week in Anniston, Alabama at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, with a certification in Healthcare Leadership and Decision Making. Dr. Donelan will share how all of this training and experience is being put to work in our current pandemic crisis to help prevent the occurrence, and spread, of COVID-19 among patients and the healthcare professionals treating them.

Kimberly Noel, MD MPH, Stony Brook Medicine Telehealth Director; Deputy Chief Medical Information Officer; Patient Centered Medical Home Chief Quality Officer, Family Medicine; Occupational and Employee Health & Wellness Physician; Clinical Assistant Professor of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine
Dr. Noel is a physician, published researcher, and telehealth specialist. She serves as the Director of Stony Brook Medicine Telehealth and the Deputy Chief Medical Information Officer and Chief Quality Officer of Family Medicine’s PCMH. She devises telehealth strategy, implementation and policy solutions in collaboration with key stakeholders at Stony Brook and co-leads the Telehealth Workgroup, reporting to the Chief Information Officer. She is an occupational health physician, and practices clinically caring for Stony Brook employees.  Beyond Stony Brook, Dr. Noel is an appointee to the New York State Department of Health Regulatory Modernization Initiative Telehealth Advisory Committee. She is leading a program for the American Telemedicine Association 2020 Conference for Telehealth Accessibility for persons with disabilities.

James Vosswinkel, MD, FACS, Chief, Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care; Medical Director, Trauma Center Surgical ICU, Stony Brook Medicine; and Lillian and Leonard Schneider Endowed Professor in Trauma Surgery

James “Voss” Vosswinkel’s specialties include surgical management of injured patients in all aspects of traumatology. That includes management of diseases of the gastrointestinal and endocrine systems; treatment of soft tissue disease; repair of hernias; appendectomy; cholecystectomy; laparoscopic surgery; and pre- and post-operative critical care of adult surgical patients.  Before and during this Coronavirus pandemic, he has been leading efforts to increase our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity; collaborate with medical professionals locally, across the country and globally to share experiences and best practices; and develop innovative ways to treat patients in trauma under unimaginably challenging circumstances.

Apr 16, 202001:00:12
Mobile Stroke Unit Saving Long Island Lives | Dr. David Fiorella

Mobile Stroke Unit Saving Long Island Lives | Dr. David Fiorella

Host:

Interim President Michael Bernstein

About Dr. Fiorella:

Dr. David J. Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center, Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center, and  Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiology joined the Department of Neurosurgery in 2009. Dr. Fiorella is considered a pioneer in the field of neuro-interventional therapies, advancing new devices and techniques for the treatment of Cerebrovascular disease. Dr. Fiorella spearheaded the acquisition of 2 Mobile Stroke units for Stony Brook University Hospital, the first program in Suffolk County. He is the Principle Investigator or Co-PI on numerous national trials evaluating new devices and techniques for the treatment of aneurysms, acute stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage. He is a senior member of the Society for Neuro-interventional Surgery (SNIS) and senior associate editor of the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery. Dr. Fiorella has been named amongst the best interventional radiologists/endovascular surgeons in Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors for several years in a row.

About the Episode:

Stony Brook Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit founder, Dr. David Fiorella, is considered a pioneer in the field of neuro-interventional therapies -- advancing new devices and techniques for the treatment of Cerebrovascular disease.

He took that pioneering inspiration one step further in 2019 when he and a team of Stony Brook clinicians and colleagues launched the first two Mobile Stroke Units on Long Island.

These Mobile Stroke Units enable stroke patients to be triaged and treated in the field, wherever the patient is located. Clinicians can administer IV TPa, a medication that minimizes brain injury, at any remote location and then immediately transport the patient to the closest appropriate care facility, where physicians can initiate further care.

In this episode of “Beyond the Expected,” Michael Bernstein talks to Dr. Fiorella about his trajectory as a vascular brain surgeon and what inspired him to pursue the complex initiative of starting a Mobile Stroke Unit program. You’ll also hear heartwarming stories of patient survival, and learn what this groundbreaking program has meant for Long Island stroke care since it launched in April 2019.

