Oswego Health adds gastroenterologist Ali

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health recently added experienced gastroenterologist Mohammad Fahad Ali, MD, to its medical staff. Dr. Ali joins the Center for Gastroenterology & Metabolic Diseases, which is located in Suite 400 of the Seneca Hill Health Services Center at 105 County Route 45A, Oswego. In addition, Ali will serve as director of endoscopy […]

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Upstate to be extension campus of SUNY College of Optometry

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It’s an effort by two SUNY campuses to increase the number of eye doctors in Central New York and Western New York. SUNY Upstate Medical University is planning to become an optometry campus extension program of the SUNY College of Optometry in New York City. The partnership creates an optometry campus extension

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It’s an effort by two SUNY campuses to increase the number of eye doctors in Central New York and Western New York.

SUNY Upstate Medical University is planning to become an optometry campus extension program of the SUNY College of Optometry in New York City.

The partnership creates an optometry campus extension program offering a Doctor of Optometry degree, collaborative vision research, access to eye care, and economic opportunities in the region, Upstate said in its late February announcement.

This partnership also “provides a more affordable option for aspiring eye-care professionals, especially those who live in New York State,” Upstate contends.

The program will “parallel” the Doctor of Optometry program currently offered by SUNY College of Optometry. The first class is anticipated to start in the fall of 2025 with an estimated 30 students, pending successful completion of all state and accrediting body approvals, Upstate said.

“We are addressing several critical issues through this partnership — the future of health care delivery with an interdisciplinary focus, collaborative research opportunities to improve eye and vision care, and the regional workforce shortage,” Dr. David Heath, president for SUNY College of Optometry, said. “Being part of the SUNY System provides unique opportunities to participate in solving challenges and we are looking forward to partnering with Dr. Dewan and his team to provide a greater resource for the upstate region.”

Reports from area optometrists and ophthalmologists indicate that many eye-care positions remain vacant “putting pressure on an already lean workforce” and leaving some communities without ready access to eye and vision care, Upstate said.

Further, a recent survey conducted by SUNY College of Optometry found that 25 percent of optometrists practicing in the region anticipate retiring within the next five years, an increase over the previous survey conducted in 2010.

“We are delighted to bring the world-class expertise of SUNY Optometry to enrich Upstate’s internationally-recognized Department of Ophthalmology and Center for Vision Research. By serving as their extension campus, we will increase the number of eye care professionals available to serve our communities,” Dr. Mantosh Dewan, president of Upstate Medical University, said. “This also fulfills Upstate’s goal to deepen partnerships with other SUNY schools and to increase the breadth of health professional programs offered by Upstate Medical University.”

Landsberg begins role as Crouse Health chief medical officer

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Described as a “long-time member” of the Crouse Health staff, Dr. David Landsberg is now serving as the health-care provider’s chief medical officer. He assumes the duties that Dr. Seth Kronenberg previously performed, prior to his appointment as president and CEO of the health system. In this senior leadership role, Landsberg will

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Bassett selected for skin-cancer treatment clinical trial

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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network has been selected as a clinical-trial site for Alpha DaRT, an investigational treatment for recurrent skin cancers. Bassett Cancer Institute received regulatory approval to conduct the trial. “We are proud to be chosen as the first clinical-trial site for Alpha DaRT statewide outside of New York City,” Dr. Timothy

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Health Foundation awards $75K grants to six rural health networks

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“Rural health networks are the backbone of community health across much of New York State, relying on their collective strength to effectively meet the needs of the people they serve. Even as they carry out that important work, they have faced highly disruptive reductions in funding over the past several years,” Cheryl Smith Fisher, chair of the board of trustees of the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, said. “As part of a group of foundations whose focus areas include rural communities that were provided generous gifts by MacKenzie Scott in 2022, we wanted our first action with these funds to reflect her approach of unrestricted, trust-based giving.”

