Healthcare Heroes at Stony Brook Medicine: Marianne Bastian

"Like many who work at Stony Brook Medicine, my office is in Tech Park on Belle Mead. It’s a very busy road with a heavy Stony Brook presence – staff and patients alike. About four years ago, a goose was hit by a car and killed right in front of our building. It was devastating. As I was driving home later that day, I passed some lawn signs and it hit me. I came into work the next day, and with the help of my colleagues Anita and Donna, we created and printed signs to try to get people to slow down on Belle Mead. It was a real group effort. We needed to connect with property management, traffic safety, and the police department to make this happen. We even secured more speed patrolling in the area. And four years later, I do think it’s helped. We unfortunately still lose geese, but I feel like people have slowed down and are more cautious because of our efforts.

I’ve been at Stony Brook for nine years now, and I love what I do. I work in marketing and communications with some of the smartest, most hard-working professionals I know. We are responsible for messaging, both internally to staff and externally to the community, and that includes everything from COVID protocols and new hospital services to highlighting SBM’s pioneering research and programs. And we ensure the integrity of the Stony Brook Medicine brand. I think communication is what life is all about – sharing our ideas, thoughts, hopes and dreams with each other to hopefully ensure a more peaceful world. And that’s what I think these signs do. They communicate to the drivers that they are not the only ones on the road. We are a community-minded health system. And anything that affects our community matters, whether it be footed or feathered."

-Marianne Bastian, Office of Marketing and Communication

Visit?stonybrookmedicine.edu/healthcareheroes?to hear from more of our Healthcare Heroes.