Credits:

Thanks to Dr. David Fiorella

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant Producer: Emily Cappiello

Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan

Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Casey  Borchick

Podcast photography and YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Podcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Camera: Greg Klose

Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Apr 15, 202024:35
"The Coronavirus Effect: Telehealth Response"

"The Coronavirus Effect: Telehealth Response"

Across the country and around the world, an increasing number of people are being evaluated and treated online, both physically and emotionally, to help keep them healthy and safe, and stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As words like telehealth and telecounseling become a bigger part of our collective vernacular, find out what Stony Brook University is doing to lead the charge in supporting faculty, staff, students, patients and even healthcare providers with online services. This latest in our ongoing series of podcasts, “The Coronavirus Effect: Telehealth Response,” will look at all that’s happening in this critical realm, who’s benefiting and the challenges ahead. Guests Cathrine Duffy, Healthier U Director: Cathrine Duffy is newly appointed Director of Stony Brook University’s Healthier U initiative -- a health and wellness program that focuses on improving the total well-being of employees, which is a major strategic priority for the University. Cathrine is responsible for development of the Healthier U initiative and implementing a full suite of programs designed to support a healthy work environment, and to provide opportunities for staff and faculty to enhance their physical, fiscal and mental health. She will talk about how Healthier U is now offering daily online support to help ease anxieties in these days of pandemic crisis, the issues being expressed, as well as the telecounseling services available to students. Kristie Golden, PhD, LMHC, CRC, Associate Director of Operations for Stony Brook Medicine: In her role as Associate Director of Operations for Stony Brook Medicine and a member of the Hospital Administration Executive Staff, Kristie Golden oversees all operating aspects of psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, telehealth and other program areas. She specializes in fostering collaboration between the hospital, ambulatory services/physician practices and the community. She also plays a key role in shaping hospital policy, strategic and operating plans, community interface and budgets. Kristie is spearheading the advancement of telehealth initiatives in the face of addressing COVID-19 safety concerns and personal protection protocol. She’ll share what all that looks like today, the reaction and the results. Adam Gonzalez, PhD, Director of Behavioral Health and Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine: Dr. Adam Gonzalez is a licensed clinical psychologist, the Director of Behavioral Health and the Founding Director of the Stony Brook University Mind-Body Clinical Research Center in the Renaissance School of Medicine. He is an expert in cognitive behavioral treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments and behavioral medicine. Dr. Gonzalez is deeply involved in the advancements Stony Brook University is making in the area of telecounseling services. He’ll also talk about steps he and others are taking to help our ‘frontline’ healthcare providers cope and recharge. Production Credits Guest Host: Michael Bernstein Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta Producer: Lauren Sheprow Art Director: Karen Leibowitz Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke Assistant producer: Joan Behan-Duncan Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray Podcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel Thanks to the SBU School of Journalism for use of its studio.
Apr 09, 202059:01
The Coronavirus Effect: Remote Learning Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Remote Learning Response

Host: Michael Bernstein

Episode Notes:

In this episode of “Beyond the Expected,” Interim President Michael Bernstein delves into what it takes to turn a college campus with 26,000 students and 2,700 faculty members into a virtual learning center the size and scale of which has been neither attempted nor experienced before. Like college campuses across the country, Stony Brook  is rising to the unprecedented challenge of massive-scale remote learning. In fact, virtual classes began here two days ago, on Monday, March 30, following an extended Spring Break. Tune in as “The Coronavirus Effect: Remote Learning Response,” looks at the issues Stony Brook Divisions of Undergraduate Education and Information Technology are addressing to smooth the way for faculty and students in this strange new world.

Guests

Patricia Aceves, Assistant VP, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Patricia’s collegiate career began 20+ years ago, building quality online programs for adult learners. As Assistant Vice President for the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), she now leads a team of professionals in the expansion of online undergraduate education, developing policies and procedures around curriculum delivery, educational and multimedia technologies, learning space innovations and student evaluations of teaching. 

Dr. Charles Robbins, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success and Dean of the Undergraduate Colleges

Charlie Robbins is the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success and Dean of the Undergraduate Colleges at Stony Brook University. He is the Executive Director of the University’s Center for Changing Systems of Power. Charlie has led Stony Brook’s efforts to improve graduation rates and quality of the undergraduate academic experience. With his strong passion and experience around students’ physical and psychological well-being; equity, diversity and equality; and public health issues, he has an in-depth perspective to share around the transition to remote learning, all that entails on so many different levels.

Diana Voss, Director of Academic Technology Services, CELT

As Director of Academic Technologies for Stony Brook University’s Center for Excellence in Learning (CELT) and Teaching, Diana and her team (including Undergraduate Student employees) support numerous technology platforms including Blackboard. Adobe Connect, VoiceThread, Digication, Clickers, Echo360 and  Qualtrics.  They are responsible for the function of applications and simulations developed in the Teaching & Learning Lab, and student technology workshops. She also works on internal DoIT teams to improve service management, bolster information security through awareness programs, and increase student employee career competencies.

