Louis H. Riina, MD, FACS, passed away on April 6. This prominent Long Island plastic surgeon was a partner at Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, headquartered in Garden City, and was the associate director of the burn center at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was also the medical director of hyperbaric medicine. He was actively involved with the Nassau County Fire Fighters Burn Center Foundation, representing 71 fire departments in the county.
Riina was known throughout the practice and to everyone who knew him for his compassion for his patients, his humor and for always being the eternal optimist. As a nationally and internationally known burn and wound care specialist, he impacted the lives of thousands of patients with his work in the burn center and through his volunteer missions overseas. He was a true renaissance man, with interests in music, art, cooking, boating and psychology, to name just a few. His greatest legacy will perhaps be all the lives he touched as a loving and caring friend to so many.
He was a resident of Babylon and grew up in Bellmore. He particularly enjoyed living on Long Island and being close to the ocean.
Riina is survived by his son Dylan, his mother Gloria, his brother Howard and hundreds of cousins from all over the world, including the United States, England and Italy.
