Stephen P. Mikles and Joseph G. Sorbello Room

Proceeds will support the Respiratory Therapy Education program, primarily with equipment needs.

Click here to honor these outstanding Respiratory Care alumni.  Select “Mikles and Sorbello Room” on the “Designation” dropdown menu.

With the renovation and modernization of Silverman Hall comes a unique opportunity to recognize two individuals who have meant a great deal to the profession of Respiratory Care – nationally, locally, and to Upstate Medical University – Steve Mikles and Joe Sorbello. Both are double alumni who earned both associate and baccalaureate degrees at Upstate’s College of Health Professions. 

Naming of the Stephen P. Mikles and Joseph G. Sorbello Room will honor Sorbello’s long and dedicated service to Upstate’s Respiratory Therapy  program and students, as well as the contributions as a national leader in the profession by his fellow 1970s alumnus Steve Mikles. Proceeds will support the Respiratory Therapy Education program, primarily with equipment needs. Click here to support this effort.

Stephen P. Mikles, EdS, RRT, FAARC, was a 1974 graduate of the associate degree program and one of the first BS-CRS graduates in 1977. Recognized as an expert clinician by therapist and faculty colleagues alike, he served on the Upstate faculty until 1979 when he became program director of the Respiratory Therapy program at St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida, where he remained until his untimely death from a rare form of hepatic cancer in 2013. At the time of his passing, Steve was president of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), the accreditation body governing all education programs in the profession of Respiratory Care. Steve had worked at all levels with CoARC – site visitor, program referee, CoARC Board Member and, eventually, President. Steve’s work in developing policies, standards, educational modules and many other resources for CoARC was instrumental in developing CoARC into the outstanding organization and accrediting body that it is today.

Upstate alumnus Joseph G. Sorbello, MSEd, RRT, RT, FAARC, had a distinguished 39-year career as a respiratory therapist, educator and leader of his profession. Joining the Upstate faculty as instructor in 1978, he was named chair of the department of Respiratory Therapy Education in 2004. After graduating with both the AAS and BS degrees from the College of Health Professions (CHP) and obtaining his credential as a Registered Respiratory Therapist, Sorbello practiced for many years and served as a consultant for the Office of Medicaid Management Information Systems in the mid 1980s. He earned SUNY’s prestigious President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2002. Sorbello was a founding member of the CHP Alumni Association (1992-93) and served as vice president from 2000 to 2002. He served as president of the New York State Society for Respiratory Care and was instrumental in achieving state professional licensure for respiratory therapists. He was also president of the American Lung Association of Central New York. He authored several articles in professional journals and textbook chapters and has presented both locally and nationally. Among other honors, he was named Fellow of the AARC in 2016.

Click here to honor Joe and Steve.