Bethpage President and Chief Executive Officer Is Honoree of Hospital’s Annual Gala

Funds raised will support Comprehensive Cancer Program; cancer surgeon, respiratory therapist also to be honored

Bethpage Federal Credit Union’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Linda Armyn, will headline Mount Sinai South Nassau’s 2024 Soirée Under the Stars as the corporate honoree of the hospital’s annual fundraising gala on Saturday, November 9, at The Lannin in Eisenhower Park.

Shahriyour Andaz, MD, Director of Thoracic Oncology, who has led the hospital’s efforts to combat lung cancer, and Shaeda Alloo, a veteran respiratory therapist who served during the COVID-19 pandemic, also will be honored. They will be presented with the hospital’s Mary Pearson and Cupola awards, respectively.

The Soirée Under the Stars gala will raise funds to help advance the cancer programs at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, as part of the hospital’s overall goal of improving services for residents of the South Shore.

“Bethpage and Ms. Armyn have been essential partners of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s public health education initiatives and projects, including the hospital’s ‘Truth in Medicine’ public health poll,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, Mount Sinai South Nassau’s President. “Our collaboration with Bethpage in public health education has enhanced the health and wellness of thousands of Long Island families and residents.”

“Dr. Andaz is the epitome of a compassionate, expert, skilled physician,” added Dr. Sharma. “And Ms. Alloo inspires others through her professionalism, enthusiasm, and dedication to the vision and mission of Mount Sinai South Nassau. They both exhibit deep concern, compassion, and the utmost respect for their patients. These honors were established for staff members like Dr. Andaz and Ms. Alloo.”

Ms. Armyn is the first woman to be named President and Chief Executive Officer of Bethpage. A dynamic and strategic leader well known throughout Long Island and the credit union industry, she has played an integral role in Bethpage’s strategic growth and brand development. Since 2001, through various leadership roles, Ms. Armyn has helped Bethpage grow from $1.1 billion to more than $13 billion in assets. She played an integral role in two mergers that led to Bethpage’s open charter in 2016. Today, Bethpage is the 15th largest credit union in the nation.

With a focus on collaboration and innovation, Ms. Armyn developed Bethpage’s comprehensive community engagement efforts, known as Bethpage Cares. Each year, the credit union invests more than $2 million through its charitable giving arm, and its employees contribute 6,000 hours of volunteer work. Ms. Armyn is Co-Chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, a member of the New York State Parks Commission on Long Island, and Vice Chair of the Stony Brook University President’s Council, and serves on several not-for-profit boards and trade association committees.

Bethpage was a founding sponsor of the hospital’s Truth in Medicine public health poll, which the hospital started 7 years ago to gauge public awareness on key public health topics.

“Linda Armyn is a business leader who cares about our communities and who gives back to make Long Island a better place to live and work and raise our families,” said Tony Cancellieri, Co-Chair of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Community Advisory Board.

“We are grateful that she, along with Bethpage, have been eager to join the hospital in our mission to ensure that the communities and residents we serve have convenient access to advanced medical care, right here on the South Shore.”

The Mary Pearson Award, named in honor of the hospital’s founding administrator, is presented annually to an individual for extraordinary effort and individual contributions that significantly advance the hospital’s commitment to the community.



Since joining Mount Sinai South Nassau in 2004, Dr. Andaz has been in the vanguard of prevention, early detection, and treatment of lung cancer in the communities served by the hospital. For example, in 2006, through his persistence, he brought IELCAP (International Early Lung Cancer Action Project) to Mount Sinai South Nassau, establishing a unique partnership between the hospital and a local PET/CT scan provider that agreed to provide free computed tomography (CT) scans to detect lung cancer in its early stages in high-risk patients. IELCAP research proved that lung cancers detected through screening CT scans have an estimated 80 percent cure rate, compared to a 10 percent cure rate for lung cancers detected in the clinical setting.

Dr. Andaz, who also serves as Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Director of Clinical Research, was the first surgeon on Long Island to perform robotic-assisted bi-lobectomy, a surgical procedure that removes two lobes from the lung, and robotic-assisted surgical removal of the thymus gland. A multiple winner of the Brooklyn and Long Island Chapter of the American College of Surgeons’ prestigious Murray Friedman Resident Competition (clinical research) Award, Dr. Andaz is a past recipient of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Outstanding Performance Award.

