Hofstra University

Thirteen nursing students from the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies spent their 2025 spring break offering compassionate care to refugees in Greece, as part of a powerful service-learning trip designed to expand their cultural awareness and clinical skills.

Hofstra University students put their technical and teamwork skills to the test at the recent Pensar Hofstra Hackathon, a 24-hour innovation sprint hosted by Hofstra C.O.D.E. (Computing Opportunities, Development, and Exploration) and sponsored by Pensar AI - a cybersecurity startup founded by Hofstra alumni Kyle Bhiro '21 (Frank G. Zarb School of Business) and Kerem Proulx '21 (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science). Held in Hofstra's Science & Innovation Center, the hackathon drew 40 participants over six teams, and awarded over $14,000 in cash and products, including a top prize of $7,800. Second and third place teams received $4,800 and $4,500, respectively.

During National Student Employment Week, Hofstra University is celebrating the impact and experiences of student workers across campus and in the surrounding community. Through the student employment program - whether through Federal Work-Study or other opportunities - students are receiving more than just a paycheck. They're building transferable skills, gaining practical experience, forming meaningful professional relationships, and in many cases, engaging with the wider community.

Cloudy skies did not stop more than 230 Hofstra students from going out into the community early Saturday morning to garden at neighboring homes. The University's Annual Pride and Plant event connects students with local homeowners, who need help with yard work and planting.

Mia Lee '26 is heading to the 2025 Rifle and Pistol National Junior Olympics in Alabama, April 13-18, where she has secured a first-round invitation to compete in the women's 10-meter air rifle championship. After competing in Junior Olympics for the past seven years, this is her final year of eligibility. The Hofstra biochemistry major and ROTC cadet from Boston, MA, fell in love with the precision and focus that her sport requires. Her interest was sparked when she was just 8 years old and began accompanying her father to the rifle range.

Lawrence Herbert School of Communication students won top honors in five categories at the 50th national Gracie Awards for exemplary news programming. The prestigious honor, awarded annually by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF), recognizes work by, for, or about women in television, radio, and online media on the national, local, and student levels. Hofstra students have taken home multiple Gracie Awards for the last 11 years.

The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is proud to announce that Adrian Chen, a third-year medical student, has been selected as a 2025-26 Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow. The prestigious Sarnoff Fellowship, founded in 1979 by Dr. Stanley J. Sarnoff, provides a fully funded opportunity for select medical students to conduct cutting-edge research under the mentorship of the nation's foremost cardiovascular scientists. Chen is the second student from the Zucker School of Medicine to receive this elite honor and 1 of just 19 students nationally to be selected for the 2025-26 program.

Naya Mahabir '25, a Hofstra biology major from New Hyde Park, New York, received a TriBeta Research Grant for her work on microbes that may promote plant growth in adverse environments.

Hofstra University presented its annual Service Week, March 18-20, 2025. The program offers Hofstra University students opportunities to participate in community service programs over spring break. For the first time, Service Week included an inaugural program to meet and work with residents of the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, Long Island. Organized by Anita Ellis, director of the Office of Commuting Student Services and Community Outreach, and Karen Torrence, director of the Shinnecock Senior Citizen Nutrition Program, students were matched with senior tribal members and helped around their homes with planting and weeding.

Sandro Amaglobeli and Allison Siegel, both Class of 2025 and Rabinowitz Honors College students, presented a research poster at the 2025 Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) annual conference held in Seattle, Washington, during the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), from January 8-11.

Hofstra University's Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) made a strong impression at Hacking Health 2025, a 48-hour healthcare-focused hackathon hosted by Columbia University's BMES on February 8-9. Competing against over 20 elite teams from institutions including Columbia, Brown, MIT, Yale, and Penn, Hofstra's BMES secured first place in the Personalized Medicine and Genomics division for its novel thyroid monitor, THYROS, which is now patent pending.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Hofstra Chapter advanced its leadership and professional development by attending the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL) in Memphis, Tennessee. The conference, which brought together engineering students from across the country, helped participants enhance their skills in chapter management, professional development, and networking - all key components of a successful student organization.

Six undergraduate nursing students, in their senior year, from the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies (SONPA) traveled to Washington, D.C., February 6, to participate in the 37th annual National Black Nurses Day on Capitol Hill. This year's event, titled "Reimagining Health Equity: Addressing Ongoing Threats to America's Well-Being," provided an opportunity for students to engage in discussions on legislative issues affecting the nursing profession, including workforce diversity, maternal mortality, artificial intelligence in health care, and economic wellness.

Sandro Amaglobeli and Allison Siegel, both Class of 2025 and Rabinowitz Honors College students, presented a research poster at the 2025 Pi Mu Epsilon (PME) annual conference held in Seattle, Washington, during the Joint Mathematics Meetings (JMM), from January 8-11.

A group of students from the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of technology and innovation during a recent trip to Silicon Valley. Led by Associate Professor Jianchen Shan, the students engaged with some of the biggest names in the tech industry, gaining valuable insight into the latest advancements and career opportunities in computer science and cybersecurity.

