SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES

President and Chief Executive Officer, Gurwin Healthcare System

Stuart B. Almer is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Gurwin Healthcare System, Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Gurwin Jewish ~ Fay J. Lindner Residences, Gurwin Home Care Agency, Gurwin Healthcare Foundation and Fountaingate Gardens.  Prior to joining Gurwin in 2015, Mr. Almer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, and prior to that as Vice President, Operations at Peninsula Hospital Center.  Mr. Almer has also held senior management positions at Syosset Community Hospital, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center and Huntington Hospital.

Mr. Almer is an Adjunct Professor in the Masters in Health Administration Program at Hofstra University, and previously served in a similar capacity in Hofstra’s Gerontology Program.  He often lectures to community and civic organizations on quality, leadership, the status of long-term care, and the overall state of the healthcare system.

Chief Executive Officer, Infinity Health Care Management

As the Chief Executive Officer for Infinity Healthcare Management, Michael Blisko is a veteran of leading healthcare consultancy portfolios, as well as the architect in creating cutting edge leadership teams. Infinity Healthcare management is comprised of consultancy agreements in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas, with the facilities housing approximately 5,000 licensed skilled nursing home beds. Additionally, Mr. Blisko is a principle and on the Board of Directors for Strawberry Fields, a REIT with over 7,000 skilled nursing beds throughout the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas.

To further diversify his portfolio, Mr. Blisko is a principle for a myriad of ancillary companies including United Rx, a long term pharmacy, Heritage Home Health and Hospice, Xcel Med, Bella Monte Recovery, and Core Centers Recovery. Additionally, Michael is also an owner/operator for 42 facilities in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

Currently, Michael serves on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Healthcare Association (IHCA) and is on the committee for Post-Acute Care for the American Healthcare Association (AHCA). Previously, Michael was the Chairman of the Regulatory Committee with the Illinois Council for Long Term Care 2014- 2014, and was also on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Council of Long Term Care. Michael’s success began in the healthcare industry growing up in Brooklyn, NY where he spent his primary years working in a nursing home alongside his father. He continued on to become a licensed Nursing Home Administrator with a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Hofstra University and a BA in Talmudic Law from Bais Yisroel, Jerusalem The reverberation of Michael’s success is centered around his unique brand and leadership style. With that, Michael lent his voice as the author of his book, “The Root Cause Analysis of a Balanced leader”.

Operations Administrator, Mayo Clinic Florida

Dr. Darren Brownlee is a distinguished healthcare executive serving as the Vice Chair of Administration and Strategic Initiatives at Mayo Clinic in Florida, where he provides executive leadership in administration, operations, and strategic growth to advance Mayo Clinic Florida’s site and enterprise objectives. He fosters cross-functional collaboration to enhance operational efficiency, drive digital transformation, and strengthen workforce development, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities in an evolving healthcare landscape. His oversight spans organizational resource allocation, process improvement, and the development of high-performing teams, positioning Mayo Clinic Florida for sustained excellence and innovation. Additionally, he leads organizational resource allocation (people, space, and technology) as the administrative leader of the Mayo Clinic Florida Operations Coordinating Group (OCG).

A former scholarship athlete, Dr. Brownlee played football at West Virginia University before earning his Master of Health Administration from Hofstra University and a Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins University. He is a proven leader in healthcare administration, specializing in strategic planning, operational optimization, financial stewardship, and advancing access to care.

Dr. Brownlee began his healthcare career at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, where he held progressive leadership roles within the Department of Surgery and Department of Medicine, managing Chairman’s Office operations and leading enterprise-wide health equity initiatives. In 2018, he transitioned to Mayo Clinic in Florida as an Operations Administrator, overseeing Dermatology, Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy, Sleep Medicine, and Respiratory Services.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Brownlee served as Senior Division Chair of Education, providing strategic oversight of Mayo Clinic Florida’s five Schools of Education (Continuous Professional Development, Graduate Medical Education, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, and School of Medicine), as well as the Experiential Learning Center, which includes the Procedural Skills and Simulation Laboratories. He was accountable for strategic planning, fiscal management, staff development, and programmatic outcomes.

In addition to his leadership role at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Brownlee serves as adjunct faculty at the University of North Florida (UNF), where he contributes to the academic development of future healthcare leaders.

