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VOLUME 12 NUMBER 7 | JULY 2017

Together Again: Albany Med’s NICU Hosts Reunion for Former Patients, Families and Staff

As part of her summer of service project, Albany Medical College student Jennifer Roche, ’20, teamed with Albany Med Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program’s practice manager Kathy Patton and nutritionist and outreach coordinator Sara Ashline, LMT, CLC, to help raise awareness about farmers markets among the 2,300 individuals served by Albany Med’s WIC Program each month.

While farmers markets throughout New York State provide an abundance of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, which are made more

readily available to underserved New Yorkers through Farmers Market WIC checks, many who qualify for these special checks don’t know they exist or know where to locate their local farmers market.

Roche went to bat against this problem. She created a bulletin board for WIC’s Green Street offices showing where farmers markets are located throughout the region, a recipe guide featuring fruits and vegetables that can be easily found at farmers markets and a “farmers market bingo” for kids to take with them to the market.

She also designed and conducted a survey of WIC participants to gauge awareness of the Farmers Market WIC check program and to learn what may prevent them from purchasing produce at farmers markets.

Ashline will follow-up with the survey participants later this summer to see how frequently they used their farmers market checks and if they tried any new foods as a result of the program. The survey results will be submitted to New York State.

Maxine Lynch-Foreman, LPN

Jennifer Roche, ’20

Med Student Partners With WIC Program to Promote Healthy Eating

Hundreds of people who were once among Albany Med’s smallest and most vulnerable patients met with their former caregivers at a celebratory reunion of former patients, their families, and staff from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Med.

Former “NICU babies”—some still crawling, others now in middle-age, with careers and families of their own—helped make up a crowd of nearly 1,000 that celebrated at Afrim’s Sports in Albany.

Neonatologist Meredith Monaco-Brown, MD, said NICU staff, who hosted the event, had been planning it for nearly a year and enjoyed being reunited with former NICU patients to see their growth and progress.

The reunion included children’s activities and games, arts and crafts, bouncy houses, a photo booth donated by BrightBird Photobooth Co., a memorial honoring lost loved ones, activities geared toward NICU alumni with disabilities, food and refreshments. Stewart’s Shops also generously donated ice cream for the event.

“This reunion was an opportunity for our former patients, their families and our staff to come together and celebrate the miracles, the triumphs, the relationships and heartbreaks of life in the NICU,” Dr. Monaco-Brown said. “Parents often tell us that our staff becomes like a second family to them. And the feeling is definitely mutual.”

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Dr. Schulman-Marcus Named Coronary Care Unit Medical Director

Joshua Schulman-Marcus, MD, has been named the medical director of the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) within the Division of Cardiology.

He will oversee all matters related to the practice of critical care cardiology, including clinical care delivery, patient safety, interdisciplinary quality improvement, clinical research, and undergraduate and graduate medical educational programs. He will also work to enhance collaborative practice among all health professionals in the CCU.

Dr. Schulman-Marcus earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia, and received his fellowship training in cardiovascular disease at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell.

Dr. Cheon Receives Cancer Research Award

Dong-Joo (Ellen) Cheon, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Regenerative and Cancer Cell Biology, is the sole recipient of the 2017 American Association for Cancer Research Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award. The one-year, $75,000 grant is designed to encourage and support tenure-eligible junior faculty.

For the study, Dr. Cheon will research cancer cells’ fat-burning mechanism to prevent

ovarian cancer cells from developing resistance to cisplatin, one of the primary drugs used to treat ovarian cancer. The grant will also provide critical funding for collaboration with Albany Med’s OB/GYN surgeons and for the development of joint, clinically important projects in ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women in the U.S. and the most lethal gynecological cancer.

Adanna Akujuo, MDColum Amory, MD, ’03Thomas Andersen, PhDCharles Argoff, MDShellie Asher, MD, ’98, MS, ’10James J. BarbaCasey Bartlett, RNScott Beegle, MD, ’93Todd Beyer, MDEric BlakemanRichard Blinkhorn Jr., MDDebbie A. BoelAlan Boulos, MD, ’94Lewis Britton III, MDJonathan Canete, MDWilliam Caramore, MDRafia Chaudhry, MDDennis Cirilla II, DOSara Nielsen Clark, MDAndrew D. Coates, MDDavid Conti, MD, FACSEmily CorwinD4E Staff

Michael Dailey, MDJohn Dalfino, MDNeil Devejian, MDWendy DiStefanoThomas Fabian, MDLisa Galati, MDAllen Gerber, MDSamuel R. GradySharon Habiniak, RN, ’74 Krishnakumar Hongalgi, MDDelshay HonyoustPaul Hospodar, MDElizabeth HotalingJane B. Jankowski, DPSStephen Jones, PNPRobert A. Kaslovsky, MDJanica KavoukianTyler Kenning, MDKevin Kiley, MDC. Christopher King, MDBarry Kogan, MDJulie A. LawwillMartha Lepow, MDKadie Licalsi