Rural health networks

Rural health networks are collaboratives of community-based organizations and health-care providers addressing the needs of people in rural communities, as described by the Health Foundation. These networks build on cross-organizational strengths to provide health and social-care services in areas that often “suffer” from health-care provider and facility shortages, underfunded programs, and other resource challenges.

Some examples of the work led by the grant recipients include addressing maternal health needs of migrant farm workers, assisting families victimized by child abuse, providing housing to older adults and respite to caregivers, and keeping infants safe by training the public on safe sleep.

Over the past several years, rural health networks in New York have had a “sharp decline” in public funding, even as they faced additional community health needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health Foundation said. In 2016, rural health programs were allocated $16.2 million. Since then, the executive budget has “repeatedly reduced” funding to these programs to $9.4 million.

These funding cuts “create serious challenges” for rural health networks as they work to improve the lives of the people they serve and meet community-wide health equity goals, the foundation stated.

CNY report

The Health Foundation’s 2022 report Community Health Needs and Opportunities in WNY’s Southern Tier highlighted “systemic barriers” to good health in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. “Social determinants” of health — such as transportation challenges, lack of health insurance, poverty, and food insecurity — are drivers of health outcomes in those regions.

As a complement to that report, the Health Foundation will also fund a report of community health needs in rural Central New York. It’ll use the remaining $50,000 of the dedicated $500,000 for this report and for a public-awareness campaign that tells the story of the personal impact of rural health disparities. The goal of this work is to “influence and inform” public investments and policymaking around rural community health, the foundation said.

Loretto appoints director of nursing

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Loretto recently announced that it has appointed Aderonke (Ade) Alao as director of nursing for Loretto Health & Rehabilitation. Alao joined Loretto as a nurse manager in July 2014 and has been serving as an assistant director of nursing since January 2019. She brings more than 15 years of progressive nursing experience

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Loretto recently announced that it has appointed Aderonke (Ade) Alao as director of nursing for Loretto Health & Rehabilitation.

Alao joined Loretto as a nurse manager in July 2014 and has been serving as an assistant director of nursing since January 2019. She brings more than 15 years of progressive nursing experience to this role, including previous positions at Upstate Medical University, St. Joseph’s Health, and James Square Nursing Home.

As director of nursing, Alao will develop an interdisciplinary approach to the residents’ total care, including rounding on all floors daily; collaborating with administrators, the nursing team, and medical director to continually improve processes and practice standards; and working with Loretto’s nurse educator in the development and delivery of educational programs to ensure a well-educated nursing service department, according to a March 30 news release from Loretto. She will also be supporting residents and families, and assuring the delivery of safe, effective, and efficient care by staff.

“The Director of Nursing at Loretto is one of the most important roles in ensuring the highest degree of quality resident care across our entire organization,” Dr. Joelle Margrey, chief nursing officer at Loretto, said in the release. “Over the past 9 years, Ade has proven that she is absolutely the right fit for the clinical care that Loretto provides, as well as the culture we want to create for our employees, and the compassionate, healing environment we want for our residents.”

Alao holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Keuka College and earned her registered nurse degree from Morrisville State College.

Loretto describes itself as the fourth-largest health-care provider and the sixth-largest employer in Central New York. The organization has about 2,500 employees at its 19 locations, delivering care to close to 10,000 people of all ages, income levels, and care needs in Onondaga and Cayuga counties annually.

Cayuga Cancer Center adds doctor who formerly worked at Sloan Kettering in New York City

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Health announced it has added Dr. Anthony Mato to Cayuga Hematology and Oncology Associates, part of the Cayuga Cancer Center. Prior to joining Cayuga Health, Mato served as an associate attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and an assistant professor of medicine at the University

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Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services is now part of Cayuga Health

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (C.A.R.S.) is now operating as an affiliate of Cayuga Health. The organizations finalized the affiliation on March 1, a process that started in April 2021, Cayuga Health said in its announcement. “We are excited to officially welcome Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services to the Cayuga Health family,” said Dr.