Beyond his professional responsibilities, Dr. Brownlee is a recognized leader in healthcare advocacy and community engagement. He is a Past Chapter President and former Board Member of the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders Alum, and a former United Way Northeast Florida Fellow. Additionally, he is an alumnus of Leadership Jacksonville (Class of 2023) and Leadership Florida (Connect Class 13).

Dr. Brownlee’s exceptional leadership has been recognized through multiple accolades, including the Jacksonville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award and the Florida Black Expo Top 20 Under 40 Award. A dedicated mentor and advocate for health equity, he continues to build strategic partnerships, foster innovation, and drive meaningful impact within Mayo Clinic and the broader healthcare community.

He is also a proud Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., embodying a lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and mentorship.

Chair of the Board, President and CEO, CenterLight Health System

Tara Buonocore-Rut is President and CEO of CenterLight Health System, a not-for-profit organization that operates the nation’s largest single-state Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Matter of Care, a Licensed Home Care Services Agency. She also serves as President and CEO of C2Q Health Solutions, an organization providing tailored management services and expert support to value-based care providers and TeamCare Medical, which offers primary care, preventive care, and wellness programs that promote whole-person care for adults 55+. Buonocore-Rut has devoted her career to the health and well-being of older adults and brings impressive experience and expertise in strategic and operational business planning, financial management, dual eligible populations and long-term care.

Buonocore-Rut joined CenterLight in 2020 and has since led efforts to restructure its care delivery, business development, business intelligence, and compliance functions – all in service of more integrated, higher-quality care.

Prior to joining CenterLight, Buonocore-Rut served as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Operations at Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, where she successfully planned and implemented corporate, financial, clinical and quality goals. From 2012 to 2017, she was Executive Director of AgeWell New York, overseeing financial performance, business development and operational planning of the organization, which grew to over $750 million in revenue under her leadership.

An active contributor to healthcare industry and governmental workgroups, Buonocore-Rut served on the Board of the National PACE Association. She is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives, the American College of Health Care Administrators, Health Care Leaders of New York, the PACE/MLTC Cabinet for LeadingAge New York and the New York PACE Alliance. She maintains a Nursing Home Administrator’s license and holds a Master’s in Health Administration and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Hofstra University, where she serves as Chairperson of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Health Sciences and serves on the Women in Leadership Advisory Board.

Executive in Residence, Hofstra MPH Program
Associate Director, Metropolitan Sleep Studies, Brooklyn, NY
Co-Chair Board, Islamic Center of Long Island
President and CEO, Waris Foundation Inc.

Isma is a physician practicing in Brooklyn, New York. She also serves as the Executive in Residence for Graduate Public Health Programs at Hofstra University. Isma is passionate about public health issues, specifically healthcare infrastructure, ethnic barriers to primary care, and immigrant health.

Isma is an interfaith activist and an advocate for equity and social justice. She has been actively involved with the Islamic Center of Long Island for over 20 years. In 2015, she was elected the Center’s first female president and, in 2018, the first female chairperson.

In addition to her advocacy, she has extensive public appearances and speaking engagements to her credit, including the United Nations Conference on Islamophobia, Grassroots Models for Interfaith Engagements, United States Institute of Peace, United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention, and the Responsibility to Protect, the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, and Healthcare and Building Community Coalitions @ Engagement Institute. Isma works tirelessly to support local communities and serves on various nonprofit and governmental boards.

She is a founding member of the Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Coalition “Upholding Humanity.” In 2019, she launched her nonprofit “WARIS FOUNDATION” to serve distressed global communities, focusing on Southeast Asia. During the COVID pandemic, she serves as the co-chair of the Health Equity Taskforce- Northwell Health.

Isma has been listed in Long Island Press Power List 2015 – 2023 among the most influential Long Islanders (Power 50), and in 2021 was inducted into the LI Press Hall of Fame. She has been recognized by City & State 2021 Long Island Power 100.

She aspires to build bridges of mutual respect and move beyond “just tolerance” by celebrating the diversity of tradition, culture, and religion.

