SYRACUSE — SUNY Upstate Medical University plans to host a presidential symposium series entitled “Connected to the Future.”

The series of events over the next 18 to 24 months will demonstrate how Upstate Medical is “forward thinking about the trends and needs of the 21st century university.” That’s according to Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena, who announced the symposium series during remarks that were part of her inauguration as Upstate Medical University’s 7th president.

Upstate Medical held the event April 15 at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter.

Those participating in the symposium series, said Laraque-Arena, will represent a “range of disciplines,” including the sciences, education, clinical practice, law, community, industry, and information systems to discuss “our most pressing problems requiring novel and bold solutions.”

“The focus will be on social, scientific, and systems goals that align our mission, vision, and values in support of transformative health-care delivery, transformative education, and transformative research … actively engaging the community and supporting the economic development of our region,” Laraque-Arena continued.

The upcoming seminars will be “action oriented,” designed to promote an “exchange of ideas and to develop concrete steps to achieving results.”

The themes of the seminars will include genes and precision medicine, building off the $575,000 grant that SUNY awarded Upstate Medical University to launch the SUNY Institute for Precision Cancer Research, Education and Care.

Upstate Medical in October will host Dr. Mary-Claire King, professor of genome sciences and medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Laraque-Arena described King as a “noted geneticist and human-rights activist.”

Other themes will include society and health, and gender inequity in academic medicine.

Laraque-Arena, who began her job as president in January, also said she’s been working with colleagues in a “process of strategic planning.”

Some of the goals developed during those planning sessions include the elimination of health disparities; attracting, training, and retaining the best talented clinicians, scientists, and educators; increasing the school’s responsiveness as a “progressive” health system; and providing “patient and family-centered quality care,” Laraque-Arena said.

Inaugurationz
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher formally inaugurated Laraque-Arena during the April 15 ceremony.

“Yes, a glorious day this is for me … I’m deeply honored to be installed as the 7th president of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University,” Laraque-Arena said to open her remarks.

SUNY trustee chair Carl McCall, several members of the SUNY board of trustees, and presidents from seven colleges and universities also attended.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, and Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, also extended greetings to Upstate’s new leader.

The inauguration featured an academic procession and greetings from representatives from the community as well as professional societies.

The event also included a dance performance by the Haudenosaunee singers and dancers of the Onondaga Nation.

Dr. Marie McCormick provided remarks during the ceremony. McCormick is the Sumner Esther Felder professor of maternal and child health in the department of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard Y.H. Chan School of Public Health. She’s also a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

Thomas Taylor, chair of the Upstate Medical University Council, described McCormick as Dr. Laraque-Arena’s “mentor and friend.”

In her remarks, McCormick admitted to being a “little confused” about what mentoring means. She thinks some people see mentors as those who can provide “competent advising” but in her mind, mentoring is “a little different.”

“To me the underpinning of the relationship is a shared passion for science, for teaching, for clinical care. It’s this shared goal that makes the relationship so special and so productive,” she said.

“In Danielle, I think that the university has gained a great mentor. She shares your commitment to excellence in professional education. She shares your striving for excellent science and important science and science that can be translated into well being. And most importantly, she shares the common goal of improving health,” said McCormick. 

Laraque-Arena began her service as president of Upstate Medical on Jan. 14.

She previously served as chair of the department of pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center and vice president of Maimonides Infants and Children’s Hospital of Brooklyn. As president, Laraque-Arena oversees a public, academic medical center and health system. It includes a 735-bed hospital on two campuses with “numerous” outpatient sites, according to a school fact sheet.

Upstate Medical is the region’s largest employer.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

OSWEGO — Oswego Health and Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists, PC (SOS) are still working out the details of their partnership that will bring SOS orthopedic surgeons to Oswego County to provide care.

The organizations announced their “collaboration” in a news release that Oswego Health issued April 5.

They did not disclose any financial terms of their agreement.

Oswego Health is hoping it’s a “long term” agreement,” says Charles (Chuck) Gijanto, president and CEO of Oswego Health, who spoke with CNYBJ on April 20.

Oswego Health has a “fairly small” orthopedic program but believes it is “important” for its patients to get care “as close to home as possible.”

Many of Oswego Health’s patients were traveling to Onondaga County for SOS’s services, according to Gijanto.

“We really thought rather than trying to build and compete with them, why not see if we could partner with them,” he adds.

When asked if both Oswego Health and SOS would share the revenue generated from the orthopedic services, Gijanto said that “clearly both parties should benefit from this opportunity.”

The SOS staff will work alongside Oswego Health’s orthopedic team to provide office visits at the Oswego Health Services Center and perform surgeries in Oswego Hospital’s surgery center, Oswego Health said in the release.

Oswego Health anticipates the SOS staff will use Oswego Health facilities this summer, but both organizations are still coordinating the details on implementing SOS’s care in Oswego.

“We won’t start … with surgeries [right away], but we’ll start with office hours here in conjunction with our existing orthopedics office,” says Gijanto.

The office hours could start in late spring. The surgeries may not start until later in the year, he adds. “…when we’re ready to go is when we’ll initiate [orthopedic surgeries] and not before,” Gijanto notes.

SOS has 28 orthopedic surgeons on staff. Most offer care for knees, hips, hands and upper extremities, feet and ankles, and the spine. They also treat sports injuries of high school and college athletes, and “weekend warriors” as well.

Oswego Health currently has one independent orthopedic surgeon and two employed orthopedic surgeons on its medical staff.

This collaboration is a “great opportunity” for SOS to offer care in Oswego County, Mike Humphrey, CEO of SOS said in the Oswego Health news release.

“Health care keeps changing and I think the future is all about collaboration and looking at the best way to provide effective care,” said Humphrey.

It will also “improve access to care,” he added.

“Most importantly, I think this new relationship will assist in coordinating care with an individual’s primary-care physician, as well with any physical therapy services that may be needed,” said Humphrey.

Founded in 1999, DeWitt–based Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists has more than 25 physicians and employs about 600 additional staff members.

It operates offices in locations that include Auburn, Lysander, Camillus, Cicero, Clay, DeWitt, Manlius, and Onondaga.

The Oswego Health system includes Oswego Hospital, The Manor at Seneca Hill, Springside at Seneca Hill, Oswego Health Home Care, Physician Care, P.C., and other supporting affiliates that provide health services to about 120,000 people in Oswego County.