[April 6, 2007]

SUNY DOWNSTATE’S BRIGHTEST RECEIVE 2007 CHANCELLOR'S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE

John Chi and Ewa Beata Bajor Rewarded for Academic Accomplishments and Community Contributions

State University of New York Chancellor John R. Ryan has selected SUNY Downstate students John Chi and Ewa Beata Bajor as recipients of the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence is the highest student honor bestowed by the State University of New York. The award honors students who have integrated academic excellence with other aspects of their lives, such as career achievements, community service, creative or performing arts, or athletics and have been recognized by their campus or organization. Downstate’s campus selection committees nominated the awardees after a review of their exemplary activities in their college communities.

Mr. Chi is president of the College of Medicine’s Class of 2007. A former teacher at Bronx High School for Law, Government & Justice, he was named Teacher of the Year in 2002-2003. First-year medical students enrolled in Gross Anatomy and second-year medical students preparing for USMLE Step 1 exams benefit greatly from Mr. Chi’s tutorials and teaching experience.

Mr. Chi’s research on HIV-positive men was presented at the 2007 American Urological Association meeting. In March 2007 his case study on AIDS in a 52-year-old man was published in the journal Surgical Rounds. On campus he is an active member of the College of Medicine’s Medical Student Council Executive Board, Dean’s Council, and Professionalism Committee.   

“I am very proud to represent SUNY Downstate.  The College of Medicine's student body is a dedicated group of individuals, and Downstate prepares us well for success,” said Mr. Chi.

In addition to his research activities, Mr. Chi has demonstrated his commitment toward the less fortunate by volunteering with the New York City Food Bank and participating in student-organized voter registration, food, and clothing drives at Downstate.

The recipient of the 2005 Stephen I. Morse Award for excellence in microbiology and immunology at Downstate, Ms. Beata Bajor, PhD, has served as Vice-President of the Graduate Student Council, where she promoted professional development for graduate students and assisted in mediating communications between students and Downstate faculty. She has also been a member of the Employee Assistance Program Committee and the Student Health Advisory Committees.

Ms. Beata Bajor facilitated medical student discussions in small-group, case-based learning sessions at the College of Medicine. Her published research includes “Disruption of Normal B-Cell Development by Enforced Expression of the Surrogate Light Chains Lambda5 and VpreB” and “A Novel Genetic Mouse Model for Splenic B-1 B-Cell Development,” which is the subject of her doctoral thesis.

“Downstate faculty and students, a great number of whom are active accomplished artists and athletes, conduct sophisticated research that contributes to the progress in technology and medicine, and many are also charismatic, inspirational leaders. I am proud to say that they were my friends, mentors and role models, and my receipt of the Chancellor’s Award is a reflection of their success in helping me become the person that I am today,” said Ms. Beata Bajor.

Mr. Chi and Ms. Beata Bajor will receive their Chancellor’s Award on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.