NUMC’S LEONARD OCTAVIUS BARRETT, MD, FACS, SELECTED TO RECEIVE “ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WITH SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE” BY THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
February 8, 2008
Contact:
Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NUMC’S LEONARD OCTAVIUS BARRETT, MD, FACS, SELECTED TO RECEIVE “ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WITH SPECIAL RECOGNITION IN SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE” BY THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE SUNY DOWNSTATE MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO SURGICAL CRITICAL CARE AND FOR SUCCESSFUL TEACHING OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AND SURGICAL RESIDENTS AT NUMC
East Meadow, NY….. Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation, announced that Leonard Octavius Barrett, MD, FACS, NUMC’s Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Critical Care, has been selected to receive the prestigious “Alumni Achievement Award with Special Recognition in Surgical Critical Care” by the Alumni Association of the College of Medicine of the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.
While congratulating Dr. Barrett, Mr. Gianelli, stated: “This outstanding honor is a testament to Dr. Barrett’s expertise in the field of surgical critical care, demonstrating NUMC’s commitment to its patients in providing the highest quality of care. This is a prestigious award from SUNY Downstate Medical School that reflects the high esteem and respect accorded to Dr. Barrett by his physician peers.”
Dr. Barrett developed an intense syllabus with instruction to better prepare NUMC’s residents for the boards. His efforts have been rewarded with a greater than 90% pass rate of the residents. Steven Walerstein, MD, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Medical Director added his congratulations on this well-deserved award and said: “Dr. Barrett’s desire and passion to educate residents and medical students have been recognized by being voted “Teacher of the Year” by the graduating chief residents during the last seven years. His sincere leadership and dedication to the medical profession and his commitment to education makes him an excellent recipient of this award.”
After honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps in 1974, Dr. Barrett entered and graduated from 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
In 1993, Dr. Barrett began his assignment at NUMC as a Thoracic Surgery Attending and as 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 surgical critical care patients at NUMC. He has received numerous awards, including Teacher of the Year, by the surgical residents for the last seven years in a row. Dr. Barrett is also a fellow of the American Biographical Institute and Deputy Director General of the International Biographical Institute of Cambridge, England. Dr. Barrett has been including numerous times in the Guide to America’s Top Doctors and in the Castle Connolly Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area. He has also served as interim Medical Director and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs from 2003-2005.
Dr. Barrett has been included in the 2005 edition of Great Minds of the 21st Century published by the American Biographical Institute. He was also included with fifteen other prominent persons in Select Honors of the Men of Achievement Worldwide. He resides in Westbury with his wife Carol and their three sons.
Mr. Gianelli added “”Our Board of Directors joins me in expressing pride and admiration for Dr. Barrett’s outstanding achievements, for his dedication and excellence, as demonstrated by the type of superior teaching for our residents and high quality care that he delivers to our patients every day of the week.”
