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LEONARD OCTAVIUS BARRETT, MD, FACS, DDG. FABI, CHIEF OF THORACIC SURGERY AND DIRECTOR OF SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE AT NUMC, RECEIVES “ULTIMATE ACHIEVER AWARD” FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SKILLS, PROFESSIONALISM, ENTHUSIASM FOR EXCELLENCE AND COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2009

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

LEONARD OCTAVIUS BARRETT, MD, FACS, DDG. FABI, CHIEF OF THORACIC SURGERY AND DIRECTOR OF SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE AT NUMC, RECEIVES “ULTIMATE ACHIEVER AWARD” FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS SKILLS, PROFESSIONALISM, ENTHUSIASM FOR EXCELLENCE AND COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

Attaining award reflects Dr. Barrett’s commitment to excellence as a thoracic surgeon and in the quality care provided to all his critical care patients 

East Meadow, NY…..Leonard Octavius Barrett, MD, FACS, DDG, FABI, chief of thoracic surgery and director of surgical critical care at the Nassau University Medical Center, received notification that he had been awarded the “Ultimate Achiever Award” by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England.  A letter, signed by Nicholas Law, Director General, stated:  “Congratulations for being the best!  I salute you for your numerous achievements within the field of Medicine and I wish to pay homage to your status as:  the Ultimate Achiever!  Your standing within the international community has earned you the respect and admiration of your peers and I have, after very careful scrutiny of your credentials put your name forward for a new and exciting honor from the International Biographical Centre:  The Ultimate Achiever Award.  Of the hundreds of thousands of biographies that the International Biographical Centre publishes, only a very few met the conditions that I insisted on.  Yours was one of the select few that I believe clearly deserves such an accolade and I am proud to offer to you the Ultimate Achiever Award.”

Joining Mr. Law in congratulating Dr. Barrett, Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System stated:  “Attaining the “Ultimate Achiever Award” reflects Dr. Barrett’s commitment to excellence as a thoracic surgeon and in the quality of care provided to all his critical care patients, and allows Dr. Barrett to join an elite alliance of professionals who have excelled in their chosen fields.
            
Steven J. Walerstein, MD, FACP, executive vice president for medical affairs at the NuHealth System, also congratulated Dr. Barrett on his well-deserved award:  “We are proud of Dr. Barrett’s accomplishments as a clinician and educator.  He is a role model for our physicians and students, and a valuable resource to our community.”

After honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps in 1974, Dr. Barrett entered and graduated Iona College in New Rochelle with a degree in biology and chemistry.  He graduated from SUNY Downstate in 1983 with a medical degree.  In 1989, he completed his residency in general surgery at SUNY Stony Brook, where he remained an additional year to complete a surgical/critical care fellowship.  He then, completed a cardiothoracic fellowship at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.  Since then, Dr. Barrett has qualified for board certifications in general surgery, surgical critical care, and thoracic surgery.  Only about two percent of the physicians in the United State qualify for triple board certification.  Dr. Barrett belongs to many professional associations, including the American Medical Association, Fellow of the American College of Surgery, the American Society of Thoracic Surgery and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.  In 1993, Dr. Barrett began his assignment at NUMC as a thoracic surgery attending and as a director of surgical critical care.  Due to his outstanding performance, he was appointed in 1995 as chief of thoracic surgery.  Dr. Barrett operates on all chest trauma patients with excellent outcomes and manages all critical care trauma patients at NUMC. He has received numerous awards, including Teacher of the Year, by the surgical residents for the last nine years in a row, the American Medal of Honor and the American Biographical Institute and Lifetime Achievement Award.   This year he received first prize in the American College of Surgeons Annual Clinic Day poster presentation

Dr. Barrett resides in Westbury.

ABOUT NUHEALTH:
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau University Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.

For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.