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (C.A.R.S.) is now operating as an affiliate of Cayuga Health.

The organizations finalized the affiliation on March 1, a process that started in April 2021, Cayuga Health said in its announcement.

“We are excited to officially welcome Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services to the Cayuga Health family,” said Dr. Martin Stallone, president and CEO of Cayuga Health. “C.A.R.S. has been a valuable partner for many years. As we all work to address the growing problem of addiction in our communities, this affiliation enhances access and continuity of care. As health care providers, we need to make sure we have treatment and support resources available to the community. Although we have worked closely with C.A.R.S. for decades, this new relationship will bring a level of clinical expertise and services that provides continuity to patient care within the Cayuga Health System.”

Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services offers outpatient and residential substance-use disorder services, an opioid-treatment program, and a longer term residential-treatment program for men at the 60-bed residential addiction recovery center in Trumansburg.

“The C.A.R.S. team has been working closely with Cayuga Health to prepare for this affiliation so that this partnership is seamless for our clients and our team of experienced clinicians, nurses and counselors,” Jessica Jansen, CEO of C.A.R.S., said in the Cayuga Health announcement. “A wonderful demonstration of this, as well as the commitment of both organizations, is the appointment of Dr. John-Paul Mead, a hospitalist with Cayuga Health, as Medical Director at C.A.R.S. in January of 2022. I look forward to working as one system from this point on.”

About Cayuga Health

Ithaca–based Cayuga Health System (CHS) has two hospitals: Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca and Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls. CHS also includes Cayuga Medical Associates, a multi-specialty group; Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services; and a network of more than 400 providers with Cayuga Health Partners.

Its combined employment, including affiliated organizations, totals more than 2,500 people serving multiple counties throughout Central New York and the Finger Lakes Region.

Upstate Medical names new chair of department of medicine

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A doctor who has been a professor of medicine at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine will soon lead the department of medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. The medical school has named Dr. Cynthia Taub the Edward C. Reifenstein Professor of Medicine and chair of the department of medicine. Dr.

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The medical school has named Dr. Cynthia Taub the Edward C. Reifenstein Professor of Medicine and chair of the department of medicine. Dr. Lawrence Chin, dean of Upstate Medical’s Norton College of Medicine, announced the appointment, which takes effect in August.

Besides her role as a professor of medicine at Dartmouth, Taub has also been serving as the chief of cardiovascular medicine of Dartmouth Health’s Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, per the April 27 Upstate announcement.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Taub to Upstate,” Chin said. “Her proven excellence in clinical care, research and education will be instrumental to advancing our vital missions at the Norton College of Medicine, and her leadership will inspire a new generation of students as they shape the future of healthcare.”

As chair of the department of medicine, Taub will oversee the largest clinical, research, and education department at Upstate. The 12 divisions that comprise medicine have made “advances that help with both common and rare conditions and reach underserved communities” across 16 counties in Central New York, the medical school said.

The divisions include general internal medicine; cardiology; dermatology; endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism; gastroenterology; hematology/oncology; hospitalist medicine; infectious disease; nephrology; clinical pharmacology; pulmonary/critical care; and rheumatology.

Taub has served in a variety of leadership positions, Upstate Medical said. They include director of non-invasive cardiology; section head of non-invasive cardiology and cardiovascular imaging, and, most recently, chief of cardiovascular medicine. In addition to Dartmouth, she has held faculty positions at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Connecticut.

Besides her work domestically, Taub is known internationally for her work in clinical applications of advanced echocardiography technologies; valvular heart disease; heart disease in women; and disparity in health-care delivery, with more than 110 peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Taub has trained more than 100 cardiology fellows and mentored many leaders in cardiology, including echocardiography lab directors and sonographers over her academic career, Upstate Medical said.

She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award. Given by the American Society of Echocardiography, the award recognizes a physician who “epitomizes the ideal qualities of a mentor and role model.”

