Hempstead, NY – A pair of former Hofstra women's lacrosse teammates are on the frontlines of New York's fight against COVID-19 in Syracuse, New York. Jennalee Cizenski (née Trombley) and Elizabeth Zorovich are both working in emergency medicine at a hospital in upstate New York. Cizenski, a member of the women's lacrosse team from 2008-11, is an Emergency Medical Physician with the hospital, while Zorovich, a 2008-12 member of the team, is also working as an Emergency Medical Resident.
As an Emergency Medical Physician and an Emergency Medical Resident, both are directly assisting in treating those with illnesses and injuries as they come into the Emergency Room and determining whether they are admitted to the hospital or not. This often involves direct contact with patients before knowing for certain whether or not they are carrying any dangerous or highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
"We're seeing people coming in every day and we have to wear full gear. We have to wear a facemask, a shield to protect our eyes, we have to be in a full medical gown. You're trying to treat these people but it's scary because when you're in the emergency room, you don't know who has it and who doesn't," said Cizenski of the growing crisis. "It's not like a normal situation where you're seeing someone and you already know what their diagnosis is. We're seeing everyone off the street whether they may or may not have it, and you have to try and protect yourself and your family as much as you can while treating these people."
Cizenski and Zorovich played together for three seasons as members of the Hofstra women's lacrosse team. Both credit their time as Hofstra student-athletes in helping them deal with the daily pressures of working in emergency medicine during the national health crisis.
"I went into emergency medicine because it is very similar to athletics in some ways," Zorovich said. "It's very team oriented where everyone has a role to play and if people don't play their role then everything starts crashing down."
"I think being a college student-athlete prepared me more for doing emergency medicine than anything else," says Cizenski. "You have to be mentally prepared every day, you're using what you've been practicing every day like you would on the lacrosse field to do your job, and knowing how to take care of yourself to take care of others as best you can comes from what I've learned as a student-athlete."
The interesting fact that the two played on the women's lacrosse same team for three seasons at Hofstra and are now working at the same hospital in Syracuse is not lost on Zorovich, who says she is very close friends with Cizenski and is honored to be practicing medicine with her.
"We played together for three years, and our lockers were right next to each other, and we lived together for a summer. She's a huge reason I am where I am today," Zorovich said of her friendship with Cizenski. "It's been awesome to have someone here that I can click with right away. We're really in sync with each other, we're both team players, and being a part of the same residency helps us check in on each other."
Those wishing to support our student-athletes during this time can do so by visiting our Student-Athlete Emergency Fund. This fund was created to assist our student-athletes who have been financially impacted by this massive public health crisis and is designed to assist with travel, moving costs, housing, and other essential support. Thank you for your continued support of Hofstra Athletics and our terrific student-athletes. #HofstraStrong
