Hometown Hero: Derek Chen of Syosset

Derek Chen believes that the best way to beat disease is to simply prevent it from spreading in the first place.

Chen, a junior at Syosset High School, is co-founder and chief executive of Statice Health International, a youth-led nonprofit that strives to promote public health by sharing information on the prevention and treatment of various medical issues.

Since the nonprofit’s inception in 2022, it has accumulated about 2,300 teen volunteers from dozens of countries and grown to more than 70 branches across the globe, in locations as far as Hong Kong and Thailand. Volunteers in those branches help to increase health literacy within their own countries by sharing the organization’s content and engaging their local communities in fundraising efforts, Chen said.

“There are a lot of developing countries in the world that are underserved, and adolescents in those countries don’t have the resources to make change in their communities,” said Chen, 16, who co-founded Statice Health with Syosset junior Michael Ren and Edward Ye, a junior at Friends Academy in Locust Valley.

The organization’s efforts include writing blog articles and disease awareness guides on topics ranging from cardiovascular wellness to multiple sclerosis, and then sharing the material via social media — including Instagram, where the nonprofit has amassed more than 5,300 followers. Its members also participate in fundraisers for organizations like Gift of Life International, which provides life-saving surgeries for children born with heart defects.

Currently, Statice Health’s branches in Syosset and Great Neck South high schools are working to raise $10,000 for Gift of Life by the end of the year through fundraisers, including sales of hot chocolate and pizza. Chen said additional branches will be launched soon at George W. Hewlett High School and Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore.

“I never thought that we would take off so quickly,” Chen said. “It’s really great to see the impact that we’re having even though we’re all scattered across the world.”

Chen, who is training to become an emergency medical technician and volunteers with the Syosset Fire Department, was recently honored with the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Foundation’s Daily Point of Light Award, which honors individuals who have made a commitment to connect Americans through service to help meet critical needs in their communities.

“It is rare to have the opportunity to work with a student who not only has the desire to serve others, but has the foresight and dedication to impact his peers on a global level,” said Carisa Steinberg, a Syosset High science teacher who has been advising the school’s branch of Statice Health.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.