The Stony Brook Medicine community mourns the loss of Craig Lehmann, PhD, CC (NRCC), FACB, a notable clinical chemist and innovator who passed away on January 26. Lehmann's career spanned over five decades, during which he contributed significantly to education, health technology, and community healthcare initiatives.
Lehmann served as the dean of the School of Health Technology and Management from 1999 to 2018 and as interim executive dean of Health Sciences at Stony Brook from 2006 to 2010. His leadership left a lasting impact on the institution and its students.
William Wertheim, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine, remarked: “Craig Lehmann was a true visionary in healthcare education and innovation. His leadership and pioneering work in e-health technology and patient care solutions have shaped the way we train future healthcare professionals. His legacy will endure through the countless students and colleagues he mentored and through the programs he helped build that continue to serve our communities.”
Lehmann was an advocate for e-health technology, particularly telemedicine, addressing socio-economic and healthcare challenges globally. He invented RxMonitor+, a device aimed at improving medication adherence.
Throughout his career, Lehmann led health sciences programs and lectured at national and international conferences. Notably, he presented at Capitol Hill with President Bush’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology about using e-technology for major diseases like diabetes.
His scholarly work included numerous journal articles, editing textbooks in clinical laboratory science, and serving on editorial boards such as those for the American Association for Clinical Chemistry’s Strategies and Solutions.
Lehmann received several awards recognizing his contributions to education including “Outstanding Contributions in Education Award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry,” among others. He was also a Fellow in both the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and the National Academy of Inventors.
Stacy Jaffee Gropack, PT, PhD, FASAHP, dean of the School of Health Professions reflected: “Dr. Craig Lehmann has left a lasting impact on the School of Health Professions with outstanding contributions...”
Lehmann is survived by his wife Susan M. Lehmann; sons Aaron and Jason; along with Jason’s wife Kathleen. His influence will continue to guide future generations in health sciences.