NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi CEO Christopher Mastromano announced that Drs. John McNelis and Srinivas Reddy have been appointed honorary police surgeons by NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.
McNelis is chairman of the Department of Surgery at Jacobi while Reddy is the associate director of Trauma Services and Director of Pediatric Trauma.
“Drs. McNelis and Reddy are two of Jacobi’s frontline healthcare heroes,” Mastromano said. “It’s great to see both getting recognized beyond our hospital for the work they do.”
Honorary police surgeons are medical doctors who act as consultants to the NYPD. They lend their professional opinions, expertise and if needed, medical care to members of the service and their families. Applicants go through a strict selection process similar to NYPD officers before being appointed by the NYPD commissioner. Furthermore, they must display expertise in six fields including: cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, internal medical and vascular surgery.
“I deeply appreciate this appointment by Commissioner Shea,” McNelis said. “We’re a trauma center so we are often dealing with the aftermath of tragic situations, side by side with the police. This appointment reaffirms that partnership.”
“I am privileged to join the NYPD in this honorary capacity,” added Reddy. “I truly believe we are all on the same team keeping our city safe.”
Additionally, this is not the first Jacobi surgeon to be appointed for this prestigious honor. In 2005, Dr. Sheldon Teperman was appointed an honorary police surgeon by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Terperman has been a longtime advocate for anti-gun violence efforts throughout the country, often speaking from the first-hand experiences he’s had treating traumatic injuries at Jacobi.
Jacobi continues to serve first responders and all patients as the Bronx’s Level 1 Trauma Center.