Dr. Alan Cooper is the Chief Performance Officer and Vice President of Organizational Learning and Innovation at Catholic Health on Long Island, NY. In this role, Dr. Cooper spearheads system-wide initiatives in talent development, employee engagement, performance improvement, and cultural transformation. In 2022, he established the Center for Performance Excellence, a corporate university dedicated to enhancing leadership capabilities and workforce skills across the health system. Previously, Dr. Cooper was Chief People and Performance Officer at White Plains Hospital, overseeing talent strategy and cultural transformation. Before that, he spent 21 years at North Shore-LIJ Health System (now Northwell Health), where he served as Vice President for Learning and Innovation.

Dr. Cooper holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, an MBA with distinction from Adelphi University, and a Master of Education from the University of Cincinnati. He has completed advanced leadership programs at Cornell University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Michigan. A frequent speaker and published author, Dr. Cooper has held faculty positions at Hofstra University’s Zarb School of Business and currently holds a faculty position at Adelphi University’s Willumstad School of Business. He also served as Associate Dean for Knowledge Management at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Director of the Hofstra University Master’s in Healthcare Administration program, and as Associate Dean of the Willumstad School of Business at Adelphi University.

Director, Publications Lead, US GSK

Susan Cuozzo is a certified medical publication professional with over 20 years of publications and scientific communications experience, acquired while leading medical communications agencies and consulting with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Her interest in clinical trials and communicating research findings began as a student at Hofstra. As part of her graduate degree, she completed a residency working on studies with the NYC Department of Health. Today she remains passionate about effectively communicating clinical findings to promote sound science and advance patient care.

Susan currently leads publication activities across oncology assets for US stakeholders at GSK. She ensures timely delivery on established publication plans according to plan prioritization and available resources while following GSK policies, good publication practices, and the highest standards of transparency. Susan is a member of The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals, Inc, and has served as faculty at their annual meetings. Susan is an Editorial Board member for the Journal of Communication in Healthcare contributing as peer reviewer and book reviewer over the past 15 years.

Director, Publications Lead, US GSK

Ms. Nina DePaola, PT, MHA has been with Northwell Health for 34 years and is Vice President, Post-Acute Services, focused on business development, programmatic growth and team engagement for rehabilitation services offered in the home. She over the years has expanded the rehabilitation and musculoskeletal services within Northwell’s continuum of care.

Prior to this role she served as Vice President of the Orthopedic and Physiatry Service Lines since its inception in 2004, through 2020. She played an integral role in the creation and significant expansion of a multi-specialty physician network across our service area, which is now comprised of more than 115 physicians and 38 practice sites rendering more than 300,000 patient visits and contributing to 36,000 surgeries annually. Nina has collaborated and partnered with physician leadership to develop and administratively oversee research, education and outreach, and to develop a variety of clinical programs such as sports medicine, spine center, concussion program, joint replacement programs.  In 2011, Nina developed the Northwell Bioskills Laboratory, a cadaveric dissection laboratory which is nationally renowned, used by all specialties of physicians for surgical and procedural training and simulation.

She served as the Northwell Health Medical Chairperson working with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) for the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage where she managed more than 200 medical providers offering care to participating professional golfers and event attendees. Through strong collaboration, she also developed a number of rehabilitation programs and centers of excellence across our care continuum, from inpatient to outpatient, skilled nursing and home care. 

Perhaps most notably, she launched and pioneered the creation of Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Services (STARS) in 1998 and oversaw its successful expansion as executive director from 1995 through 2018. The Physical and Occupational Therapy care is offered by a team of more than 150 therapists. She began her career with Northwell as a physical therapist at North Shore University Hospital in 1987 and is a recognized leader in driving team and physician engagement across the businesses she has led.

Chief Executive Officer, CABS Health Network

Known by many as a “Home Care Advocate”, Sherly Demosthenes-Atkinson was appointed as CEO of CABS Home Attendants Service, Inc., in 2017 and holds a Master’s of Health Administration from Hofstra University. With over 20 years of healthcare experience, Sherly exemplifies CABS’ mission of equitable innovative healing, teaching, and discovery through quality service delivery to underserved communities.

Prior to her CEO appointment, she served as Executive Director from 2013 to 2017, and Associate Director of Case Management from 2006 to 2013. During this time, she developed an appreciation for the clients served and the service delivery disposition of the organization. The cumulative knowledge of these roles inspires her vision to streamline and optimize the CABS organization—pivoting a transformational culture that centers on the patient experience.

