Stony Brook University alumni and students discussed the importance of community, tradition, and heart health during a live broadcast of Health Matters on WUSB 90.1/107.3 FM, according to an April 6 program. The show featured Ryan Heslin, MD, a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology at Stony Brook University Hospital who helped start the campus’s first Relay for Life event as a student nearly two decades ago. He was joined by Cameron Takmil, senior biology major and president of the American Cancer Society at Stony Brook.
The discussion highlighted how initiatives like Relay for Life have grown from small student efforts into campus-wide traditions focused on cardiac and cancer awareness. The guests spoke with host Kate Valerio about what it means to be part of the Stony Brook community—referred to as being a “Seawolf for life”—and shared their personal journeys in medicine and advocacy.
Heslin described his long-standing connection with Stony Brook University since entering as a freshman in 2010 through his medical training to becoming an attending physician. “In my 15-plus years at Stony Brook, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, but I’ve also seen a lot of people stick around because they love this place so much,” Heslin said. He credited relationships formed at the university for his decision to remain there professionally: “I would liken it kind of to falling in love… it was really a summation of all these other wonderful, tinier moments that came together and made me realize that this is the place that I needed to be.”
Takmil explained efforts underway to revive Relay for Life after pandemic disruptions: “Our goal is $5,000, and we’ve already raised $550 before the event,” he said regarding this spring’s relay scheduled for April 25 at the Student Activities Center. He emphasized collaboration among students and staff: “Everyone kind of knows each other… it’s a big family.”
Valerio noted how past student leadership continues shaping campus programs such as Music and Medicine or Play it Forward Project. Throughout their conversation, Heslin underscored preventive measures against heart disease: “What I tell my patients is that no man or woman is as old as their coronary arteries are,” he said.
Looking ahead, Takmil expressed aspirations toward medical school while reflecting on care received by his mother during illness: “It was something that I want to have that same impact on other people’s lives.” Heslin concluded by focusing on training future physicians: “My training is not really over yet, even as an attending physician.”
