Leadership changes are exciting opportunities for the evolution of an institution. Our new Stony Brook University President, Dr. Maurie McInnis, has been hard at work for the last year guiding the University through a historically challenging time and laying the groundwork for campus-wide growth. President McInnis shared her vision for Stony Brook University and the MSTP’s role in that greater picture by answering questions from students. In the 8+ years we spend training at Stony Brook as medical and graduate students, MSTPs become integrally involved in the University and Suffolk County community. Individually and as a community, we leave our mark on Stony Brook and can effect lasting change in education and research. We are grateful for her thoughtful responses and look forward to developing our connections with President McInnis and working with her administration to increase equity and excellence across campus.
MSTP: What does “interdisciplinary research” mean to you? What are your views on MD/PhD training?
President McInnis: Training the next generation of physicians and physician scientists is the most important mission of the Renaissance School of Medicine. The Medical Science Training Program is of course a highly competitive, sought after placement, and I have a deep respect for the students who have worked so hard to reach this distinction. Their trajectory, securing significant positions and making promising “bench to bedside” contributions, is one way in which Stony Brook helps to advance the future of healthcare delivery.
But the future of healthcare will also involve a more integrated approach–one that culls research from across disciplines to provide the best care and, hopefully, build a better, more accountable and dynamic system. I believe Stony Brook is uniquely positioned for this evolution, as the work we do here is already so multi-faceted. We’re a state-of-the-art healthcare institution and simultaneously a cutting-edge research institution. I want to build on both of these strengths by bringing them closer together, blending our expertise across disciplines. And we are already seeing so many exciting examples of this unfold. The Institute for Engineering-Driven Medicine, for example, is drawing in faculty from all over campus—from the AI Institute to the Neurosciences Institute; from the Center of Excellence in Wireless Technology to the Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology—to collaborate on groundbreaking innovations in convergence science. With resources like our powerful partnerships with Brookhaven National Lab and Cold Spring Harbor Lab, our future physician scientists have access to collaborate with some of the most prolific scientists in the world.
The point is well-illustrated by this moment in time. Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic — one of the most complex challenges imaginable — has required researchers from many disciplines to come together. We have had to come at this situation from every angle–from immunology to public safety, mental health to economics. One example of many was highlighted in this week’s announcement that the Renaissance School of Medicine deployed a new in-house COVID Surveillance Screening platform to rapidly identify a positive case in a multi-person surveillance pool. This new technology was developed by Computer Science faculty and students who partnered with numerous divisions within Stony Brook Medicine, many areas on main campus, and an industry partner. It demonstrates how our multidisciplinary efforts, and our drive for collaboration across all areas of campus. The team will continue its work, and is now collaborating on the development of a COVID Mass Vaccination Project to be rolled out later this month for healthcare providers, employees, students and the community.
MSTP: We are proud that our University is being led by such a distinguished female president. You have a strong track record for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives during your tenure as Executive Vice President and provost at UT Austin. What steps do you believe we must take and what steps are you taking to increase the numbers of female and BIPOC people serving in leadership positions at our University? What is your plan for making medical or graduate education more accessible for students representing historically marginalized groups?
President McInnis: I’m still relatively new — only six months in — but part of what drew me to Stony Brook was its unique set of priorities and demonstrated success in recruiting and educating a diverse group of students. Our infrastructure is very sound and strong, as demonstrated on the Provost’s Diversity Program Portal — there are descriptions of most of our initiatives, which focus on growth and access as early as K-12, to undergraduate STEM, to Postdoc and Graduate Student programs, to faculty programs. And of course, there are many support initiatives and resources offered by our faculty experts and program leaders, who I believe are similarly committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership and in graduate and medical education.
It would be impossible to name all of these in a single interview, so for brevity’s sake I’ll highlight the Center for Inclusive Education as just one of our model programs. The CIE is a hallmark of the University’s ongoing commitment to advancing diversity in graduate education, academia, and the scientific workforce. It ensures that Stony Brook University is represented at several major national conferences for UR and URM STEM scholars each year including, among others, the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in the Sciences, and The Black Doctoral Network. In addition to national event recruitment each year, the Center coordinates close to 50 direct outreach and information events for underrepresented and underrepresented minority undergraduate scholars through institution-specific information sessions.
There is much more to the CIE, and to our diversity initiatives than I can articulate here; I encourage all of our students to look into the Center and connect with our Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and learn more about what Stony Brook University has to offer.
MSTP: What does a typical day look like for a University President?
President McInnis: Leading an institution as big and complex as Stony Brook University requires many different individuals working together as one cohesive unit. I have been focused on building a team made up of diverse talent and people who have varying viewpoints to share, and areas of expertise very different from mine. I like making data-informed decisions, but am also very relationship-driven when it comes to work and leadership. I see these approaches as working hand in hand for knowledgeable decision-making and accountable leadership.
Normally, I would be out and about meeting with everyone and getting to know this community–at department meetings, clubs, student and staff events. Even over coffee, during office hours and just walking around campus. What I hope our campus has come to know about me in this short time is that I believe in being open and inclusive. I want to listen, learn, engage, and collaborate. So, in my day-to-day, I am still trying to do that as much as possible in these more remote settings.
MSTP: What do you expect will be the most important, lasting impact the pandemic will have on higher education, particularly for graduate schools?
President McInnis: COVID-19 has presented us with an opportunity to analyze the advantages of different models of education while developing new teaching tools and methods along the way. We’ve been hearing from both faculty and students that some video conferencing and remote interactions have actually empowered students to speak more in the pedagogical setting. It’s allowed students who might have otherwise felt alienated or intimidated to participate! Similarly, remote models of the university experience have totally reimagined many extracurricular activities. Students who might often be busy commuting or working can still connect with their peers and classmates online for activities and social clubs. A student whose commute prohibits them from making it to a career fair on time now has the opportunity to attend. While I believe that in many–or even most–situations there is no better remote substitute for in-person and hands-on learning, especially in healthcare, I know that COVID-19 and the transition to remote and hybrid learning revealed that previous models of university life haven’t always served all students equally. Now we have the opportunity to fill those gaps.
It’s clear that if higher education is going to meet the changing needs of students in 2020 and beyond, while driving the social and economic mobility of our community, our academics need to do it all—they need to be accessible, rigorous and just as intellectually engaging as they always have been. My hope is that we can use our experience during this pandemic to spark positive change for future generations of Stony Brook students, faculty and community members.
MSTP: Are you enjoying living on Long Island?
President McInnis: I’ve spent so much of my life on the East Coast, and while I liked living in Austin with its huge cacti and Texan heat…I absolutely love being back in a lush, green environment. I’m actually originally from Florida, so upon taking this role I was very excited to be back in a place where there is water everywhere. This summer, my family and I regularly went kayaking, and took drives to Suffolk County parks and beaches with our dog. Now, I think entering an East Coast winter has given me the renewed ability to appreciate the changes of the season, and the distinct passing of time: to stop and reflect on all that we did this fall and look toward the New Year with resolve and hope. I love it when the snow is falling. There is a quiet and stillness that naturally leads to contemplation. There’s nothing like a blanket of snow to make you slow your plans.
Of course, my experience living on Long Island has been necessarily narrowed due to COVID-19, and so what I’m really most excited for is to really get to know everyone in the community better, when that’s possible—to slowly, gradually, eventually be able to meet our students, staff, faculty, and alumni in person and shake their hands.