Production Credits

Thanks to our guests, Patricia Avedes, Charles Robbins, Diana Voss

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein

Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta

Producer: Lauren Sheprow

Art Director: Karen Leibowitz

Assistant producer: Ellen Cooke

Assistant producer: Emily Cappiello

Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Casey Borchick, Veronica Brown

Production assistant: Joan Behan-Duncan

YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray

Podcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman

Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere

Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio

Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald

Camera: Brian DiLeo

Editor: Tony Fabrizio

Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Apr 01, 202058:36
The Coronavirus Effect: Medicine Response | Carol Gomes and Dr. Josh Miller

The Coronavirus Effect: Medicine Response | Carol Gomes and Dr. Josh Miller

Stony Brook University Hospital is a part of the Stony Brook University community that upholds the values and ideas of excellence for which Stony Brook has become so well-known. As the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything for the Stony Brook Medicine team, this episode of Beyond the Expected, “The Coronavirus Effect: Medicine Response,” looks at the temporary ‘new normal’ for the team’s faculty, staff and leadership. We will also discuss how they have been called to rise up to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. These individuals are working tirelessly, together, to stop the spread of this pandemic.

About the Guests

Carol A. Gomes
Carol Gomes is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital and has more than 30 years’ experience in the healthcare field. She has earned two Master's degrees from Stony Brook University in Management and Policy from the Harriman School of Management and Policy, Healthcare Management and Administration from the School of Allied Health Professions. Carol has served on the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Program’s Board of Examiners since 1999 and teaches for the School of Health Technology and Management. She also holds certifications as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Certified Practitioner of Healthcare from the National Association for Healthcare Quality, and numerous certifications in laboratory sciences and management from the American Society for Clinical Pathology. Also the recipient of numerous prestigious healthcare industry awards, she mentors students pursuing careers in healthcare administration. Carol will share with us the steps she and the Stony Brook University Hospital are taking to provide the best, safest care possible in a beyond-challenging environment.

Dr. Joshua D. Miller

Dr. Josh Miller is Assistant Dean for Clinical Integration and Medical Director of Diabetes Care at Stony Brook Medicine. He is dual-certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology & Metabolism in the Department of Medicine. Living with type 1 diabetes for more than 20 years, Josh brings vast experience and empathy as he helps people with diabetes conquer the challenges of living with the disease. With most resources squarely centered now on emergency response for the COVID-19 pandemic, Josh is currently also running operations at the newly opened drive through testing site for our community members, located on the university campus. He’s mobilizing, organizing and directing hospital staff in this challenging process and instructing them on how to remain safe while administering swab tests. Josh’s background and strong interest in population health is an asset in this critical new role and he will share details on what’s happening at our new testing facility in the P-lot parking area and why it’s important. 

Mar 25, 202055:21
The Coronavirus Effect: Campus Response

The Coronavirus Effect: Campus Response

In this episode of Beyond the Expected, “The Coronavirus Effect: Campus Response,” Interim President Michael Alan Bernstein talks to three Stony Brook University administrators who are deep in the trenches of emergency management operations; communications and risk management; healthcare guidance and delivery; and mitigation of the spread of the fast moving pandemic disease COVID-19.

Production Credits

Thanks to our extraordinary panel of Stony Brook administrators, including Marisa Bisiani, Larry Zacarese and Rick Gatteau. 
Guest Host: Michael Bernstein
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz 
Assistant Producer: Emily Cappiello
Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch, Casey Borchick
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Podcast photography and social media: Ellen Cooke
YouTube Technician: Dennis Murray
Podcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Camera: Brian DiLeo
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel  

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.




Mar 18, 202057:41
Special Report: The Coronavirus Effect

Special Report: The Coronavirus Effect

In this episode of Beyond the Expected -- “The Coronavirus Effect” -- Interim President Michael Alan Bernstein has gathered the diverse expertise of three Stony Brook University faculty who can discuss many of the different impacts our campus community is feeling related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. From health and wellness, clinical, economic, and an historical perspective, what does COVID-19 mean to us at this moment in time and how can we thrive through this trying pandemic turned public health crisis.

About the guests:

Stacey Finkelstein, PhD, is an associate professor of marketing at the Stony Brook University College of Business. With her research expertise and focus on marketing strategies, consumer behavior and consumer judgement as well as consumer insights, Stacey will address the Coronavirus effect and impact of panic on consumer purchasing decisions and purchasing trends. She is currently on the Editorial Review Board (ERB) of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the Journal of Consumer Affairs, and Appetite and earned her PhD, from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She joins this podcast remotely from her home in the New York State designated COVID-19 containment zone in New Rochelle, NY.

