By GREGORY ZELLER //
A veteran of health-professions education has taken the reins at Stony Brook University’s School of Health Technology and Management.
Stacy Jaffee Gropack, who became dean of the school Oct. 1, boasts more than three decades of instruction in the professional healthcare fields. She served most recently as associate dean of the School of Health Professions at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus and dean of the School of Health Professions and Nursing at LIU-Post in Brentwood.
Kenneth Kaushansky, senior vice president of health sciences and dean at SBU’s Renaissance School of Medicine, officially announced the appointment Wednesday, calling Jaffee Gropack “an innovative leader in moving healthcare professional education to absolute best practices.”
That includes a healthy dose of “interprofessional education,” added Kaushansky, who said Jaffee Gropack – who earned her PhD in Higher Education from New York University – is expert at “preparing learners not only for the health technology of today, but also for what the future will bring.”
Stacy Jaffee Gropack: Preparing healthcare leaders.
The future has always loomed large for Jaffee Gropack, who earned both her bachelor’s of science and master’s of physical therapy degrees from Long Island University – then, after NYU, returned to LIU-Brooklyn’s Division of Physical Therapy to work up fresh curricula, new faculty-development protocols and better student-performance evaluations.
She rose steadily through LIU’s ranks, becoming associate dean of the Brooklyn-based School of Health Professions in 2010, then adding dean of the Brentwood-based health professions/nursing school in 2015.
Her latest gig will keep her busy: The School of Health Technology and Management – which houses SBU’s Center for Public Health Education and Center for Community Engagement and Leadership Development – boasts 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students in 17 distinct programs offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical and non-clinical areas, with another 240-or-so students enrolled in non-credit certificate programs.
Modifying and maximizing the instruction these future healthcare providers receive at SBU is an honor, the new dean noted Wednesday.
“I feel privileged to be able to join Stony Brook University in the capacity of dean of the School of Health Technology and Management,” Jaffee Gropack said, adding she was especially excited about “the opportunity to lead and collaborate with such a talented group of faculty, administrators and staff in achieving the university and school vision of being the premier educators of future health professionals.”
