Allison McLarty, MD, FACS; Stony Brook Medicine's Department of Surgery Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has been named the 2026 Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the Long Island Business News (LIBN). Dr. McLarty has previously been recognized by LIBN for her work with the Stony Brook Ventricular Assist Device Program.
The Health Care Heroes Awards were created by LIBN to honor and celebrate innovative and influential organizations and individuals who are making positive differences to the quality of health care on Long Island. In addition to the Lifetime Achievement award, other Health Care Heroes categories include: Acupuncture Specialist, Advanced Practice Provider, Dental Specialist, Elder Care, First Responder, Health Care Innovation, Health Care Staff, Management, Mental Health, Nurse, Physician and Volunteer.
"I am humbled and grateful to receive the award; it's been the honor of my lifetime career at Stony Brook Medicine to have worked with outstanding teams here to serve the people of Long island and educate the health care providers of tomorrow," said Dr. McLarty.
Dr. McLarty has been a Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery's Cardiothoracic faculty since 1997, and has been serving as division chief since November, 2025. She is also the Associate Program Director for the General Surgery Residency program, Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support, Surgical Director of the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) program, and leads the Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program for short-term circulatory support for critically ill patients. She previously also held the position of Chief of Surgery at the Northport VA Medical Center and had led Stony Brook Medicine's multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Center.
After receiving her MD from Columbia University in 1988, she completed General Surgery residency training at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and then joined Stony Brook Medicine after her fellowship training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. At Stony Brook's Department of Surgery, she has specialized in cardiac and thoracic surgery and her clinical/research interests include ECMO, LVAD and aortic disease.
"...it's been the honor of my lifetime career at Stony Brook Medicine to have worked with outstanding teams here to serve the people of Long island and educate the health care providers of tomorrow." - Dr. Allison McLarty
Dr. McLarty is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery. Her dedication to providing her patients with extraordinary care has earned her a number of awards and recognition, including: Brookhaven Health Person of the Year, Brookhaven Woman of the Year in Medicine, Brookhaven's Women's Recognition Award for Medicine, inclusion in the Guide to America's Top Surgeons (published by the Consumers' Research Council of America), the Village Times Herald's Woman of the Year in Health, Castle Connolly's Top Doctor list and Castle Connolly's Exceptional Woman in Medicine award.
The Health Care Heroes winners are selected by the editors of LIBN. The 2026 awards ceremony will be held in February at the Crest Hollow Country Club.
For more information, please visit: