Election Profile: Sumul Raval For Colts Neck Board Of Education
COLTS NECK, NJ - Three seats are up for grabs on the Colts Neck Board of Education this year, according to the Monmouth County Clerk's Office. While current board of education president Katheryn Gizzo is the sole name listed on the ballot, four others - Heather Tormey, Alison DeNoia, Dr. Sumul Raval and Tracy Kramer - are running for a seat as write-in candidates.
Raval is a board-certified neurologist and authority on brain tumors specializing in providing care for patients with neurological diseases such as brain tumors, epilepsy, migraines, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. He serves as the founder and director of the David S. Zocchi Brain Tumor Center at Monmouth Medical Center, which focuses on bringing leading-edge care to the local community.
Raval completed his neuro-oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is a frequent clinical trial investigator and has combined the drugs Avastin (now FDA approved for glioblastoma) and irinotecan to successfully shrink brain tumors. He also is currently leading a brain tumor vaccine trial.
He has been a Colts Neck resident for 12 years.
Are you running for a spot on the board of education? Contact Nicole Rosenthal at nicole.rosenthal@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.
Why are you seeking a seat on the school board?
Being an educator all my adult life to pre-medical and medical students, resident and fellow physicians, I believe a strong foundation is very important for any basic and advanced education. Proving strong foundation in lower, middle and high school education gives basic steps for future success. Board members must understand basic and fundamental principles of education spending, and proper use via successful experience in the education system.
The single most pressing issue facing our school district is_______, and this is I intend to do about it:
How to keep our children safe while keeping school open. Everyone is fully aware with current pandemic with COVID-19 and related issues with education system worldwide but we also have ongoing epidemic going on regarding drugs. Providing a safe and drug free school system and avoiding prescription medication abuse is very important during early childhood education.
This article originally appeared on the Marlboro-Coltsneck Patch