Cathy ManjunathMelodies Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders StaffEric Molho, MD, ’87Meredith Monaco-Brown, MDJonathan Mosher, RNNeonatal Intensive Care Unit Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NursesLinnie Newman, MS, ANPAnkesh Nigam, MDDeborah J. O'HernAnthony O'Leary, MDAshit Patel, MDJennifer Pearce, MDPediatric Gastroenterology GroupPediatric Surgery StaffCarlos Pinheiro-Neto, MDLuke A. Pluto, MDRenal Transplant UnitCarol RocJohn Rosenberger, MD

Kait RossRobert SabaSusan M. SamsonLinda J. SchaufSecurity Services David L. Semenoff, MD, ’79David Shaffer, MDWayne N. Shelton, PhDCarolyn J. Slatch, MDThomas Smith, MDKerrie SnyderSteven Stain, MDDavid Steckman, MDJason H. Steindler, DOMarcel K. Tafen Wandji, MDSharon Tietgens, MD, ’89Mikhail Torosoff, MD, PhDIrene TumaliuanBrian Valerian, MDVincent P. Verdile, MD, ’84Jessica Watson Mary Whyte, MDXinjun (Cindy) Zhu, MD

Dean Verdile and some of the first quarter 2017 Champions gathered for a recognition celebration in June.

As a way to say thank you for the livesaving work done at Albany Med, many donors express their gratitude by making a philanthropic gift in honor of a physician, nurse, faculty or staff member as part of Albany Med’s Champion program.

The Albany Medical Center Foundation presents each honoree with a Champion lapel pin or departmental certificate to thank and acknowledge them as a Champion of Albany Med. To learn more about the Champion program, please contact Veronica Young at (518) 262-4267 or youngv1@mail.amc.edu.

Here is a list of 2017 Champions, recognized from January – June: Recognized as Champions by Those They Serve

Vol. 12, No. 7July, 2017

Albany Med Today is published monthly by the Department of Policy, Planning and Communications at Albany Medical Center. Comments and story suggestions can be directed to Public Relations at (518) 262-3421 or albanymedcommunications @mail.amc.edu.

ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER OFFICERS

JAMES J. BARBA, JDPresident and Chief Executive Officer

STEVEN M. FRISCH, MDSenior Executive Vice President for the Integrated Delivery System

VINCENT VERDILE, MDThe Lynne and Mark Groban, M.D. ’67, Distinguished Dean of Albany Medical College and Senior Executive Vice President for System Care Delivery

GEORGE T. HICKMAN Executive Vice President for System Information and Data Services and Chief Information Officer

GARY J. KOCHEMExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

FRANCES SPREER ALBERT Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

FERDINAND J. VENDITTI, MDExecutive Vice President for System Care Delivery and Hospital General Director

COURTNEY BURKESenior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

JOHN DEPAOLAExecutive Associate Dean of Albany Medical Collegeand Chief Administrative Officer for System Care Delivery

LOUIS FILHOUR, PHD, RNChief Executive Officer for Albany Medical Center Hospital’s Performing Provider System

MICHAEL GRUENTHAL, MD, PHDSenior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and President of the Faculty Group Practice

CATHERINE HALAKANSenior Vice President for Human Resources

LEE R. HESSBERGSenior Vice President and General Counsel

NOEL HOGANSenior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

KEVIN M. LEYDENSenior Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships

DENNIS P. MCKENNA, MDSenior Vice President for Medical Affairs and System Chief Medical Director

MOLLY NICOL Senior Vice President for Development and Communications

HENRY POHL, MDVice Dean for Academic Administration

KATHLEEN ROCHE, RN, MSSenior Vice President and System Chief Nursing Officer

ROBERT WELCH Senior Vice President for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services

ALBANY MED TODAY | JULY 2017 | 3

Landing in the Right Place Means Patients Get Home Faster Albany Med Streamlines the Way Transfer Patients Are Admitted

Because of the breadth of its caregivers’ specialties and its Level I trauma center designation, Albany Med receives transfer patients from every hospital in our area—as well as those from farther afield. “Binghamton, Utica, towns along the Canadian border, Vermont—we get transfers from all over,” said Nurse Manager Ed Potyrala, RN, who, along with his colleagues in the Patient Access Center, is the first point of contact for patients transferred to Albany Med.

The 18-member team in the Patient Access Center fields the first phone calls about these patients, who usually arrive by ambulance or helicopter.

Typically, these patients’ first stop at Albany Med and other hospitals is the Emergency Department, where they are stabilized and then treated by the appropriate specialists.

Recently, however, a plan was put in place to improve this traditional model.

Through the collaboration of teams throughout the Medical Center, some patients are now able to transfer directly to the unit that can provide them with the care they need, bypassing the Emergency Department.

“This gets patients the care they need faster,” said Scott Beegle, MS, MD, ’93, director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and the pulmonary and critical care fellowship program at Albany Medical College. “It also helps our colleagues in the Emergency Department, who now have more bandwidth to treat those patients who need emergency care right away.”

