Stony Brook University Hospital Earns Top Donor Hospital Distinction for 2025 from LiveOnNY

STONY BROOK, NY, April 22, 2026 - Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has received the inaugural LiveOnNY Legacies 2026 Award, honoring the hospital as one of the top five donor hospitals in 2025 based on performance and measurable impact in organ donation. The recognition reflects SBUH's leadership and sustained commitment to advancing organ donation in collaboration with LiveOnNY and focus on honoring the wishes of donor heroes.

"Receiving the inaugural LiveOnNY Legacies Award is a profound honor for our entire team at Stony Brook University Hospital," says William A. Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President at Stony Brook Medicine. "This recognition reflects not only our clinical excellence, but our deep, shared commitment to honoring the selfless gift of organ donation."

"Our physicians, nurses, and staff work tirelessly to ensure that every opportunity for donation is realized with compassion, dignity, and respect," says Carol A. Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital. "Each donor leaves a powerful legacy of hope-one that reaches far beyond our hospital walls, transforming and saving the lives of patients and families throughout our communities."

Stony Brook University Hospital has received the inaugural LiveOnNY Legacies 2026 Award, honoring the hospital as one of the top five donor hospitals in 2025 based on performance and measurable impact in organ donation.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, about 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease. Over 100,000 people are on the waiting list for kidney transplant. With deceased donor kidney wait times averaging 3-7 years, living donation is an increasingly important option. What makes it even more attractive today are the excellent safety and success rates for living donor transplants.

As Long Island's longest-running active transplant program, Stony Brook Medicine brings extensive experience caring for both adult and pediatric transplant recipients and living donors. To date Stony Brook has performed more than 630 transplants using living donors, and that number is growing. Between 2023 and 2024, an impressive 25-30% of our kidney transplants came from living donors.

"This recognition reflects the growing impact of both deceased and living donation at Stony Brook, where each gift has the power to save and transform multiple lives," says Frank Darras, MD, FACS, Medical Director of Transplantation Services at Stony Brook Medicine. "We have built a program grounded in clinical excellence, compassion, and accountability, ensuring that every opportunity for organ donation is recognized and carried out with the utmost respect."

Alongside SBUH's recognition, Jonathan Buscaglia, MD, FASGE, AGAF, Chief Medical Officer, and Dawn Francisquini, MSN, BS, RN, CCTC, Administrative Director of Transplantation Services, were honored with the 'Donor Champion Award'-LiveOnNY's highest distinction-for their unwavering commitment to advancing organ donation. This honor recognizes individuals, community leaders and elected officials who have gone above and beyond to save lives and uphold the legacy of donors.

From left to right: Adam Kressel, MD, PhD, Dawn Francisquini, Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, Jonathan Buscaglia, MD, FASGE, AGAF, Frank Darras, MD, FACS
Credit: LiveOnNY

To learn more about Kidney Transplantation Services at Stony Brook Medicine, visit https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/patientcare/transplant.

About Stony Brook University Hospital:

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island's premier academic health center. With 628 beds, SBUH serves as the region's only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children's Hospital and Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County's only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation's first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/sbuh.

About LiveOnNY:

LiveOnNY is a federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) committed to honoring, saving, and transforming lives through organ and tissue donation. Established in 1978, LiveOnNY collaborates with more than 100 area hospitals, providing support to donor families and transplant recipients. The OPO serves a diverse population of 13 million people of New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Rockland counties. Recognized as one of the nation's top-performing OPOs, LiveOnNY and the people of New York have increased organ donation by 85% over the past five years. To learn more, visit LiveOnNY.org