70 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JUNE 22, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Susan Browning brought back to her roots
Susan Browning, executive director of Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Northwell Health
vschneps@gmail.com
Dynamic
$1500 OFF
SAME DAY
DENTAL WORK
LUMINEERS
PORCELAIN
SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY
CROWNS
Third Generation Dentist
175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106
Having lived in Woodside for 30
years, and then moving to Long
Island aft er marrying, Susan
Browning has returned to her roots, leading
Northwell Health’s newly renamed
Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital.
And the “system” has invested millions to
renovate and add new services to the hospital
now under her leadership.
Having a brilliant college career at
Barnard where she earned a BS and then
getting her Master’s Degree from the prestigious
Columbia University Mailman
School of Public Health, she concentrated
on health policy and management
while working full time at Methodist
Hospital in the Park Slope neighborhood
in Brooklyn and her passion for hospital
administration was born, as well as
her aspiration to lead a hospital as executive
director.
Having practiced her craft in Brooklyn,
Browning held several leadership roles
at Northwell Health, including at Staten
Island University Hospital which was
in the process of realigning services and
programs.
As a Senior Vice President, she managed
the integration and operation of
the multiple practices at the major hospital
on Staten Island that is growing in
infl uence and serves almost half a million
people. She has become an expert on
integrating specialists with current staff
and has been the administrative Vice
President of Northwell Health’s neurosurgery,
neurology, ENT, head/neck and
ophthalmology services, working to further
expand programs at Manhattan Eye,
Ear and Th roat Hospital, North Shore
University Hospital, and Huntington
Hospital, to name a few.
Wisely, Northwell fi nally made her goal
to lead a hospital as executive director
come to fruition, turning to her to lead
the expanding LIJ forest Hills hospital in a
diverse borough of over 2.2 million people.
Browning has cut several ribbons,
opening new services at the hospital, and
expects to expand the ER in the near
future. She has created a state-of-the-art
imaging center. She can call on her staff
on site to read X-rays but now thanks to a
sophisticated electronic system, they can
be read by the over 150 radiologists in the
Northwell system.
When I met with her recently in her
tenth fl oor offi ce overlooking the skyline
of Queens and Manhattan, her eyes sparkled
as she spoke about the major renovations
going on, creating 10 cutting-edge
postpartum maternity rooms.
“We will be able to off er private rooms
and reduce our three-bed rooms to
two persons with lots of privacy,” she
explained. “And as a celebration for the
new parents, we will even off er catered
meals from local restaurants,” she continued.
Susan Browning spoke with pride in her
voice when discussing the additional new
doctors serving the hospital’s patients
as well as multiple community sites like
the one at 95-25 Queens Blvd. “We can
access Northwell’s wealth of top doctors
in every category of health needs,” she
said. “And I’m adding world-class trained
specialists. We want to make LIJ Forest
Hills a destination hospital and with the
rapid growth of the community, it’s my
challenge to grow the staff and the hospital.
We might have to expand the footprint
too to meet the need and demand
for our services.”
With her parents still living in
Woodside, she said with a smile, “I get
fan letters with thanks from my parents’
neighbors. Th ey know how much I care
about giving them state-of-the-art medical
care.”
With an eye on each day to deliver the
fi nest medical care, Susan Browning also,
has an eye on the future and the needs
of the diverse communities she serves.
Welcome back home. She’s made her parents
proud and the community, too.
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPS-YUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
