ANNUAL DAVID J. KREIS JR. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAUMA SURGERY

The David J. Kreis Jr. Award for Excellence in Trauma Surgery is an annual award given to a senior (fourth-year) surgical resident by the Trauma Section in honor of the late Dr. Kreis, who served with distinction on our faculty from 1986 until his untimely death in 1989. He was the founding chief of the Division of Trauma.

Presented at our annual graduation banquet in June, this award recognizes the unique characteristics that make a trauma surgeon — the characteristics that Dr. Kreis personified: integrity, educational acumen, leadership, and excellence both in clinical practice and medical research.

In addition to an engraved plaque, the winning resident receives funding towards attendance at a national conference on trauma/surgical critical care.

The David J. Kreis Jr. Memorial Fund was established in the Department of Surgery soon after his death. The Fund supports the annual award which was first given in 2000. It is also used to underwrite resident travel to research conferences, and to support other educational activities related to trauma/surgical critical care in the Department.

The 2010 Kreis Award was presented to Michael Lieb, DO, at our resident graduation banquet on June 19, 2010. Dr. Lieb received his DO from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2007, and started his surgical residency here that same year.

The 2009 Kreis Award was presented to James Jen, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 22, 2009. Dr. Jen received his MD from Stony Brook in 2006, and started his surgical residency here that same year.

The 2008 Kreis Award was presented to Kwannag Lau, MD (picture below, left), and Daniel N. Rutigliano, DO (picture below, right), at our resident graduation banquet on June 16, 2008. Dr. Lau received his MD from Stony Brook in 2004, and that year he started his surgical residency here. Dr. Rutigliano received his DO from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2003, and that year he started his surgical residency here.

       

The 2007 Kreis Award was presented to Fady Kaldas, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 18, 2007. Dr. Kaldas received his MD from the University of California at Irvine in 2002, and he started his surgical residency here in 2002.

The 2006 Kreis Award was presented to Kristen Rezak, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 18, 2006. Dr. Rezak received her MD from Ross University in 2001, and she started her surgical residency here in 2002.

The 2005 Kreis Award was presented to Alexandr Reznichenko, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 19, 2005. Dr. Reznichenko received his MD from Russia State Medical University in 1986. After practicing urology, he started his surgical residency here in 2001.

The 2004 Kreis Award was presented to Solomon David, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 13, 2004. Dr. David received his MD from Albany Medical College in 2000, and in July of that year, he started his surgical residency here.

The 2003 Kreis Award was presented to Piotr Dumicz, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 15, 2003. Dr. Dumicz received his MD from Stony Brook in 1999, and in July of that year, he started his surgical residency at Stony Brook.

The 2002 Kreis Award was presented to Steve Martinez, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 16, 2002. Dr. Martinez received his MD from the University of Washington in 1997, and in July of that year, he started his surgical residency at Stony Brook.

The 2001 Kreis Award was presented to Colleen Willett, MD, at our resident graduation banquet on June 10, 2001. Dr. Willett received her MD from George Washington University in 1997, and in July of that year, she started her residency training at Stony Brook.

The first Kreis Award was presented to James Vosswinkel, MD, on June 4, 2000. Dr. Vosswinkel received his MD in 1995 from SUNY-Syracuse. After completing his residency training in general surgery, he went on to pursue a trauma/critical care fellowship at Yale University.

Donations to the David J. Kreis Jr. Memorial Fund are tax-deductible. For information, please call the Division of Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at 631-444-8330.

FIRST ANNUAL DAVID J. KREIS JR. AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TRAUMA SURGERY At the graduation banquet held on June 4, 2000, trauma nurse coordinator Jane E. McCormack, RN, made the following presentation: I am here tonight to announce a new annual resident award, created and funded by the Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care in honor of Dr. David Kreis, Jr. Many of you did not have the opportunity to know him, but I did, and I am pleased tonight to tell you a little bit about him and this award. David Kreis was the first chief in the Division of Trauma. He came to Stony Brook in 1986 with a simple mission — to build a world-class trauma center. He was well on his way to that end when his life was cut short by cancer and he passed away in 1989. Dr. Kreis left behind the foundation upon which the trauma center at Stony Brook rests today. He was the force behind the Medivac helicopter in the county. He created the trauma research laboratory. He brought the ATLS [Advanced Trauma Life Support] course to the region. He had a hand in many other programs too numerous to mention. Even with these many accomplishments, Dave Kreis remained down to earth — a regular guy. Dave Kreis was the ultimate team player. He knew each and every member of the trauma team, from the sub-specialty attendings to the housekeepers. He made sure we all did our best. He held us to high standards, provided instruction if we needed it, and set us straight if we needed to be set straight. He led by example and never asked of us what he himself was not willing to do. He was an unparalleled leader. Dave was a man who balanced the demands of his many roles and made it look easy. I think, more importantly, he made it look like fun. He loved to operate. He loved his family. He loved to teach. He loved a good lively discussion. He loved the Grateful Dead. He loved a challenge. Perhaps Dave's greatest gift was that he got other people — particularly residents — to share his passion for trauma surgery. Dr. Kreis was an important figure in trauma surgery both nationally and locally. It is fitting that we honor his contributions to our community and to our Department with this award. In addition to this plaque tonight, the recipient will receive funds to attend the annual meeting of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. The David J. Kreis Jr. Award for Excellence in Trauma Surgery recognizes the unique characteristics that make a trauma surgeon — the characteristics Dave Kreis personified: integrity, educational acumen, leadership, and excellence both in clinical practice and medical research. All together, the certain "something" that makes a trauma surgeon. On behalf of the Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, I am pleased to announce the first recipient of the David J. Kreis, Jr., Award for Excellence in Trauma Surgery. For the year 2000, the recipient is Dr. James Vosswinkel.