Sharon Nachman MD, is the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital and Associate Dean for Research in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Nachman is an international leader in the area of pediatric infectious diseases and the treatment of children with AIDS, flu and measles. She has been the principal investigator of more than 30 clinical trials of promising medicines for patients treated at Stony Brook University Hospital. These include international trials in areas such as new vaccines, Lyme disease, and AIDS. She also directs the Maternal Child HIV/AIDS Program.

Nancy Tomes, Ph.D., is a researcher, SUNY Distinguished History Professor and Stony Brook University Senate President. Nancy joins this podcast to share her expertise of the history of Pandemics and American healthcare. She has researched historic epidemics like HIV AIDS and the Spanish Flu and what we can learn from these previous occurrences. Professor Tomes has taught at the University since 1978 and describes her own work as being focused on the intersection between expert knowledge and popular understandings of the body and disease. She is a multiple award-winning author of four books. While she enjoys research, Professor Tomes teaches undergraduate and graduate students with survey courses in American history along with more specialized courses on the history of disease and the evolution of the American mental hospital  in historical perspective.

Production Credits

Thanks to our extraordinary panel of experts: Associate Professor Stacey Finkelstein, Dr. Sharon Nachman, and SUNY Distinguished History Professor Nancy Tomes.

Guest Host: Michael Bernstein
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant Producer: Emily Cappiello
Facebook Live and Social Media: Meryl Altuch
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Content Contributors: Robert Emproto, Jacob Levich, Glenn Jochum
Podcast photography: Dennis Murray
Podcast Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel
Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Mar 13, 202050:18
We Are Still Here! Be Counted in 2020 | Dr. Carolyn Peabody & MSW student Meesha Johnson

We Are Still Here! Be Counted in 2020 | Dr. Carolyn Peabody & MSW student Meesha Johnson

Funded by a grant from the New York Community Trust Equity Fund, “We Are Still Here! Be Counted in 2020! Indigenous Suffolk 2020 Census Project” was created for the purpose of coordinating and maximizing local efforts to ensure that Suffolk County’s Native American community is not undercounted. In this episode of “Beyond the Expected,” Michael Bernstein talks to Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare’s Dr. Carolyn Peabody and her student Meesha Johnson about a groundbreaking project they are spearheading on to ensure all indigenous Long Islanders are counted. 

Mar 11, 202025:24
The Humanity of Communicating Science | Alan Alda

The Humanity of Communicating Science | Alan Alda

In this episode of “Beyond the Expected,” Alan Inkles, Director of the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, sits down with American actor, director, screenwriter, and author Alan Alda, visiting professor and founder of the Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.

Alan has honed his skills as a masterful interviewer over 11 years on the award-winning PBS series Scientific American Frontiers where he spoke with hundreds of the world’s greatest scientists. When meeting with academic leaders around the country, Mr. Alda started suggesting to university presidents that they teach scientists how to present their research to the public. Stony Brook accepted his challenge by opening the Center for Communicating Science where Alan used his experience as an actor: whether in relating to the people he interviewed or acted.

Using exercises derived from improvisational theater, he and the Center’s trainers help participants connect with their audience and bring clarity to complex ideas.

The Center has trained over 15,000 doctors and scientists in eight countries to be world class communicators. The Center has also trained Stony Brook University Discovery Prize Award young scientific finalists to present their nominated presentation to judges for consideration of winning $200,000 to further their research.

Alan’s new podcast, “Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda®,” which looks to help listeners connect better with others in every area of their lives, launched in July 2018 and now has over seven million downloads.

A seven-time Emmy Award winner as well as six Golden Globes Awards and recipient of the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, Alan Alda played Hawkeye Pierce and wrote and directed many of the episodes on the classic TV series M*A*S*H. He has starred in, written and directed many films, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Aviator. He appeared in continuing roles on ER, The West Wing, 30 Rock, The Blacklist, Horace and Pete, The Good Fight, and a recurring role on Showtime’s Ray Donovan. Having most recently starred in the Academy Award nominated Noah Baumbach film, Marriage Story, Alan is also the author of several New York Times Best Selling books, the most recent being the 2017 break out book on relating and communicating, “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?”


Production Credits 

Thanks to Alan Alda, legendary actor, director, writer, author, and, for more than 11 years, the host of “Scientific American Frontiers” on PBS. In 2010 he founded the Alda Center For Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, where he is a visiting professor. More recently, through his Alda Communication Training program, he launched “Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda®,” a podcast which looks to help listeners connect better with others in every area of their lives.

Guest Host: Alan Inkles, Director of the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Podcast Director and Chief Editor: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Camera: Brian DiLeo
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel  


Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.

