Hospital's Rockin' Docs Take Home Prize At Battle Of Bands

GREENPORT, NY — Rocking docs took home the prize at a recent battle of the bands competition.

Eastern Long Island Hospital's Dr. Lawrence Schiff, director of the emergency department, is a drummer in his spare time, while ER physician Dr. Ryan Zapata plays lead guitar and Dr. David Lin rocks out on the bass.

Along with John Fazio, CRNA on vocals, the group has a classic rock band, Products of Conception, or POC.

POC recently competed with four other bands to raise funds for Stony Brook University Cancer Center’s bone marrow transplant unit, ELIH said.

The event took place at 89 North in Patchogue, where they participated in the Third Annual Battle of the Bands, “Docs Who Rock.”

Taking home the People’s Choice Award and an electric guitar signed by Sammy Hagar of Van Halen, the guitar belongs to the group, but only for a year.

The guitar is now on display in the hospital’s main lobby.

“Both Larry and John are enjoying their newfound fame around the hospital. I also think it is good for the community to see a lighter side of health care professionals,” said Paul J. Connor III, President/CEO. “Sometimes patients are put at ease when they realize our physicians are not just about medical procedures and tests.”

“We don’t want to give the guitar back, we have to defend our title now,” said Schiff, who has competed in all three band battles. “As doctors, we are normally not that competitive, but this is a fun competition for a good cause. All this would not be possible, except for all the ELIH nurses and staff that attended the event — they all voted for us. This is as much their victory, as it is ours."

The event drew a crowd of 375 and took in $5,600 for cancer patient activities at Stony Brook University’s Cancer Center, including music and art therapy programs, a release said.

Nurses at the event took swabs from 30 people to be entered into the national bone marrow donor registry.

Every 3 minutes in the U.S., someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer; for many patients, a bone marrow transplant is the best chance for survival, ELIH said.

While 30% of patients can find a matching donor in their families, 70%, or nearly 14,000 each year, must rely on a stranger to step up and donate. Bone marrow and stem cell donation can be a life-saving treatment for blood cancer and 70 other serious illnesses of the blood, ELIH said.

Photo courtesy ELIH.