Huntington High School alum Dr. James Paci will be honored at next Wednesday night’s Huntington Foundation gala at the Water’s Edge in Centerport. He will join Huntington UFSD Superintendent James W. Polansky as this year’s Spirit Award recipients. Tickets for the event are sold-out.
Congratulatory messages to either Dr. Paci or Mr. Polansky can be sent through HFEE’s “30 for $30” fundraising campaign. For a $30 donation you can write a personal note of congratulations up to 30 words long. Your message will be shared on screen at the May 4 Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education and included in a hardcover memento book, which will be gifted to the two honorees after the event. Click here for more details.
Huntington Alum Dr. James Paci
Dr. Paci played on the Blue Devil football, basketball and baseball teams, serving as a team captain in all three sports. He grew up around Huntington High School, where his father was a teacher and football coach and where his brother, John was also a multi-sport star.
“I was initially drawn to a career in medicine through my exposure to the team physicians at Huntington High School,” Dr. Paci said. “As a child spending many days on the Huntington football sidelines, I noticed there were always three people who were seen as the leaders on game day. Everyone listened when they spoke; the athletic director, the head football coach and the team physician.”
After graduating from Huntington High School in 1995 with top academic honors, Dr. Paci went on to play football at Yale University, where he obtained an undergraduate degree. A graduate of Chicago Medical School, he completed his orthopedic surgery residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
The Huntington alum is currently director of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine for Suffolk County for the Orlin and Cohen Orthopedic Group at Northwell Health. He also serves as an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University. He is board certified in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, specializing in the care of athletes and disorders of the shoulder, elbow and knee.
Dr. Paci is the head team physician and medical director for the New York Riptide, an NLL professional lacrosse team and Farmingdale State College and an orthopaedic consultant for many high schools on Long Island, including Huntington High School.
“My career allows me to combine many of the things I enjoy most,” Dr. Paci said. “I have been able to stay involved in sports at all levels. It also allows me to teach, conduct research and collaborate with others to come up with creative solutions to help patients achieve improved outcomes. Above all else, my career allows me to help those in our community return to doing the things they love. There is nothing better than that.”
Dr. Paci completed an orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama, where he received an award for excellence in clinical research. In Birmingham, he was the team physician for Huntingdon College and assisted with the care of athletes from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, and the Washington Redskins football team.
Dr. Paci currently performs clinical and biomechanical research at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research at Northwell Health. He holds national and international patents and has introduced multiple surgical innovations worldwide. He has been recognized with Castle Connelly’s Top Doctor Award.
“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by the Huntington Foundation,” Dr. Paci said. “HFEE sets the bar for giving back and supporting the educational mission of the Huntington School District. As a Class of 1995 member, I cherish the education I received at Huntington, which set the course of my academic and athletic careers. The lessons learned inside the classroom, hallways, locker rooms, gymnasium and athletic fields have been invaluable throughout my career and life. HFEE has given the educators in Huntington an incredible level of support to be creative and expand the learning opportunities for Huntington’s students.”
The Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education (HFEE) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities for all students in the Huntington school district. Founded in 1993, it enriched Huntington UFSD by donating more than $1 million in grants aimed at improving student experiences on every grade level.
This year’s executive board consists of Jennifer Stevens (president), Meghan Knieriem (chief financial officer), Jennifer Hebert (vice president-grants), Laura Cheshire (vice president-grants), Michele Sabatino (secretary), Andrea Boccard (vice president-public relations), Kristine Colleluori (vice president-development) and Tara Poli (vice president-development). The board of directors includes Debbie Knowles (youth board coordinator), Toniann Mangan (PTA liaison), Alice Marie Rorke, Janine Luca (meeting coordinator) and Amy Girimonti (assistant vice president-development).
In addition to the members of the board of directors, HFEE is aided by a youth board Victoria Mangan, Mary Grace Rorke, Charles Girimonti, Charlotte Cheshire and Morgan Colleluori. Ms. Mangan and Ms. Rorke are interning with the organization.
