Stony Brook University has named five alumni as recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes and congratulates SBU Alumni who have demonstrated inconceivable commitment on their contributions and artistic achievements to the university.

The 2012 honorees are Vito Cannavo, Class of 1975; Andrez S. Carberry, Class of 2000 and 2002; David Gelernter, Class of 1980 and 1983; Suzanne Johnson, Class of 1974; and Joseph L. Tromba, Class of 1977.

“They all chose to transform talents into skills that make the most of their Stony Brook experiences,” Sherri Sussman, president of the Stony Brook Alumni Association, said. “Each deserves special recognition for how well they used their time at the university as a foundation for discovering, reshaping and enriching the world around them.”

The recipients will be honored at an award dinner on Nov. 13 at Flowerfield in St. James, N.Y.

Vito Cannavo, a partner in the law firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo P.C., said “It provided an opportunity to get not just a college degree, but the entire experience of a quality college education at a fabulous university. It propelled me into the opportunity to take the experience and turn it into a profession that I have done well at.”

Cannavo attended SBU to achieve and accomplish his goals. The university gave him an educational background and mentality that he used in life and his career.  The university also gave him the opportunity to challenge, to think and to exchange.

“Having come from a structured educational background, I flourished in an environment of academic boldness,” Cannavo said. “I met dedicated academics who were committed to providing kids like me an opportunity to learn and to experience beyond my expectations.”

Cannavo wasn’t expecting to receive a prominent award. He was one of many students who wanted to learn and gain knowledge on his area of interest, he said.

“Giving this award to me, I guess, is simply a reminder that publicly supported higher education does matter and it is important that we support it to allow other kids just like me the chance to fulfill their promise and their dreams,” Cannavo said.

At SBU, Cannavo learned valuable experiences from professors and obtained valuable information from subjects and concepts learned during his time at the university, he said.

Many SBU graduates’ experiences and research have affected their goals and career.

`Suzanne Johnson, a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University College of Medicine and 2012 President of the American Psychological Association, graduated with a psychology degree from Cornell and received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from SBU.

“I felt I used my time at Stony Brook to the fullest,” Johnson said. “I had excellent mentors, solid clinical training and a strong education in scientific methods and applied scientific inquiry.”

Johnson is acknowledgeable for her effort on medical regimen adherence and her views and aspects on genetic testing on children, according to Florida State University College of Medicine website.

“The graduate education I received there in psychology provided me a conceptual scientific framework that I could apply to any problem,” Johnson said. “I was given more than skills but a way of thinking.”

Her SBU experiences were formative and influential. Her first job required her to address a population of children with diabetes and problems with life-threatening illness. SBU provided her clinical training with children and families and scientific inquiry.

Johnson said she would be grateful to return to SBU to accept the “illustrious award.”

“I am honored to receive such a distinction,” Johnson said. “I am pleased that I have been able to use all that my Stony Brook graduate education provided me to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

David Gelernter, a professor of computer science at Yale University, received his bachelor’s degree at Yale University and his Ph.D. at SBU.

“I’ve always been more a painter than anything else (except husband and father), but it seemed to me that a man ought to know how to do something useful to society, and be capable of supporting a wife and children,” Gelernter said. “Because computer science is not only fascinating and intellectually deep but fairly useful, the fit was perfect.”

Gelernter commits his time to magazines such as City Journal, The Weekly Standard, and Commentary. He also wrote articles weekly on op-ed column for the Los Angeles Times, according to Yale University website. His books include “Mirror Worlds,” “Machine Beauty,” “The Muse in the Machine” and others.

Students can be successful in life with hard work and dedication. Joseph L. Tromba, a doctor in gastroenterology, received his medical training at the University of Catania in Italy.

Dr. Tromba is an attending physician at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., where he helps to train the residents and fellows.  Winthrop University Hospital is a teaching affiliate of Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

Another recipient who is being honored this prestigious award is Andrez S. Carberry, an employment counsel for Avon Products, Inc. Carberry said he appreciated his time and experiences at SBU.

Carberry served on the board of directors for the Pajama Program, a non-profit organization that provides children in need and waiting to be adopted. He also served as an attorney at Fox Rothschild LLP and as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the New York City Law Department.

His honors credits include the Legal Rookie of the Year Award and recognition as one of New York’s “Rising Stars” by New York Super Lawyers in 2011.