Super Bowl Week is underway in New Orleans, and three reporters from WRHU-88.7 FM, Radio Hofstra University, are on the ground, participating in media activities leading up to the Sunday, February 9, rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hofstra University is proud to release the fall 2024 Provost's List, which recognizes students who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

Hofstra University congratulates the students named to the fall 2024 Dean's List for their outstanding academic achievements. Students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 during the semester to make the Dean's List.

Hofstra University's Class of 2024 Physician Assistant (PA) Studies students celebrated the culmination of their rigorous academic journey at the annual White Coat Ceremony on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. The event, held at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, marked their transition from PA students to healthcare professionals. The students proudly donned their white coats, symbolizing their commitment to patient care.

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Sarah Abramowitz, BA, a medical student at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Fellow, published her research highlighting the inconsistencies of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on November 16, 2024. On the same day, she presented her findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, where she was the only student finalist in the Genomic and Precision Medicine Early Career Investigator Competition. The study, conducted during Abramowitz's Sarnoff Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, examines the variability of PRSs in predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jessie Hirsch (Bellerose, NY) and Julia Catanzano (Deer Park, NY), students from Hofstra's School of Health Sciences (SHS), earned top honors at the Greater New York American College of Sports Medicine (GNY ACSM) Conference held at NYU Langone in New York City. The conference showcased research from undergraduate and graduate students across the region, featuring 29 accepted abstracts and six finalists in the prestigious President's Cup Student Research Competition. Additionally, SHS had three student poster presentations that included collaborative research conducted by undergraduate Exercise Physiology students including Admar Calovini (New Hyde Park, NY), Jasmine Garmon (Holbrook, NY), David Wang (Valley Stream, NY), Erin Crisley (Wakefield, MA), Paige Kyle (Aurora, CO), Tarek Harhash (East Northport, NY), Emma Brennan (Myrtle Beach, SC), Lily Yepez (N.Bellmore, NY), Stacey Wong (Middle Village, NY), Anaya Davis (Palm Bay, FL), Amelia Heywood (Roseville, CA), and Emily Kishori (Elmont, NY).

Students from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell served as expert medical witnesses during the seventh National Medical-Legal Trial Competition on November 8-10, 2024. The event, hosted annually by the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, is the only trial competition in the country where a medical school and a law school collaborate to simulate real-life expert testimony by doctors. This year, 16 law schools from across the country competed with 11 medical students as medical expert witnesses, and Chicago-Kent School of Law, aided by Zucker School of Medicine fourth-year student Brandon Santhumayor, captured first place.

The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell hosted its Thirteenth Annual Medical Student Research Week November 4-8, 2024. Research Week is facilitated by the Office of Medical Student Research and the Advisory Committee for Student Research. Each year, the medical school community comes together for this auspicious week-long roster of events in support of student researchers at every level. Over 90 medical students participated in scientific research this summer, and after weeks of investigation, presented their findings on Monday, Medical Student Research Day, kicking off the week's activities. Medical Student Research Week concluded on Friday with a reception to celebrate the students' achievements. Six student researchers were recognized and awarded for their projects' quality, design and presentation. They included; Jason Ha, Priscilla Lee, David Murtha, Kadir Ozler, Marianna Tu and Elizabeth Weber.

Hofstra Votes LIVE, the award-winning, multi-platform election night broadcast, produced by Hofstra University's Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, aired on election night, November 5, after weeks of intense preparation and rehearsal.

The Hale Family Annual Scholarship, established in 2018 and renewed in 2022 by Hofstra alumnus Charles R. Hale '71, continues to support Hofstra graduate students pursuing a specialized Certificate in Alcohol and Substance Abuse. The scholarship, which awards $5,000 every semester for up to five semesters, reflects Hale's commitment to addressing the nation's opioid crisis. This year's scholarship recipient, Cynthia Escobar, a mental health counseling graduate student in the School of Health Sciences from Hempstead, NY, connects with the scholarship's mission.

Select students participating in Hofstra's Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) were featured in a video highighting the benefits of the program.

Edward Guo, a senior computer science student from Northborough, MA, is making waves in the world of computer science by achieving what many doctoral students only dream of: Guo will publish and present his groundbreaking research at the EuroSys 2025 Conference in the Netherlands in this spring.

For many students and faculty, summers are for vacationing and enjoying the sun at the beach; however, for Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell students, Madeline Bright, first-year PhD student, Louis Aghanwa, Adrian Puentes, and Armando Alvarez Suarez, second-year medical students, this summer was spent at the von Hagens/Body Worlds Plastinarium in Germany. The trip was held in conjunction with the Zucker School of Medicine's Office of Medical Student Research and for the participating students, the visit to the Plastinarium provided a unique opportunity to combine their passion for anatomy with real-life, hands-on experience.

In a poignant ceremony marking the next chapter in their professional journeys, 37 students from the Class of 2026 at the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies celebrated the start of their clinical training. The traditional pinning ceremony, held amidst family, friends, and faculty, symbolizes the transformation from student to clinician - a significant milestone in a nurse's career.

Hofstra Students Start the Fall Semester in Service Hofstra students from different majors, hometowns, and backgrounds started the fall semester in service to the local community. Several volunteer service days - from helping the food insecure to cleaning up area beaches - were offered to students as a chance to give back, get to know each other, and connect with their neighbors. Nearly 100 students have participated so far, with opportunities ongoing.