8. Dr. Samuel Stanley, Jr.

A Harvard University Med School grad, Stanley has given dozens of lectures on everything from amebiasis to parasitology nationwide. Since 2009, he has held the top spot at one of LI’s most important institutions—on multiple levels. SBU is not only responsible for churning out the next generation’s top docs, it is a business responsible for nearly 4 percent of all economic activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and approximately 7.5 percent of total jobs in Suffolk. Stanley has even bigger plans for the future, including a 250,000-square-foot medical research center devoted to imaging, neurosciences and cancer research.