Since 2017, under Sherly’s leadership, CABS acquired a contract with the largest public housing authority in North America, the NYC Department of Housing Authority (NYCHA); contributed to the success of preventing hospitalizations through the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program with various partnerships including the NYC Health & Hospital Corporation (HHC); and launched the CABS Care Management Agency to expand and tailor the services CABS has been providing for years to a broader population in need of a more integrated, comprehensive and patient centered program.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in April 2021, CABS Homecare expanded to become the CABS Health Network, offering increased services to the most vulnerable across New York City and Long Island.

Sherly’s work plays an integral role in the circle of care for our vulnerable, elderly, and disabled. Her mantra is, “Until aging in place is an option for all, the pursuit continues.”

Chief Information Officer, RiverSpring Living

David Finkelstein is the CIO for RiverSpring Health a not for profit post acute care provider based on Riverdale NY. He is responsible for all technology news for this $1B organization. David graduated Hofstra in 1985 with a BBA in Business Computer Information Systems.

Director of Health Care Management, NY Medicaid at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

Marianne Grady has a decades-long nursing career primarily focused in home health care settings.  She is currently the Senior Health Services Director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid plan, serving NYC, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Ms. Grady has been with Anthem for over 14 years, first as Clinical Director for their Managed Long Term Care Program before transitioning to her current role in 2021.

Before joining Anthem, Ms. Grady held leadership positions in numerous home health care and long-term home health care programs in New York City and Long Island. She has extensive knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid and Managed Care regulations. Currently, Ms. Grady serves on the board of the Home Care Association (HCA) of New York State and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at Hofstra University’s School of Health Sciences. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Adelphi University and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Hofstra University.

Founder, Artists Without Walls

Charles R. Hale, a chronicler of New York life and culture, blends the city’s rich history with music, imagery and performance art and captures the vibrant and unique experience that is New York Cityin his historically-themed shows. Charles’ ancestral history essays have been published in literary magazines and in the 2019 anthology, “The Writing Irish of New York.” He is the co-founder of Artists Without Walls, an organization dedicated to cultural collaboration and artistic achievement. In 2013 the City University of New York honored Charles for ”Outstanding Service to New York and Irish America.”

Senior Vice President, Northview Company

Aaliyah Haqq is the Chief Operating Officer of The Academy for Advancing Excellence, a global leadership development company. In her current role, she partners with C-level executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to make the transformational shift from current level to next level. Aaliyah’s career has taken her from Health & Human Services, Commercial Real Estate to Executive Leadership Development. Her diverse experience supports her ability to connect with people on multiple levels, communicate effectively, diplomatically, and openly.

Aaliyah is passionate about equity and equality in the workplace and is best known for using her superpowers to create the conditions for organizations, leaders, teams, and families to be at their best. To support leaders’ expanding their capacity, she incorporates the best of well researched programs, tools, and templates to coach them to success. Her innate curiosity, strong business acumen, and fierce strategic thinking have shaped her ability to translate data into business strategy to scale a business and create win-win solutions for all stakeholders. Aaliyah grew a business unit over 400% in three years by developing and leveraging relationships, shifting the marketing strategy, and instituting processes that supported scaling. The solutions and processes she implements are evergreen; systems she put in place over 20 years ago are still utilized.

Aaliyah has successfully led projects with AT&T, Intel, Cisco, Amazon, and other Fortune 500 Companies. Clients have noted her subject matter expertise, her ability to style flex, and her ability to balance intuition and facts to generate innovative outcomes. Aaliyah has developed original content and curated learning content for leadership development programs. The content she creates promotes personal and organizational transformation.

To support the demands of being a corporate athlete, she is a runner (3-time marathoner), practices yoga, has a meditation practice, plays recreational soccer, and is a novice cyclist.

Aaliyah holds a BS from Hofstra University in Community Health, a certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from the University of South Florida, and is writing a book to be published in 2026.

Partner, Miller & Milone, P.C.

