Alumni in the News

Upstate College of Health Professions alumni make news every day, winning awards, improving their communities and changing the world for the better. Here, we present some of the highlights from our alumni in the news.

From the College of Health Professions:

Mark Spooner, MSEd '86, RT(R)(CT)(MR)MRSO(MRSC) has been promoted to associate professor. Mark joined Upstate in 2019 with primary responsibility for the MR BPS program, getting it up online while teaching our on-campus students in a range of courses.

In addition to departmental service responsibilities, Mr. Spooner serves on the CHP Interprofessional Research Committee and is a member of the Institutional Readiness Task Force, working toward excellence in delivery of online learning programs. He is Chair of the International Society for MR Radiographers & Technologists (ISMRT), New York Division.

Congratulations, Mark!

Physical Therapy alumna, faculty member and DPT student share their expertise on Upstate’s podcast

Michelle Dolphin, DPT ’07, PT, MS, OCS, FAAOMPT, associate professor in the College of Health Professions specializes in orthopedic physical therapy and DPT student Nicole Harry recently published a study of the injuries that occur with ballet dancers. Dr. Dolphin, a faculty member in Upstate's College of Health Professions specializes in orthopedic physical therapy. Harry is on track to graduate from the DPT program in 2023.

Achilles tendon disorders, and other lower-extremity problems, bedevil ballet dancers and athletes. Though most common in the two, this type of injury can happen to anyone. Dr. Dolphin and Harry explain how and why these injuries tend to occur among these performers.

Listen to: “Researching injuries in ballet dancers”

“The Informed Patient” is Upstate’s podcast covering health, science and medicine with the goal of helping to educate and inform the Central New York community. Journalists in Upstate Medical University’s marketing and university communications department create each episode.

Upstate DPT alumna becomes a credentialed Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists

Michelle Dolphin

Michelle Dolphin, DPT ’07, PT, MS, OCS, FAAOMPT is an associate professor in the DPT Program at SUNY Upstate Medical. She is the associate director for the DPT Program and a College of Health Professions (CHP) assistant dean.

Dr. Dolphin recently recertified as an orthopaedic specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists. In addition, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship program at Regis University and passed her qualification exams. Dr. Dolphin is now a credentialed Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists.

Congratulations Dr. Dolphin!

College of Health Professions CP alumnus part of team to help Upstate receive national certification for life-saving heart and lung treatment program

Bruce Searles Edward Darling

Story from Upstate News

Upstate Medical University is now only the second hospital in the country to earn one of the nation’s top certifications for its Extracorporeal Life Support program (ECLS).

The certification, from DNV GL Healthcare, the nation’s fastest growing accreditation organization, means that Upstate’s life-saving program meets more than 50 standards and operates at the highest levels of coordination between interdisciplinary teams.

ECLS is the use of external machines to provide prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are not able to function. The ECLS or ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine handles oxygen delivery to the patient’s body, allowing a person’s lungs and heart to rest and heal. Patients can rely on an ECLS machine for a few hours or weeks at a time. Read more.

Included in the Upstate team who completed work with ECLS experts from across the country to develop an exam to award an official ECLS Specialist certification, alumnus Bruce Searles, MS '93, CCP, director and association professor of the Cardiovascular Perfusion Program, alumnus Edward Darling, MS, CCP, associate professor of CP and Jeffrey Riley, MHPE, CCP Emeritus, LP, research associate professor of CP. Jeffrey Riley passed away in October of 2021. Read his obituary.

Read journal article in the NIH, National Library of Medicine

Caption: Christopher Tanski, MD, medical director of Upstate’s ECLS program, with an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine.

Upstate alumni receive prestigious award

Matthew Norris, left, in his white coat and Norris with Martinez, right.

Congratulations to Matthew Norris, DPT ('22) for receiving the 2022 SUNY Chancellor Award for Student Excellence! Also receiving the award is Ingrid Martinez, DNP ('21) from the Upstate College of Nursing. Norris was also the 2021 recipient of the Health Professions Alumni Association, Kevin J. Reistrom Scholarship which is given based on overall academic and clinical performance, as well as demonstrated vision and passion for the Physcial Therapy profession. He also was the recipient for the Dale Avers Leadership Award. Congratulations to both Dr. Norris and Dr. Martinez!

CHP alumna featured in Upstate's Black History Month Awards

Shantel Henry, top right, is the manager of Interventional Radiology & assistant director of Radiology-IR at Upstate and is a 1999 graduate of Upstate's MIS program

Upstate’s Black History awards ceremony and keynote address will be live streamed on Wednesday, February 16 at noon. Upstate’s James Baines, Janell Gage and Shantel Henry, MIS '99 will receive employee contribution awards. The late “Manny” Breland and Jackie Warren-Moore will receive posthumous community contribution awards. Angela Douglas of Vera House Inc. will give the keynote address.

If you are not able to watch at that time, view the 2022 Black History ceremony anytime on Upstate Medical University’s YouTube channel.