While the idea may sound simple, it’s a rather unusual move in the field of health care, one that requires significant planning to ensure patients get the best care possible when seconds count. Many people worked to make it a reality, including Dennis McKenna, MD, senior vice president for Medical Affairs and system chief medical officer, Richard Blinkhorn, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, Marc Judson, MD, chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Patient Triage Manager Robert Palumbo, RN, the entire Patient Access Center, the nurses, physicians and staff in Albany Med’s intensive care units and Emergency Department, and nurse managers hospital-wide.

“This really was everybody’s work,” Dr. Beegle said.

And it was not insignificant: between 2015 and 2016 there was an almost 90 percent increase in the number of transfer patients who were admitted directly to the MICU, and the length of stay for these patients decreased significantly.

The upshot? Patients got the care they needed more quickly—and, when possible, returned home more quickly, too.

In January, hospital leadership presented a New Significant Quality Improvement Award to the MICU, the Patient Access Center and Nursing Supervision. A Sustained Quality Improvement Award was also presented to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Pediatric Transport Team and Cardio-Respiratory Services.

Nurse Clinician Josh Malone, RN, a 10-year veteran of the MICU who praised his unit’s “sense of home and spirit of teamwork,” also praised the new approach. “It maximizes on our unit’s can-do attitude and collaborative approach to care, and it helps keep the Emergency Department from exhausting its resources,” he said. “It just feels like a great fit for everyone.”

Patient Access Center staff, from left: Aimee Muller, RN, Maxine Lynch-Foreman, LPN, Charles Bender Jr., RN, and Cathy Maben, RN.Josh Malone, RN, left, and Dr. Scott Beegle.

ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Update

Thursday, July 20, 2017Saratoga Springs City Center at the Saratoga Hilton522 Broadway • Saratoga Springs, New York

This state-of-the-art symposium is designed for allergists, internists, primary care physicians, dermatologists, advanced practice providers, residents and nurses. For more information, please contact the Office of Continuing Medical Education at (518) 262-5828.

Mark Your CalendarThe fourth annual Sarcoma Strong Run/Walk 5K will be held on the University at Albany

campus on Saturday, Aug. 19. The event helps raise awareness and research funds for sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that originates in the bones and soft tissues. Join orthopaedic oncologist Matthew DiCaprio, MD, who spearheads the event each year. For more information, please visit www.sarcomastrong.com.

RAISING THE BARIn the upcoming months, Albany Med Today will highlight notable achievements in patient care. Stories of staff working to improve already high benchmarks in clinical quality will appear under the banner “Raising the Bar.”

Albany Medical Center Foundation43 New Scotland Avenue (Mail Code 119)Albany, New York 12208(518) 262-3322 Fax (518) 262-4769Email: development@mail.amc.eduwww.amc.eduChange Service Requested

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C O M M U N I T Y M AT T E R S … AT A L B A N Y M E D

Shenendehowa Junior Selected as ‘ShenNext Medicine Scholar’ A Shenendehowa High School student who has wanted to be a physician “for as long as he can remember” has been selected as this year’s “ShenNext Medicine Scholar.”

Seventeen-year-old Peter Kirkpatrick, of Rexford, was chosen as part of a unique partnership of Shenendehowa High School, Siena College and Albany Medical College. “ShenNext Medicine: Selecting Tomorrow’s Doctors Today” offers the opportunity for a Shen student, who wants to become a physician, to be accepted more than a year earlier than usual for Siena and Albany Medical College’s combined eight-year program.

The initiative offers acceptance to both college and medical school at the same time and includes a scholarship at Siena of about $18,000 for four years. The combined program is known as the “Siena College-Albany Medical College Program in Science, Humanities and Medicine.”

Kirkpatrick was selected from more than 80 Shen students who qualified for the program based on class ranking that takes into account GPA, depth

of schedule, and AP, honors and college-level classes as well as a strong interest in medicine, a caring and compassionate character, and exceptional leadership and communication skills.

During the past year, Kirkpatrick and two other finalists participated in a specially designed mentoring program with Siena College students from the Siena College-Albany Medical College program and in enrichment opportunities at Albany Medical College.

“I like math and science and I have always wanted to use that interest and passion to help people as a doctor,” said Kirkpatrick, who at this time is most interested in a medical career focused on oncology or pediatrics. He said he has been further inspired by attending lectures at Albany Med and some classes at Siena, and looks forward to a dynamic career.

The ShenNext Medicine program was conceived by Albany Med President Jim Barba, who is a graduate of Siena College, and L. Oliver Robinson, PhD, superintendent of Shenendehowa Central

Schools, as a way to provide area students with more opportunities while preparing well-educated, compassionate doctors.

Peter Kirkpatrick

Albany Med Community Walks to Support Heart Health“Team Albany Med,” led by Suzie Mookherjee, MD, (holding the sign), proudly participated in the American Heart Association’s “Capital Region Heart Walk & Run” held at the University at Albany in June. During 2017, Albany Med and the American Heart Association are collaborating in a unique campaign to increase awareness of heart health in the Capital Region. Dozens of Albany Med employees came out to support the effort by participating in and donating to this important community event.