Coming Full Circle

Everything came full circle for Alan Wong (D.O. ’03, M.B.A. ’03). In high school, he volunteered as a researcher at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Then, right out of medical school, his first rotation was at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y., where he now serves as chief medical officer and senior vice president for medical affairs, overseeing operations across several departments.

In his new role, Wong will work with the hospital to bring more complex care to the South Shore of Long Island. Pre-pandemic, Wong says, patients were typically taken into New York City for specific surgeries; post-pandemic, fewer people want to go far from home. “We’re bringing the complex care here,” he says, which includes advanced cardiac care, neuroscience, and oncology. “In addition, we are bringing multispecialty ambulatory sites, which is new to the South Shore.

“We are aiming [to build] a full tertiary care hospital, and the footprint is expanding,” says Wong. A new tower will house an emergency room and operating room, and 40 intensive care unit beds will be added to an existing pavilion. “The plan is to bring complex surgeries to Long Island. We’re trying to bring more expanded care since there is no major trauma center or advanced cardiac care within our area. The impact we can make with what we’re doing is exciting.”

At New York Tech, Wong earned his M.B.A. at the School of Management, and a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine at the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM). After graduation, he worked at several area hospitals, including Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip and most recently Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, where he served as chief of critical care.

Before transitioning into administration, Wong worked in internal and pulmonary medicine, and later expanded his medical certifications in critical care, neuro-critical care, and hospice and palliative care. It was during his time at Mercy Hospital when he made the switch, serving as vice president for patient safety, chief quality officer, chair of internal medicine, and chief of pulmonary and critical care.

Over the years, Wong has remained involved with NYITCOM and the School of Management by participating in teaching seminars and mentoring interns and students. In fact, one of his interns at Good Samaritan is now his primary doctor.

“I’m giving back to the hospital I started in,” says Wong. “I have an intern one day, and he becomes my doctor another. That’s what makes it a full circle.”