Michael Dowling speaks to an audience at CSI

A Joint Presentation of the School of Business and the School of Health Sciences: Mr. Michael Dowling, the President and CEO of Northwell Health (formerly the North Shore-LIJ Health System) spoke at the College of Staten Island on Thursday, November 12, 2015, to an audience of students, faculty, College administrators, representatives from Staten Island University Hospital, and other members of the healthcare industry along with a member and staff from the New York State Assembly.

The event was organized jointly by the College’s Schools of Business and Health Sciences, and was oriented towards an examination of the growing intersection between these two domains.  A panel discussion followed Mr. Dowling’s presentation where representatives from the School of Business, the School of Health Sciences, the New York State Physical Therapy Association, and Staten Island’s District 63 added their own disciplinary contexts to the President’s remarks.
In her introduction of Dowling, Susan Holak, the Founding Dean of the School of Business, helped to contextualize the event for students and everyone in attendance:  “Healthcare expenditures in the US are on track to hit $3.2 trillion this year – that’s an average of $10,000 per person.  The industry is complex and sensitive to many forces.”  Dr. Holak added, “[healthcare] is one of the fastest growing business sectors worldwide,” that “encompasses a wide range of specialist areas across a broad spectrum of operations, including some that fall into the general domain of business.  It is that intersection that we are examining tonight, through a variety of lenses.”
An extremely engaging and interesting speaker, Michael Dowling addressed the impact of different types of legislation on the healthcare industry, as well as on the effect of ever-changing technologies on the way that patient care is delivered.  Dowling noted that expectations relating to the quality and types of service are affected not only by patients and their families, but also by developments and shifting directions in research as well as in legislative agencies – in addition to changes in the mission of a hospital itself.

Dean Hoak, President William Fritz, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, Michael Dowling, Dr. Maureen Becker

A panel of speakers representing several diverse perspectives took part in a discussion following Dowling’s remarks.  Interim Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Dr. Maureen Becker, collaborated with Dean Holak to invite panelists to contribute unique, disciplinary frames of reference.  Each was asked to open with a few words on their particular point of view before taking questions from the audience.  Michael Cusick, New York State Assemblyman, Dr. Soon Ae Chun, Professor of Information Systems and Informatics at the College of Staten Island, Michael Mattia, President of the New York State Physical Therapy Association, and Dr. Marie Giordano, Assistant Professor of Nursing at CSI – all illustrated the finer points of their own experiences and approached the issues raised by Dowling from their distinct perspectives.
The event highlighted how students at the College of Staten Island, regardless of their field of study, are able to take advantage of the world-class opportunities that are made available by the institution.