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Expansion in Surgery at Upstate University Hospital Makes It a Healthcare Destination THERE ARE SEVEN clinical departments that offer surgery at Upstate University Hospital. Collectively, the hospital offers more surgeons, robotic instrumentation and specialty procedures than any other facility in Central New York, with the Department of Surgery providing the largest component. " We've grown in a lmost every area," says Robert Cooney, MD, a bariatric and trauma surgical specialist and Professor and Chair of Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University for 12 years. " When I sta r ted here, the depa r tment had a strong foundation, but needed to develop surgical expertise in several areas. Now we are committed as an institution to providing the most adva nced ca re in the region." " E v e r y o n e o f o u r s u r g e o n s i s fellowship-trained," Dr. Cooney says of his department, which has 12 surgical divisions with many surgeons also cross- trained in more than one specialty. "This allows us to bring the most leading-edge care to all our patients." A BREADTH OF SURGICAL SPECIALTIES FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN O f t h e dep a r t m e nt s of fe r i n g s u r - gery, ENT, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Urology, along with Surgery itself, also offer procedures for children. "When I started, we had one pediatric surgeon in the department who was close to retirement," Dr. Cooney says. "This year we just hired our fifth pediatric sur- geon, and now we provide 24/7 pediatric surgical care for the entire region. We have built out the program in Golisano Ch i ld ren's Hospit a l a nd developed a n entire infra str uct ure for pediat- ric surgery. "Our goal continues to be to meet the needs of the people in Central New York, so they don't have to travel to Boston or New York City or somewhere else for care," Dr. Cooney says. EXPANDING CANCER CARE The past decade has seen the expansion of cancer surgical specialties at Upstate. The surgeons who treat cancer see patients through the Upstate Cancer Center, a newer facility which provides disease-specific, multidisciplinary care to patients with different types of cancer. Thoma s Va nderMeer, M D, FACS, Professor of Surgery at Upstate Medical University and Division Chief of Surgical Oncology, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surger y, says he joined t he Upstate University Hospital team two years ago so he could practice in its state-of-the-art Cancer Center. "The surgeons work with radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and a wonderful group of allied health profes- sionals," Dr. VanderMeer says. "Surgeons and physicians tend to lead these teams, but the contributions of our diverse team of nursing and specialists in integrative medicine, psycholog y, palliative care, nutrition, cancer genetics and social work are important to providing the compre- hensive care that cancer patients need. This integration of resources and people dedicated to caring for patients with cancer is really unrivaled in the region." The Cancer Center's multidisciplinary approach is key to ensuring patients receive the best care, with dedicated teams addressing specific cancer types and reviewing cases together. "In terms of treatment, most people are going to need some combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation," Dr. VanderMeer says. "Figuring out how BY CARI WADE GERVIN OVER ARCHING E XPERTISE AND TR AINING HAVE MADE THE HOSPITAL'S SURGICAL OFFERINGS THE MOST ADVANCED IN THE REGION. Upstate's newest neurosurgery technology includes the area's first ROSA robot and Gamma Tile therapy, which join advanced treatments using Gamma Knife, minimally invasive endoscopy, and an intraoperative MRI surgical suite. The gynecology oncology program is four surgeons strong and offers robotic surgery and two locations for care. From top left: Mary Cunningham, MD, Medical Director; Rinki Agarwal, MD; Douglas Bunn, MD; and Allison Roy, MD. 0 6❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y