Dr. Kenneth R. Morris, Professor at LIU Pharmacy and Director of the Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Analysis, was selected as the 2020 David J. W. Grant Distinguished Scholar in Basic Pharmaceutics by The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education. The award recognizes outstanding scientific achievements in the relevant areas of pharmaceutical science and technology. It is the Institute’s highest awarded recognition.
National Science Foundation Funds Novel Carbon Research
The National Science Foundation is funding research from Dr. Cheng Zhang, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, that will mitigate the negative impacts of carbon emissions on the environment and the ecosystem. Zhang is developing a new approach that has the dual impact of removing CO2 from the atmosphere while generating commercial products.
Financial Professional of the Year
Eric Bitetto (BA, ’01), Founder of Semper Fortis Financial, LLC, was recently selected as Top Financial Professional of the Year 2020 by the International Association of Top Professionals for his outstanding leadership and dedication to the industry. The award is given to individuals based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, longevity in the field, other affiliations and contributions to their communities.
Pharmacy Students Serve on COVID-19 Front Lines
Nearly 200 students from LIU Pharmacy’s graduating class have worked on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. Among this group, over 100 students have worked in community pharmacies, while over 70 have worked in a hospital pharmacy, including dozens of students on rotation at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. Additionally, many students worked in both hospital and community pharmacies.
LIU Honors Graduates at Commencement 2020
Long Island University recognized the graduates of Long Island University during the 2020 Commencement Ceremony. The distinguished speakers were Wynton Marsalis, a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer and winner of 9 Grammy awards and the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Music who currently serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center; Rudy Ruettiger, the iconic Notre Dame University football player who inspired the blockbuster film Rudy; and Abdul Muktadir (MS, ’84), founding Chairman and Managing Director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals, the second largest drug manufacturer in Bangladesh.
Nursing Professor Wins National Leadership Award
Dr. Sheldon D. Fields, adjunct professor at LIU’s Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing, was awarded the 2020 Towers Pinnacle Award by The American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The award is annually given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions resulting in increased national recognition for nurse practitioners and increased opportunities for nurse practitioners to provide care to patients.
Alumnus’ Novel Wins Prestigious Book Award
Michael Okon (BS, ’00; MBA ’03), an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres, won a 2020 Feathered Quill Book Awards for his novel Monsterland. The Association of Independent Authors named the Feathered Quill awards one of the best award programs for independent authors.
Alumna Joins U.S. Army Readiness Council
Patty Barron (MS, ‘92), director of Family Readiness for the Association of the U.S. Army, was sworn in as member of the Defense Department’s Military Family Readiness Council. The 18-member council provides recommendations on family programs, policies and plans, meeting at least twice a year to monitor and evaluate programs.
LIU Respiratory Care Fills Critical Void in COVID-19 Battle
Long Island University is making a significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in the crucial area of respiratory care. LIU has donated its reserve supply of ventilators for use in the hospital set up inside New York City’s Javits Center to treat coronavirus patients.
Lisa Shultis, Director of LIU’s Respiratory Care program, is one of the healthcare heroes on the embattled frontlines of New York City, training students to operate life-saving ventilators. Her expert insight has been featured by several national media outlets, including CNN, NPR and The Huffington Post. Long Island University’s Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care program is preparing students to fill the void, as one of only four accredited baccalaureate programs of its kind in New York.
In addition to her work as program director, Shultis is also working with Fisher & Paykel to help build mechanical ventilators, testing patients at a drive-through site in Morris County, New Jersey, as well as working per diem as a respiratory therapist at Montefiore Nyack Hospital in Rockland County, New York. When CNN asked her how she was able to juggle all the different responsibilities, Shultis responded with a rhetorical question.
“How am I able to not do as much as I can?” she said, underscoring the moral responsibility to serve. “Everybody’s working to full capacity. For the need right now, we just need to work double and triple what we would normally work.”
Students and recent graduates of the respiratory care program have volunteered to help Shultis with assembling the new ventilators. “The more hands on deck, the faster we can produce these devices,” she said. “As soon as a device is built, it can go right upstairs to be put to use.”
Looking at the silver lining and toward the future, Shultis believes the pandemic has brought important legal and ethical questions to the forefront of the profession.
“There’s new opportunity for us to show students ‘What do we do when there is such a pandemic’ and ‘How do we behave?’” she said. “We’re also seeing telemedicine and telehealth really getting used a lot more. So, what will their role be in the future?”
Shultis had already added these burgeoning technological tools into the respiratory care program’s curriculum at LIU.
“We’ve learned new strategies for ventilation, social distancing, PPE [personal protective equipment], how basic and important handwashing is,” she said. “Our success will be integrating all the lessons we’ve learned from this into the program going forward, because we’ve learned so much.”
Good Housekeeping’s Nutrition Lab Expert
Stefani Sassos (RDN ’16) leads The Nutrition Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, part of Hearst Magazines. The Nutrition Lab is one of seven testing spaces in the Good Housekeeping Institute. It aims to provide consumers with evidence-based nutrition content and recommendations to help readers make informed food choices and live healthy lives.