Feb 25, 202032:30
In Search of the Origins of the Universe | Professor Abhay Deshpande

In Search of the Origins of the Universe | Professor Abhay Deshpande

In this episode of Beyond the Expected, Michael Bernstein is talking with Stony Brook University Physics Professor, Abhay Deshpande, who, in addition to his role as the Director of the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science at Stony Brook University, has a joint appointment at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he is Director of EIC Science. Professor Deshpande works in experimental nuclear physics, and his current research includes various exploratory and precision studies in QCD using polarized proton-proton, proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus beams of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. He also does research with high intensity polarized electron beams of the recently upgraded Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia. He was one of the original proposers of and has been involved deeply in the development of the science and promotion of the Electron Ion Collider, a $1.6 billion-dollar Department of Energy development project -- the first of its kind in the world -- that was awarded in January 2020 to Brookhaven National Lab. He’s been focused on this area of science for more than 20 years, and now, with the certainty that this new facility will come to fruition, he will actually see his dream come to fruition. We can be assured that scientists around the world will have an opportunity to explore new frontiers that have never been explored before using the BNL’s Electron Ion Collider.

Production Credits
Thanks to Abhay Deshpande, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, Director, EIC Science at Brookhaven National Lab and Director of the Center for Frontiers in Nuclear Science at Stony Brook University.

Host: Michael A. Bernstein, Interim President
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz Assistant
Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Chief Editor: Frank D’Aurio
Editor/Camera: Brian DiLeo
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio.


Feb 07, 202020:43
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate | Dr. Sharon Nachman

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate | Dr. Sharon Nachman

Beyond the Expected host, Michael Bernstein, sits down with Sharon Nachman MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital and Associate Dean for Research in the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Nachman is an international leader in the area of pediatric infectious diseases and the treatment of children with AIDS, flu and measles. She has been the principal investigator of more than 30 clinical trials of promising medicines for patients treated at Stony Brook University Hospital. These include international trials in areas such as new vaccines, Lyme disease, and AIDS. She also directs the Maternal Child HIV/AIDS Program. In this episode, Michael talks to Sharon about the international health crisis brought on by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, the impact of the new New York State vaccine law on Long Island's school districts and discusses vaccines and immunizations and if vaccines are truly safe; what children and their families should know and how can they prepare; and what are some complications/symptoms that can occur if children are not vaccinated.

Production Credits

Thanks to episode two guest, Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine

Host: Michael A. Bernstein, Interim President
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-Duncan
Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Chief Editor: Frank D’Aurio
Editor/Camera: Brian DiLeo
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Feb 07, 202020:24
Jazzing Up the Neighborhood | Professor Thomas Manuel

Jazzing Up the Neighborhood | Professor Thomas Manuel

Jazz Artist-In-Residence, Thomas Manuel, may have been at a crossroads the year he completed his D.M.A. at Stony Brook in 2016; if not for an unexpected intervention by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization in Stony Brook. A Newsday article published in May of 2014 entitled, “Tom Manuel has a collection. Now all he needs is a museum,” brought them together, which led to Tom emerging as founding president of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook Village that same year. It was serendipitous: Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Gloria Rocchio, saw the story and immediately called him to offer him space to start a museum and Jazz entertainment venue in an empty firehouse building in historic Stony Brook Village. The rest, as they say, is history. In this podcast episode, Beyond the Expected host, Michael Bernstein, will explore Tom’s trajectory as an endowed Jazz Artist in Residence at Stony Brook University, his work with young jazz musicians, and his contributions to this popular community hot spot. He may even convince Tom to smoke a jazz jam while he’s at it.

Production Credits
Thanks to episode one guest, Stony Brook University Professor Thomas A. Manuel, D.M.A. (’16), President & Founder of The Jazz Loft, Inc., Endowed Jazz Artist in Residence at Stony Brook University and Director of the Stony Brook University Young Artists Jazz Program

Host: Michael A. Bernstein, Interim President
Executive Producer: Nicholas Scibetta
Producer: Lauren Sheprow
Art Director: Karen Leibowitz
Assistant Producer: Joan Behan-DuncanPodcast
Director: Jan Diskin-Zimmerman
Engineer/Technical Director: Phil Altiere
Production Manager: Tony Fabrizio
Camera/Lighting Director: Jim Oderwald
Chief Editor: Frank D’Aurio
Editor/Camera: Brian DiLeo
Camera: Greg Klose
Original score: “Mutti Bug” provided by Professor Tom Manuel

Special thanks to the Stony Brook University School of Journalism for use of its podcast studio

Feb 06, 202019:31