Tammy R. Lawlor, Esq. is a Partner at the Law Firm of Miller & Milone, P.C. located in Garden City, New York. Miller & Milone, P.C. is a full service law firm, practicing in Elder Law, Health Law, Estates and Trusts. Ms. Lawlor is a graduate of the Hofstra University School of Law and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1997. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration, specializing in Finance. She is on the Executive Committee for the New York State Bar Association, is Vice-Chair of the Legislation Committee and the Health Law Section Liaison for the Elder Law Section. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and Vice President of the NY NAELA.

Assistant Vice President, Hospital for Special Surgery

Carle-Marie Memnon is the Assistant Vice President for HSS Education Institute at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Ms. Memnon is a board-certified Health Care Executive with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector. Her background includes human resources, graduate medical education, budgeting, operations, project and event planning.

Ms. Memnon has worked in such prestigious settings as Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC; Winthrop-University Hospital and North Shore University Hospital in Long Island, NY.

Ms. Memnon is a Fellow and Past Regent-At-Large for District 1 of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and Immediate Past Chair of the Healthcare Leaders of New York (HLNY) Diversity Committee. Ms. Memnon is a member of the ACHE Nominating Committee, Voluntary Giving Committee and Counselors Committee. She is also currently the President Elect and Program Committee Chair for the New York Regional Chapter of the National Association of Health Service Executives.

Ms. Memnon received her Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Fordham University. She holds a Master of Arts in Health Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Hofstra University. She earned a Certificate in Human Resources Studies from Cornell University. Ms. Memnon is currently pursuing her doctorate degree at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her interests include: Strategic planning, operations management, leadership development, diversity management, physician relations and interdisciplinary team collaboration. Carle-Marie currently served as the Vice President for the Hofstra Master of Health Administration Alumni Association.

Vice President, Public Policy and Global Health Strategies, Henry Schein, Inc

Allison Neale has worked in global health, emergency preparedness and response, and corporate citizenship for more than twenty-five years.  As Henry Schein’s Vice President of Public Policy and Global Health Strategies, she leads the development and execution of company’s global public health policy engagement through partnerships, advancing business objectives and strengthening Henry Schein’s position as a global health care leader. 

Allison leads Henry Schein’s engagement in several private sector initiatives in global health with governments, industry groups, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, including:  the Private Sector Roundtable on Global Health Security (serving as Chairwoman), the Private Sector Humanitarian Alliance (member of the Advisory Council), World Economic Forum Council on Humanitarian Affairs (member of the Advisory Council), the National Academy of Medicine Decarbonization of the Healthcare Sector Collaborative and various additional engagements with the World Economic Forum and World Health Organization.  She serves as private sector lead of the Pandemic Supply Chain Network, a global public-private initiative aimed at strengthening the resilience of the healthcare supply chain which the company co-founded in 2015 with the WHO.

Allison serves as Chairwoman of the Gold Foundation Corporate Council and Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Oral Health Affinity Group.  In addition, she co-founded and serves as Co-Chair of the Alpha Omega-Henry Schein Cares Holocaust Survivor Oral Health Program, a program that provides free dental care to survivors in need across North America. 

Prior to joining Team Schein in 2008, Allison served in various roles at Physicians for Human Rights, Global Health Strategies, the United Nations, and the Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights. She received her Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where she was awarded the Pforzheimer Merit Fellowship.

Founder and Executive Director, Kids First Evaluation & Advocacy Center

Dawn Plumitallo is a psychologist and is the founder and Executive Director of Kids First Evaluation & Advocacy Center. Kids First is an agency that provides educational support to children ages birth to twenty-one. Kids First recently celebrated its 20th year and was named a Newsday Top Long Island Work Place for 2018.

Her clients include:

• Nassau & Suffolk County Department of Health Services – Early Intervention Programs. Children birth to 2.11 months
• New York State Education Department – contracts to provide special education support services to children ages 3-5 years.
• School Districts across Long Island to support school age children. 5 to 21 years of age.
• SEPTA & PTA’s as guest speaker
• Local universities for internship opportunities for OT, Psychology, counseling and speech graduate students
• School Districts as guest speaker for staff professional development.

Before devoting her work fulltime to Kids First, Dr. Plumitallo served as an AVP in the TQM program and Systems Training departments at a major financial institution. And as a Systems Analyst at a pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Plumitallo has also taught psychology courses at Farmingdale State University and Nassau Community College.

