Kylie Zahra

Respiratory Therapist
Start Date: October 10, 2024

Kylie Zahra is a compassionate, caring and kind individual. This is important in her field, where she serves as a respiratory therapist for Stony Brook Medicine (SBM). 

As an undergraduate student, Kylie studied respiratory therapy at the University of North Carolina: Wilmington. It was there where she honed in on some fundamentals of the field she would pursue for her career. 

“Through looking at my options, respiratory was a hidden little niche that more people are now starting to become aware of, especially during and since the pandemic,” Kylie says.

Prior to joining SBM full-time, Kylie interned as an equipment technician. In this role, she learned all about the respiratory equipment she would work with in the future. She also really enjoyed the people she worked with, inspiring her to later apply for her current position. 

Since starting her role, Kylie has had the opportunity to work with many patients. In her experience, her patients are at the lowest points in their lives. This makes sense, as many are intubated by the time Kylie interacts with them. In this capacity, she works closely with patients’ families, “letting them know what they’re looking like from a breathing aspect, and giving them updates on how their breathing looks,” she explains.

She also serves the role of an educator, explaining, oftentimes to children, how to use inhalers, teaching them more about asthma, etc. For Kylie, this is personal, as her grandmother also suffered from asthma.

In all of her roles, she always takes extra care to treat everyone with the empathy and respect she would want for her own family or anyone suffering.

In discussing the future of respiratory care, Kylie says the field is constantly evolving, with new technology available all the time. And, she says, there is always more to learn. 

In this vein, Kylie is interested in building and furthering her education. With an affinity for kids, her ambitions are clear: she wants to specialize in working with the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Premature babies, she says, often require respiratory support, and she wants to help them take some of their first breaths. 

When she is not at the hospital, Kylie likes going to the beach, shopping, coloring and hanging out with friends. She has a brother and lives with her parents in Mount Sinai.