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f ut u r e r e s e a r c h i n hu m a n s . O t her re s ea rch c ent er s h a d s uc c e s s w it h ex perimenta l gene therapy a nd stem cell therapy in ophtha lmolog y." We a re now seeing effor ts in retina l transplantation and gene therapy in the globa l resea rch community, which will help our aging population if it becomes an approved therapy, Dr. Fechtner says. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Within Upstate's newest department — Geriatrics — is a Center of Excellence for A lzheimer's disease (A D). Upstate h a s t he on ly A D cent er i n t he a rea , ser v ing the surrounding 15 counties. It has statewide recog nition a nd is one of 10 across New York state that received a gra nt from the Depa r tment of Hea lth to perform resea rch. "Our goa l is to help pr ima r y ca re providers diagnose and manage AD in their patients and provide treatment and management to patients in this region," says Sharon Brangman, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Division Chief of Center of Excellence of Alzheimer's Disease at Upstate. She also plays a major role in the develop- ment of the Nappi Longevity Institute at Upstate, which will house the research arm of the Department of Geriatrics. "The focus of the Nappi Longevity Institute is going to be on research for AD and other dementias, brain health and healthy aging. The goal will be to conduct research that looks not only at treatment but also ways of preventing AD. Right now we are enrolling patients in a clinical trial who have either mild cognitive impairment or mild AD, and we hope to do more clinical trials in the future." A nother advantage of working in a teaching hospital is that it offers access to related specialists (e.g., neuropsycholo- gists) and advanced diagnostic imaging, A New Facility in Camillus UP STATE UNI V ER SIT Y HOSPITA L is part of Central New York's only academic medical center. Built around the missions of education, research and patient care, Upstate serves patients within a 17-county region with dozens of specialty ser- vices — many of which are unique in the region. To meet an increasing trend toward outpatient services, as well as the need for more access for referring providers, Upstate has announced plans for a new facility to open in Camillus, NY, next fall. The one- story 25,000-square-foot complex will be located at Township 5, an open-air center that is west of Syracuse. Physicians affiliated with Upstate's College of Medicine will offer more than one dozen specialty services at the site, which are expected to include: family medicine primary care practice, cardiology, pulmonology, rheumatol- ogy, pain medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, urology, ENT, vascular surgery, and psychiatry/behavioral health. The complex will also feature a physical therapy suite, as well as a full radiology imaging suite, including MRI and CT. A rendering of the future site in Camillus, NY Robert Fechtner, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Upstate, is a leading glaucoma researcher and clinician. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A l N E W Y O R K ■ 2 018 0 7