Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) has added KAREEM HAMAD, M.D., and MATTHEW MCKAY, M.D., to its hospitalist team. These providers care for patients admitted to the hospital, collaborating amongst other departments during patient admissions, post-surgical care, and swing-bed patients.

Dr. Hamad has been providing care to patients in Central New York since 2010. He brings experience in inpatient management, integrative medicine, wound care, minor surgeries, and rapid response/code management. Hamad studied medicine at the Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine in Alexandria, Egypt, where he received his bachelors of internal medicine and general surgery. After that, he studied general surgery and etymology at Trafford Hospital in Manchester, United Kingdom. He received his boards in family medicine in 2013 and fellowship of anti-aging and regenerative medicine in 2016. McKay comes to Community Memorial Hospital after an extensive career as a local physician.

Graduating from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completing his family medicine residency at Mountainside Hospital, McKay was a private practice primary care provider with a local group and has served as a hospitalist in a neighboring facility since 2018 as well. As an Oneida native, McKay has served as the president and VP of a medical staff group as well the chairperson of the Department of Internal Medicine. 

Nascentia Health welcomed four new staff members to its Syracuse office. JP FRIED is a pediatric RN case manager who assesses, plans, and implements in-home care for pediatric and maternal patients. He previously was a charge nurse at Golisano Children’s Hospital. He is a graduate of Morrisville State College’s nursing program and is a registered nurse and certified pediatric specialty nurse.

RACHEL NEILSON is a care manager in Nascentia’s managed long-term care plan, collaborating with members to develop care plans that address their specific medical needs. She previously worked with Hospicare of Cortland and Tompkins Counties as a primary nurse/care manager. She is a graduate of Onondaga Community College and is a registered nurse.

LESLEY WHITE joined the team as an LPN clinical coordinator, scheduling nursing visits for home-care patients. She has experience as a nurse with Crouse Medical Practice. White is a graduate of OCM BOCES and is completing a degree with Onondaga Community College to become a registered nurse.

LAUREN HEALY is a care coordinator supervisor, helping oversee the team that coordinates care for members. She previously worked for Pass & Seymour in customer support. She has a bachelor’s degree in health-care management from Western Governor’s University. 

LAUREN SISTO has been named the new clinical educator at Finger Lakes Health. Sisto will be responsible for working with nursing leadership to create an environment that supports the delivery of safe, high quality compassionate care for patients and families. She will conduct periodic educational needs assessments and coordinate education and professional-development programs. This includes planning, implementation, delivery, and evaluation of competency validation, continuing education, professional development, and leadership development. Prior to her new role, Sisto was an ICU nurse at Geneva General Hospital. She was also previously a burn ICU nurse and medical surgical nurse at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. In addition to her position at Geneva General Hospital, Sisto is an adjunct clinical instructor at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua. Sisto earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from SUNY Delhi. She received her associate degree in nursing from Cayuga Community College in Auburn. She will be graduating in December with her master’s in nursing education from SUNY Delhi.

TYLER KELLY is the new housekeeping manager at Finger Lakes Health. In this position, he oversees housekeeping operations across all of the health system’s campuses and facilities. Most recently, Kelly was the operations manager for Crothall Healthcare at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh. There, he oversaw the environmental-service team and its duties on a daily basis. Kelly is proficient in the proper usage of Surfacide’s UVC Helios disinfection system and trained staff to operate Surfacide’s system in a safe and appropriate manner. He was a part of a patient-experience action team where the cleanliness score rose from below national average, to exceeding the median. Kelly earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Christopher Community, Inc. has announced the appointment of four new staff positions at its Syracuse corporate offices. CHRIS QUINN joins Christopher Community as senior development project manager after running his own real-estate brokerage and investment firm based in Boston for several years.  Quinn is a graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

JENNA MCCLAVE joins Christopher Community as development project manager, after a decades-long history of working for local nonprofit organizations. Most recently, McClave worked for Home HeadQuarters, Inc., where she started as senior lending administrator before moving into its Home Ownership Department to run the pre-purchase home buyer education program. McClave is a HUD-certified housing counselor and spent the last three years as manager of the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center ,leading a team of counselors to assist more than 1,000 CNY residents to achieve many outcomes, most notably reducing their debt by more than $2.6 million.

TONY GALLEGOS has been appointed controller at Christopher Community, after working previously as an accounting manager at the Arizona Humane Society, a nonprofit based in Tempe, Arizona. Gallegos, who just recently moved to Phoenix, New York with his wife and son, has a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Northern Arizona University, with a certificate in entrepreneurship.

SHANE STEPIEN has joined as marketing & communications director, where he will oversee and manage the organization’s branding, public relations, and marketing initiatives. Stepien, who resides in Minetto, is also president of Step One Creative, an advertising and PR firm that he founded in 1996, and continues to operate alongside his position at Christopher Community. A graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, Stepien holds a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism.

Leadership coach JEREMIAH POULSEN recently joined Emergent, a leadership, team, and organizational development firm based in downtown Syracuse. “From my earliest years of athletics and workforce experience, I’ve loved teamwork and leadership development,” Poulsen said. “I believe that local community leaders have the opportunity to change the world — with training, support and coaching, nothing stops them. I am honored to support and walk alongside so many talented and enthusiastic people in that pursuit.”

The YMCA of Central New York announced it has recently transformed the face of its leadership by adding new roles to create more capacity to serve and provide greater diversity amongst leadership at all levels. Here are a few of the new members of its senior leadership team. JOSH ROYCE is the nonprofit’s new chief operating officer. He is a New Hampshire native and comes from the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, where he served as their district executive director, leading several YMCA sites (including branches, an outdoor center and men’s residences). He is responsible for senior operations leadership of branches/program sites, member-service delivery, program implementation, and supervises its VPs of operations.

MARIELLA CANADY-TOWNS is the YMCA of Central New York’s new chief philanthropy officer. She is a Los Angeles native but has worked for the Gateway YMCA in St. Louis and for Allegro Senior Living as senior marketing manager. She leads organizational strategy regarding all fundraising efforts (annual campaign, capital, planned giving, and sponsorships) for its association. With 18 years in the development and marketing industry, holding various senior leadership roles, she also sat on several boards.

HEATHER WORTHY WILSON is the YMCA’s new senior VP of membership and health innovation. She is recognized nationally as a resident expert and leading voice on community health and health-equity matters. She leads its strategic efforts to grow its membership base, cultivate and steward its relationships with healthy living partners (including hospitals, medical providers, and health insurance companies) and ensuring alignment with its broader membership and healthy living strategies. Worthy Wilson has worked for the Y in Central Maryland, most recently in the capacity of VP, operations & health strategy and brings 10-plus years of Y experience to the table.

PENNY SNELL was selected to serve as the organization’s VP of program development & growth. She leads organizational strategy (including quality assurance and strategic partnerships) for all youth development and social responsibility program areas. She most recently worked for the YMCA of Buffalo Niagara as VP – youth development & growth and brings 20-plus years of YMCA experience.

TONY WILLIAMS is the YMCA of Central New York’s new associate VP of facilities & capital planning and leads organizational strategy for facility maintenance, capital planning, and association-wide maintenance/facilities vendor management. He previously worked for Onondaga County, where he led facilities management for 11 county library locations. Additionally, the YMCA added leadership roles to its branch operations level to assist with support of its neighborhood branches as its facilities grow and continue to rebound from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new additions include WALTER GACETA and JEFF EYSAMAN, associate executive directors at the Downtown Syracuse YMCA; DAVID SARGALSKI, associate executive director at the Northwest Family YMCA; and JESSE KANAPLE, associate executive director at the North Area Family YMCA.