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Upstate Medical University announces appointments, honors and awards

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University announces the following appointments, honors and awards:

• Jorge Torretti, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and director of Pre- Admission Testing for the Department of Anesthesiology, has been named the 2009 Physician of the Year by the Regional Physician Assistants of CNY (RPACNY). Torretti is honored for his service as an advocate for physician assistants and for representing the ideals of excellence in healthcare. Torretti resides in DeWitt.

• John Fey, M.D., F.A.C.S., clinical associate professor of surgery, has been named the director of the General Surgery Residency Program. Fey also serves as chief of surgery for the Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center. He resides in Fayetteville.

• Maria C. Lumbrazo, M.S., R.N., F.N.P., clinical quality investigator and Emergency Department liaison in the Department of Risk Management, was elected vice president of the Omicron Alpha Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Region 11, Chapter 359. Lumbrazo resides in Liverpool.

• An article by Melanie Kalman, C.N.S., Ph.D., Margaret Wells, Ph.D., R.N., N.P., and Carol A Gavan, Ed.D., R.N., of the College of Nursing, titled "Returning to School: Experiences of Female Baccalaureate RN Students" appeared in the Spring/ Summer 2009 issue of the Journal of the New York State Nurses Association. Kalman, associate professor and director of Nursing Research, lives in Tully. Gaven, associate dean and director of Graduate Nursing Studies, lives in Manlius. Wells, assistant professor of nursing, lives in Fayetteville.

• Susan Graham, MS., M.T. (A.S.C.P.), S.H., associate professor and chair of Clinical Laboratory Science Program and director of Medical Technology Program in the College of Health Professions, has received an Excellence in Laboratory Medicine award from ARUP Laboratories, a national reference laboratory, for demonstrating extraordinary motivation in pursuing or delivering educational excellence in clinical laboratory science. Graham resides in Liverpool.

• Michael Sharak, P.A., clinical coordinator and assistant director of Upstate's Physician Assistant Education Program, has been named the 2009 Physician Assistant of the Year by the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA). He was selected by the Regional Physician Assistants of CNY as Physician Assistant of the Year. Sharak resides in DeWitt.

• William D. Grant, Ed.D., of the Department of Emergency Medicine, presented "The Statistician and Small Clinical Trials: Tales from the Front Lines" at the 175th meeting of the Royal Statistical Society held in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sept. 8. Grant also presented "Survey Research: Key Elements to a Successful Survey Study" at the Research Forum of the New York American College of Emergency Physicians meeting in New York, N.Y., Sept. 16. Grant resides in Liverpool.

• Sally Terek has joined the Upstate OASIS program as Active Generations and OASIS Outreach Coordinator. Active Generations is designed to address childhood obesity and increase healthy behaviors in children. As coordinator, Terek is responsible for developing community partnerships for OASIS, conducting training workshops for OASIS volunteers, and providing support to the volunteers as they work with students in grades three through five after-school programs. Prior to OASIS, Terek was a classroom teacher and most recently served as director of Interactive Education at WCNY-TV, where she was responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of multi-media services classrooms and educational settings in the community. Terek earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from SUNY Cortland. She is a graduate of 2008 Leadership Greater Syracuse and received certification as a CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) trainer at the OASIS Institute in St. Louis. Terek resides in the town of Geddes.

• Victor Elinoff, M.D., clinical assistant professor of family medicine, has published the paper "The Efficacy of Kiko Exercises on the Prevention of Migraine Headaches: A Pilot Study" in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. Elinoff resides in Endwell, N.Y.

• An article by James L. Knoll IV, M.D., titled, "Discussing the Meaning of Life with a Lifer," was published in the Aug. 24 issue of Psychiatric Times. Knoll is director of forensic psychiatry and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Upstate. Knoll resides north of Syracuse.

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