Upstate Medical’s Laraque- Arena to step down Dec. 22, SUNY pursuing interim leader

SYRACUSE — The current semester will be the last for Dr. Danielle Laraque-Arena as president of Upstate Medical University, announcing that she’ll step down from the position on Dec. 22.

SUNY will make a decision on interim leadership for the campus before Dec. 22, the system said in a Sept. 27 news release. During the spring semester, Laraque-Arena will be on “study leave,” SUNY said in the release, announcing a “leadership transition.” She’ll then return on June 7, 2019, to her position as a faculty member with a primary appointment within the department of pediatrics.

The announcement of Laraque-Arena’s decision comes weeks after the Albany Times-Union reported that the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office had start-ed a grand-jury probe of Upstate Medical University that’s focused on “hiring deci-sions, severance packages, and construc-tion projects,” according to a Sept. 7 article on the Times-Union website.

“Dr. Laraque-Arena came to SUNY as a world renowned pediatrician and researcher, and I am pleased that she will remain at Upstate Medical to inspire the next generation of doctors,” SUNY Chairman H. Carl McCall said in the SUNY news release. “My thanks to Dr. Laraque-Arena for her service as presi-dent to Upstate Medical, and her com-mitment to a seamless transition for the campus.”

“On behalf of SUNY, I wish Dr. Laraque-Arena well as she returns to pursue her passion in advancing global health and health-care disparities,” SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson said in the news release. “She is known for her advocacy for chil-dren, and those from low income house-holds deeply impacted by poverty. My best wishes to Dr. Laraque-Arena as she continues this important work.”

Mahoney involved
Joanie Mahoney, who begins her new duties as COO of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry on Nov. 1, will assist the SUNY system on an interim basis with management matters at Upstate Medical University.

Mahoney announced her intentions to leave her job as Onondaga County Executive on Sept. 24.

In addition, clinical and health-care operations, including the interim CEO of Upstate University Hospital, will report to Dr. Ricardo Azziz, SUNY’s chief officer of academic health and hospital affairs.

Next for Laraque-Arena
While on “study leave,” Dr. Laraque-Arena will perform research and anal-ysis on the remediation of health-care disparities, children in the midst of war, and gender in medicine and the health professions. She will also provide recom-mendations to SUNY system concerning addressing the challenge of health dispari-ties in the upstate New York region.

Laraque-Arena will continue to be avail-able to SUNY to assist in the transition. She will receive her current salary during that time, SUNY said. After June 7, 2019, she will receive a salary consistent with her 2015 faculty appointment.

“Leading SUNY Upstate Medical University has been my distinct honor with the goal of achieving our mission as One University dedicated to the highest standard in academia and patient care, fo-cused on improving health disparities, and placing the highest value on excellence and inclusion,” Laraque-Arena said in the news release. “I am most proud of the revival of the heart & vascular program, our progress and expansion of many ser-vices—especially our Cancer Center, our deep commitment to quality, our efforts in violence prevention, and the creation of a new academic department of geriatrics. I have endeavored to lead this university with integrity, professionalism and innova-tion. I would like to thank all the staff and colleagues who have supported me dur-ing my tenure.”