Before joining Mount Sinai South Nassau in 2004, Dr. Andaz served in the Thoracic Surgery Department at UCLA Medical Center in 2003 and was an attending cardiothoracic surgeon from 2001-2003 at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, Coney Island Hospital, and Maimonides Medical Center, where he was a cardiothoracic fellow from 1998-2001.

“Dr. Andaz is the model for a community-based physician: his training is impeccable, his dedication to patient care is unmatched, and he exhibits unfaltering energy in serving our patients and communities,” said Rajiv Datta, MD, Chair of the Department of Surgery and Cancer Program Medical Director. “He always goes the extra mile for his patients and our hospital.”

The Cupola Award, established in 2015, honors a deserving hospital employee who goes beyond their duties and lives by the hospital mission to promote excellence in health care.

“Outstanding employee,” “role model,” and “a great human being” are just a few of the phrases that colleagues and patients use to describe Shaeda Alloo, who has spent the last half of her 40-year career as a respiratory therapist at Mount Sinai South Nassau. An educator at heart, Ms. Alloo’s expertise is frequently called upon during interdisciplinary rounds. Physicians often rely on her knowledge and training and look to her skillful ability to wean patients off ventilators or make the proper adjustments in ventilator settings. If her guidance is needed on her day off, Ms. Alloo will put her personal plans on hold to report to the hospital. She willingly extends herself by providing instruction to residents, students, and staff regarding modes of ventilation and new technology.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the respiratory therapy staff at Mount Sinai South Nassau were put under intense pressure to serve critically ill patients. At one point during the height of the pandemic, more than 100 COVID-19 patients were on respirators at the hospital.

“Shaeda exemplifies the best traits of a skilled and caring health care professional, showing deep concern, compassion, and the utmost respect for her patients and taking interest in all aspects of their well-being,” said Dr. Sharma.

Funds raised by the Soirée will help improve health care on the South Shore by continuing to advance Mount Sinai South Nassau’s cancer care services and assist some of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients undergoing treatment for the disease. In addition to the full range of cancer care and support at Mount Sinai South Nassau, the hospital also offers outpatient services at the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center in Valley Stream, which treats more than 2,500 patients each year.

Mount Sinai South Nassau’s cancer program offers surgical oncology technologies, including the Novalis Tx™, da Vinci® Surgical System, and Gamma Knife®, Long Island’s longest running program to treat malignant and benign brain tumors and other noncancerous growths and malformations. The Feil Cancer Center’s multi-disciplinary team of accomplished medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists use the latest advances in diagnostic, medical, radiation, and surgical oncology technologies to provide individualized treatment plans for a wide range of cancers with the dignity and compassion patients deserve.

The staff at Mount Sinai South Nassau works in coordination with its counterparts at The Tisch Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center that is part of the Mount Sinai Health System. As a National Clinical Trial Network affiliate within the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Department of Clinical Research leads clinical trials to establish new standards of care. Mount Sinai South Nassau plans this year to expand access to cancer trials on Long Island in coordination with The Tisch Cancer Institute.

This year’s Soiree will include an expanded cocktail reception starting at 6:30 pm and a sit-down dinner that will feature an array of food choices, unlimited top-shelf open bar, passed hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, and an opportunity to mingle with the hospital’s key supporters, staff, board leadership, and administration. The evening also will include dancing to music from a 10-piece live band and a live auction at which attendees can bid on tickets to the 2025 Ryder Cup at the Bethpage Black golf course in Farmingdale. To learn more about the Soirée, purchase tickets, or support the event as a sponsor, call Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Development office at 516-377-5360, visit southnassaulifesaver.org.

About Mount Sinai South Nassau
The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, New York, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health, and emergency services and operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, along with Long Island’s only free-standing Emergency Department in Long Beach.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, Mount Sinai South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. Mount Sinai South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island’s only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. Mount Sinai South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons; is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program; and an Infectious Diseases Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence.
For more information, go to www.mountsinai.org/southnassau.