Gina Desio and Shannon Seymour

Office of Marketing and Communications, Stony Brook Medicine (SBM)
Start Dates: June 22 and December 7 (respectively), 2023

Both Gina Desio and Shannon Seymour came to Stony Brook eager to produce content that makes a positive impact. Today, the social media specialists are doing exactly that. They’re proud to deepen the connection between Stony Brook’s healthcare system and the various communities it serves, one post at a time.

Gina Desio
Manager of Executive Social Media

Gina’s love for marketing arose inadvertently. It all started when she interned at a social media agency about a year into her bachelor’s at SUNY Purchase. While she saw her arts management degree through to graduation, she wasted no time jumpstarting her career in the world of advertising. 

Honing her skills at a couple of small agencies, Gina was eventually serving clients like Uber and Cadillac. “I loved working with a lot of big Fortune 500 companies,” she says. “But after a while, I started to feel like something was missing. I wasn’t really seeing the impact of my work, and there was a lack of human connection.”

Her mother Stephanie, who worked in budgeting and finance at SBM for more than 20 years, had always encouraged Gina to follow in her footsteps and join the staff at Stony Brook. Ultimately, all it took was a watchful eye on the university’s job postings and a text with the application link for her daughter’s current position, which Gina thought was a perfect fit.

Turns out, she was right. Her daily efforts are now devoted to educating community members on the care that’s available to them, and she’s no longer missing out on the collaborative atmosphere she craved in her previous jobs. “Instead of simply executing on behalf of a brand, I’m working with actual people to help them improve their personal presence,” she says. “That’s exciting to me.”

Gina works mainly with Dr. William Wertheim, Interim Executive Vice President of SBM, and she looks forward to supporting more executives – and even some senior physicians – with their social media journeys in the future. Responsible for managing accounts on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads and X, she’s passionate about helping people bring their content ambitions to life.

“There’s so much important work being done at Stony Brook Medicine, and communicating that work to the public is imperative,” Gina says. “What I bring to the table is a vast knowledge of social media communications – just from working in the industry for over a decade – and also a positive, upbeat attitude that welcomes innovation.”

A native Long Islander, Gina was thrilled to find such a well-suited job that allowed her to stay rooted in the scenic hamlet of Westhampton, and she doesn’t even mind the commute. Back home, the beach is her happy place – it doesn’t matter if it’s the dead of winter or a hot summer day.

“I actually prefer the beach in the off-season,” she says. “I do enjoy going in the summer and tanning in the sun, but it’s also really nice to go in pants and a hoodie when it’s less crowded – maybe bring a hot cup of coffee with me and take a walk. I’m a beach year-round type of person.”

Photos of Westhampton Beach by Gina Desio

Shannon Seymour
Social Media Strategist

Shannon is honored to run the social media accounts for Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) and Stony Brook Children’s – especially considering the effect SBM has had on her own quality of life.

“I moved here a few years ago,” says the Syracuse native. “And as a Type 1 diabetic, switching my primary care provider turned out to be instrumental to my overall wellbeing. I worked directly with some amazing doctors and got my A1C the lowest it's ever been. So Stony Brook Medicine had a personal impact on me, and I really wanted to make my career a little bit more impactful.”

Before she started working at Stony Brook, Shannon was a visionary marketer for home decor brands such as Raymour and Flanigan Furniture. She also gained experience managing social media accounts for some big-name influencers, including Tyler Cameron, a former contestant on The Bachelor – which happens to be one of Shannon’s favorite shows.

“I feel very lucky to have gotten this position,” she says of her new role at SBM. “There’s so much content opportunity. Working with other creatives to brainstorm ideas and then being able to go to the hospital, walk around and get people excited about participating is something that I love."

One of Shannon’s favorite projects thus far was a New Year’s resolution reel she created for SBUH, where she interviewed staff and others in the hospital about their biggest intentions for 2024. “It was a fun way we got to join in on a trend that was happening across TikTok and Instagram,” she says. “It also helped me with my video editing skills, and I got to interview and pet a dog!”

Even though it’s only March, Shannon has already mapped out content strategies for the rest of the year. She’s particularly looking forward to lending her insights to the public by means of an educational campaign for National Diabetes Awareness Month in November. This will consist of a conversational video series that spotlights expert testimony, explores the diabetic experience, and explains the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

“My mission is to humanize the brand, connect with the community and grow our awareness so people know why Stony Brook Medicine is the place they should go and how it really helps real people,” she says. “And I'm hoping to be able to tell those stories in a thoughtful and creative way.”

Shannon isn’t the only one in her circle who works at SBM – her boyfriend Freddie is an orthopedic resident here. Both are big dog people, and they share two golden retrievers named Finn and Arfur. In their free time, the couple likes to take part in local trivia nights at pubs and restaurants near their home in Centereach. “We never win,” Shannon says with a smile, “but we have a fun time.”