Taub earned her medical degree from Beijing Medical University, master’s degree in biology from Dartmouth College, and an MBA (healthcare track) from Yale School of Management. She completed clinical cardiology training at Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut, and an advanced echocardiography fellowship from the Massachusetts General Hospital.

OPINION: NY’s local economies at risk in Congress’ crusade against tech

Opinion, Subscriber Only

Anti-tech legislation is back in Congress and that’s bad news for New York’s local economies. Small businesses and startups increasingly rely on digital platforms to succeed, and large technology companies provide the foundations critical to our virtual and literal “Main Streets” as we look to our economic future. Instead of engaging in populist “big is

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Anti-tech legislation is back in Congress and that’s bad news for New York’s local economies.

Small businesses and startups increasingly rely on digital platforms to succeed, and large technology companies provide the foundations critical to our virtual and literal “Main Streets” as we look to our economic future. Instead of engaging in populist “big is bad” political posturing, Congress must acknowledge that anti-tech legislation is wrong for the future of our country’s local economies. During a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed the Department of Justice’s continued support for the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a piece of misguided legislation that will hobble America’s largest tech companies and has harmful implications for small businesses that rely on technology to survive.

Indeed, experts point to the complexities and potential pitfalls of the approach taken by this bill and others like it. As such, Garland and our elected officials in Washington, D.C. — including President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer — should be wary of supporting anti-innovation bills, especially as competition with China accelerates. Senator Schumer must understand the important role that large technology companies play in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the future of “Main Street America.” Without the vital services these platforms provide, the future of places like the greater Binghamton area remains uncertain. Legislators must take a careful and nuanced approach to any laws attempting to regulate large technology companies.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers stayed home and ordered through their phones. Local merchants moved their services online and found new ways to compete and reach customers outside of their immediate locations. Today, it is clear how vital technology platforms are for keeping small businesses open and competitive. Digital marketplaces, social media, and productivity tools have kept businesses thriving in the face of uncertainty. During the 2020 holiday season, local shoppers took advantage of venues like Bring Broome Home, a concentrated listing of Broome County retailers whose online presence allowed area residents to opt to spend their money locally and help small family businesses weather the economic uncertainties of the pandemic.

A recent study by startup advocacy organization Engine explores the role of free and low-cost digital services. It finds that 100 percent of startups employ three or more digital services provided by large technology companies. Entrepreneurs in the Southern Tier and throughout western and upstate New York are key to building the 21st-century economy. Locally, the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator is home to 35 startups, ranging from virtual reality to clean-energy initiatives and high-tech video-production companies. The bills under consideration in Congress threaten to upend the technology ecosystem that entrepreneurs rely on. The platforms, robust economic resources, and opportunities critical to launching and empowering startups and small businesses are all at risk if the anti-tech movement has its way. Research finds that if passed into law, the anti-tech bills would reduce small-business revenues by $500 billion in the first five years after enactment.

Many small businesses, including those that make up Binghamton’s vibrant minority and immigrant-owned business community, could not scale their operations without digital platforms. They rely on social media and online marketplaces, and work with app developers. Marketing, payment processing, and cybersecurity are all services they access through major technology platforms. These small businesses include shops that introduce local and online customers to products and services that both celebrate and welcome diversity. They enrich our community and strengthen the region’s economic and cultural landscape.

Today, our region is attracting high earners working remotely and is home to entrepreneurs changing the game in cutting-edge technology. These companies make everything from essential components for various medical uses to developing lithium batteries that will help power the clean-energy future to keep the U.S. competitive in the global marketplace. Their collective vision can only be fully realized if elected officials support innovation and investment in technology. This includes investments from the same digital platforms that Congress is poised to dismantle.

Stacey Duncan is the CEO of the Leadership Alliance, a partnership between The Agency and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce to lead economic, business and community development in the Greater Binghamton area.

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