Program in Public Health Leadership and Administrative Staff

​Program in Public Health Leadership

Lisa Benz Scott, PhD
Executive Director, Program in Public Health & Director, Health Policy & Management Programs
Professor, Schools of Health Technology and Management, Medicine, and Dental Medicine

Olga C. Aroniadis, MD, MSc, FACG
Director, MS in Epidemiology and Clinical Research Program
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine & Director of Clinical Research, Department of Medicine, Stony Brook Medicine

Catherine R. Messina, PhD
Accreditation Specialist
Research Associate Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine  

John A. Rizzo, PhD
Director, PhD Program 
Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine    

Dylan Smith, PhD
Director, MPH Program
Associate Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine 

Susan Somerville, RN, MA
Associate Director of Practice, Health Policy and Management Programs 
Instructor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine  

 


Program in Public Health Administrative Staff

PPH Administrative Staff


Catherine Polster, MA 
Senior Staff Assistant, Assistant to the Director
catherine.polster@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Phone: 631-444-9396

Catherine joined Stony Brook Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine in 2010 as a Data Coordinator in the Division of Epidemiology, and in 2013 became a Project Administrator for the Program in Public Health for several multi-site research grants. During this period she co-authored several publications and presented abstracts of her research nationally. In 2018 Cathy expanded her role within the Program to assume the duties of Senior Staff Assistant and Assistant to the Director. An English major who graduated from American International College many years ago, Catherine has just earned her Masters in Higher Education Administration at Stony Brook University. She is the Co-Graduate Chair for the Stony Brook Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) and a member of the Stony Brook Workforce Diversity Committee. In her free time Cathy enjoys country music, reading, kayaking, and spending time with family.


Lakshmi Ramsoondar-Ahmad, MA
Associate Director for Academic & Student Affairs
Lakshmi.Ramsoondar@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Phone: 631-444-2074


Pascale Fils-Aime, MPH, MBA
Practicum Placement and Community Engagement Coordinator 

Pascale.Fils-Aime@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Phone: 631-216-8221

Pascale Flis-Aime has earned 3 degrees at Stony Brook University (BS in Health Sciences and Sociology, MPH in Community Health and MBA in Management). Utilizing her own experiences as a graduate from the Program in Public Health, she is eager to help guide MPH and MHA candidates in her role as Practicum Placement and Community Engagement Coordinator. Prior to this, she served as the Community Health Coordinator at the Long Island Health Collaborative - a position that gave her the opportunity to foster relationships with organizations across Long Island. 

A lifelong Long Islander, Pascale lives for the summer! She also is an avid traveler and hates frogs.


Christine Ziman, MA
Assistant Director for Administration and Finance
Christine.Ziman@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Phone:631-444-1120

Christine Ziman earned a B.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from Purchase College and three degrees from Stony Brook University (B.A. in History, M.A. in Liberal Studies and M.A. in Higher Education Administration). She had spent fourteen years in the healthcare environment working as a credentialing coordinator for physician appointments and as an assistant to the directors of operations and nursing. She joined the Program in Public Health as the Assistant Director for Administration and Finance in fall 2018. She is responsible for the fiscal and human resources management for the PPH.