Dr. Plumitallo is a proud Hofstra alum and is active in her Civic Association and is a member of the American Psychological Association. She is an avid kickboxer, swimmer and travel enthusiast. She resides with her husband and has two grown children.

Senior Executive Vice President, HAB Bank

Rizwan Qureshi is currently the Senior Executive Vice President of HAB BANK, a multi state bank with headquarters in New York City.

Since joining HAB BANK, Rizwan has held various titles and leadership roles in a number of key areas of the Bank. He is a member of senior management with active participation in strategic decision-making process and various initiatives/ projects. He is also the board designated Community Reinvestment Act officer.

Before joining HAB, Rizwan worked at Chase Manhattan Bank from 1980 to 1986 in its retail banking operations. He also served as Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University in Uniondale during 1990 and 1991.

Rizwan currently serves on the Queensborough Community College Fund Inc.’s board. He also serves on Nassau County Health Board. In 2017, Rizwan was appointed a board member to the Nassau County Youth Board. Currently, he is serving as Chair of Youth Board. In 2022, he was elected to serve as president of Rotary Club Hicksville South, Hicksville, NY for 2022/2023. Rizwan is also currently serving on the following advisory boards: Nassau County DA’s South Asian Advisory Board and Hicksville High School’s Indust1y Advisory Board

Rizwan is also actively associated with Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI) for over 20 years. During this period, he served as board member and served on various committees at ICLI. Currently serving 3-year term as board member.

Rizwan is a member of various professional associations, trade groups, and community organizations including American Bankers Association (ABA), Independent Bankers Association. He chaired ABA’s Economic Advisory Conm1ittee in Washington DC. Rizwan is a charter member of Long Island Import Export Association and represents the Bank at various conmmnity events and gatherings. He has been awarded numerous awards for his conununity service.

Rizwan earned his M.B.A in Banking and Finance from Adelphi University, NY in 1983. He is married to Julie with two sons, Kamran and Adam.

System Vice President, Medicine One Brooklyn Health

Ms. Ramjit currently serves as the Associate Director and Chief of Staff to the Chief Transformation Officer at Mount Sinai Health System and President of Mount Sinai Morningside. In her role, she supports the Health System’s Patient Experience, Learning and Process Improvement initiatives as well as supporting various hospital-based transformation initiatives. Ms. Ramjit’s career in healthcare spans over 10 years and her areas of expertise include population health management, hospital and long-term care operations, Medicare Advantage operations and pre-hospital care operations.

Ms. Ramjit is a dual degree holder from New York Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences/ Biology and a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition. She also obtained her Master of Health Administration from Hofstra University. In addition, she holds Certificates in Executive Healthcare Leadership and Healthcare Change Leadership from Cornell University. Ms. Ramjit is the Founder of the Hofstra University MHA Alumni Association and currently serves as Past President. She serves on faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Member of the Advisory Board for the SUNY Stony Brook Master of Health Administration Program. She currently holds the role of Secretary with the Healthcare Leaders of New York (HLNY), the local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Ms. Ramjit was featured in Northwell Health’s February 2017 “Made for this” series and she is also the recipient of the ACHE 2018 Early Career Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award.

Executive Director, The Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University

Fred S. Sganga is Executive Director of the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, a 350-bed skilled nursing facility serving honorably discharged veterans and their families. Board certified in Health Care Management and a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Sganga has worked in a variety of senior-level healthcare positions in academic medical centers, community hospitals, long-term care facilities and physician practice management. He earned his BS in Community Health from Hunter College and his MPH from Columbia University.

Sganga serves as Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Healthcare Administration Programs at Stony Brook University and Hofstra University. He lectures extensively on the topics of Healthcare Leadership, Long-Term Care Management and Ambulatory Care Services. He recently completed a three-year term as ACHE Regent representing the Greater New York area and is also on the faculty of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In addition, Sganga serves as the First Vice President for the National Association of State Veterans Homes and is a board member of the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Sganga has received numerous awards during his career including the 2000 Award of Distinction from the Metropolitan Health Administration Association, the 2004 Community Recognition Award from the Veterans Administration for his commitment and dedication to our nation’s veterans, the 2005 “Man of the Year in Healthcare” from Stony Brook’s Three Village Times Herald newspaper and 2008 MHA Program Professor of the Year from Hofstra University.