MDNews - Long Island

Feinstein Institute for Medical Research investigators Weng-Lang Yang, PhD, and Ping Wang, MD, have been awarded a five- year, $2.8 million U01 grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases to investigate the use of the human hormone ghrelin to reduce organ injur y after exposure to high amounts of radiation. Results from this grant will shed some light on the mechanisms involved in vascular damage and lead to the development of human hormone ghrelin as a treatment for radiation injur y. Benjamin Cohen and Danielle Cohen, two emergency medical technicians with Northwell Health's Center for Emergency Medical Services (CEMS) in Syosset, were recognized as Stars of Life by the American Ambulance Association (A A A) at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The dynamic duo, who are unrelated, were joined by Northwell colleagues William Bailey (Lenox Hill Hospital) and Robert Mazzo (Staten Island University Hospital), who were also recognized. The A A A highlights excellence and contributions made by EMS workers across the county at the annual event in the nation's capitol. Mr. Cohen, a resident of Searingtown, has been an EMT for six years. After working in a hospital emergency department, he says there was no hesitation to get out in the field and into an ambulance himself. He got his EMT certification and joined Northwell Health's CEMS in 2014. Ms. Cohen, of Stony Brook, has been an EMT for 20 years. She joined Northwell CEMS in 2002 both in the field as an EMT and also as a communications specialist. She continues both roles today. She started her career at age 18, working for the Port Jefferson Volunteer Ambulance. n Prior to joining Northwell Health, Dr. Jan spent eight years at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she founded and became medical director of a multidisciplinar y inter vention team helping pediatric patients navigate and transition to adult care. She was also associate program director of the combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), and a general internist at UPenn. Dr. Jan earned her bachelor's degree from the City University of New York at Brooklyn College and her medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. She continued her fellowship training as a Rober t Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the Perelman School of Medicine at UPenn, earning a master's in health policy research. Victor F. Politi, MD, FACP, FACEP, NuHealth/NUMC's President/CEO, announced the appointment of Reham Abdou, MD, of Westbur y, a pediatric gastroenterologist, board certified in general pediatrics, as their newest physician. Dr. Abdou was previously a pediatric resident at Nassau University Medical Center before completing her pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at the University at Buffalo. She specializes in treating pediatric patients with conditions such as obesity with risk of liver disease, viral hepatitis, celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Dr. Abdou joins a team of dedicated professionals at Nassau University Medical Center's new state-of-the-art Primar y Care Center, which hosts a wing dedicated to pediatric and adolescent care, under the leadership of department chair, Krishan Kumar, MD. Northwell Health President and CEO Michael J. Dowling has been named board chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Mr. Dowling has ser ved on the IHI board since 2010, which includes some of the biggest names in the healthcare industr y. He replaces outgoing IHI chair Gar y Kaplan, MD, who is chair and CEO of the Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle. The two-year term runs through May 2019. The IHI is a Cambridge, Massachusetts- based nonprofit whose mission focuses on health and healthcare improvement — for both individuals and entire populations — worldwide. Ping Wang, MD Michael J. Dowling Weng-Lang Yang, PhD Sophia Jan, MD, MSHP Danielle Cohen and Ben Cohen of Northwell Health's Center for Emergency Medical Services 1 3 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 017

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