Health Sciences Showcase Highlights Advancing Education, Technology and Community Care
In a presentation highlighting the breadth of work taking place across Stony Brook University’s Health Sciences Schools, President Andrea Goldsmith visited the Nursing Simulation Center and joined students and faculty in the Galleria as part of her Inauguration Week events.
Goldsmith began her afternoon in the Clinical Simulation Center, where she observed high‑fidelity manikins that mimic human physiology for safe, realistic clinical training. She watched a pediatric emergency scenario involving a two‑year‑old with a rash and breathing difficulty, followed by a team debrief on decision‑making and improvement.
She then visited the Nursing Simulation Center, serving as a “ghost” observer in a Ubisim VR scenario. Students assessed a pediatric patient with abdominal pain, gathering histories, vitals, and symptom details while President Goldsmith viewed their actions in real time. The platform generated performance data after the exercise.
Together, the centers highlighted Stony Brook Medicine’s investment in advanced training. “We are building on that commitment through investments in advanced training environments, including Stony Brook’s designation as a SUNY Regional Nursing Simulation Center,” Goldsmith said.
She then joined students and faculty in The Galleria to get a closer look at the research, clinical initiatives, and educational projects shaping the future of the health sciences at Stony Brook Medicine. The first project, “Community‑Engaged Co‑Design of a Mobile Intervention Tool for Enhancing Driving Skills in Neurodiverse Young Adults,” brought together an interdisciplinary team of students including Hannah W. Mercier, Genesis Ceron, Gabriela Herrera, Petros‑Emmanoui Rizkalla, Micayla O’Sullivan, Pui Ka Chow, Mei Lin Chan, Richard McKenna, Lily Chen, Sam Crane, Nicole Gaskievicz, Yu Hang Mak, Samiha Bhuiyan and Moiz Hassan.
The Healthy Libraries Program (HeLP) team, led by Becca Nolder, presented a mock HeLP tabling session, a free inter‑professional, team‑based experiential service‑learning program delivered in partnership with public libraries throughout Suffolk County. Students from nursing, physician assistant, medicine, social work and public health programs participated in the demonstration and were available to answer questions about their work in public libraries as part of their clinical rotations, practicums, fieldwork and internships.
The project “Leveraging AI Cloning for Psychosocial Support in Palliative Care,” led by Yalu Zhang, PhD, assistant professor, School of Social Welfare, explored how emerging technologies that can clone voices and animate facial expressions are beginning to enter end‑of‑life care. The research proposes a theoretical framework and clinical protocol grounded in dignity therapy, life review, meaning‑centered psychotherapy and family‑focused grief therapy.
The “Quality Improvement Analysis of Cleft Lip and Palate Repair in Low‑ and Middle‑Income Countries (LAMICs),” led by Alexander Dagum, MD, and Dylan Choi in collaboration with Operation Smile, focused on developing and validating a globally applicable evaluation tool for cleft lip and palate outcomes. Fieldwork included sites in Vietnam, Ecuador, Brazil, Honduras, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Ethiopia and Pakistan.
The presentation “Utilization of Advanced Optical Scanning and Computer Machining in Restorative Dentistry,” led by Clarisa Amarillas, DDS, demonstrated how optical scanning and CAD/CAM technologies improve efficiency and patient outcomes in restorative dentistry.
The presentation “Intelligent Learning Ecosystems: Integrating iPads, Mobile Technologies, and AI to Elevate Nursing Competencies,” led by Tracy Trimboli, Giselle Gerardi, Christine Pfundstein and Tara Hartwell, highlighted how the School of Nursing is transforming education through mobile technologies, interactive apps and emerging AI tools. A featured demonstration, “The AI‑Powered EMR: Closing the Documentation Gap,” showed how ChatGPT and Claude were used to generate patient cases and build a custom EMR interface for simulation‑based training.
Together, these projects offered a clear look at the university’s commitment to innovation, collaboration and community‑focused work. From global surgery and palliative care to public health outreach, nursing education and advances in clinical technology, each initiative showed how students and faculty are applying their expertise to real‑world challenges.
The Health Sciences Showcase closed on a note of momentum and purpose, reflecting Stony Brook Medicine’s support for the new president while continuing to shape the future of healthcare, technology, and social support in tangible, impactful ways.