Upstate Leadership
President's Cabinet
President's Cabinet
![Mantosh Dewan, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/dewanm-250w.jpg)
President
Mantosh Dewan, MD, is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. He is former chair of the department and has also served as director of Undergraduate Education and director of Residency Training. He was interim dean of the College of Medicine. Throughout his career, which began at Upstate Medical in 1979 as an assistant professor of psychiatry, he has written 35 books and book chapters and 75 papers, and given hundreds of presentations on topics that range from brain imaging and economics of mental health care to psychotherapy and medical education. He received his medical degree from University of Bombay and completed his residency at SUNY Health Science Center (now SUNY Upstate Medical University) in Syracuse.
![Lawrence Chin, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/chinl-250w.jpg)
Dean, College of Medicine
![Robert J. Corona DO, CPE, MBA, FCAP, FASCP](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/coronar-250w.jpg)
CEO Upstate University Hospital
Serving as CEO, Dr. Corona also is the Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Dean for Industry and Academic Relations. As an endowed chair for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, his role includes leadership of the CNY Biotechnology Accelerator and the Upstate Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Corona is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in neuropathology, clinical informatics and anatomic pathology.
![Luis J. Mejico, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/mejicol-250w.jpg)
Professor and Chair of Neurology
Dr. Mejico is Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurology and Chair of the UUMAS Governing Board at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He also does Clinical researcher and focuses on various Neuro-Ophthalmic conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension; as well as multiple sclerosis and headache syndromes.
![Eric J. Smith](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/smither.jpg)
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Senior Associate Dean for Finance, College of Medicine
Reporting to the president, Mr. Smith oversees the University’s finance, accounting and budget, and post-award sponsored programs offices. In addition, he is responsible for the operations of many shared service departments serving all components of the University, including human resources, business services (payroll, contracts/campus purchasing, and accounts payable), university police, facilities and capital planning, property management, and other related operations. Mr. Smith serves in leadership and governance roles for various university affiliates, including the Research Foundation for SUNY, Faculty-Student Association, Upstate Properties Development, and the Upstate Foundation. He has led various performance improvement, strategic planning and accreditation initiatives since joining Upstate in 2005 as the Assistant Vice President for Finance. Mr. Smith is a Certified Public Accountant and prior to joining Upstate spent 12 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Manager in the Assurance and Business Advisory Services Group.
![Stuart M. Wright, CPA, MBA](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/wrights-250w.jpg)
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Wright is responsible for all financial functions of the hospital including accounting, financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, cash and investment management, revenue cycle and managed care contracting. Additionally, he is responsible for patient access services, health information management (HIM), utilization management (UM), and clinical documentation improvement (CDI) services.
The Upstate Medical University Executive Committee
The Upstate Medical University Executive Committee (UEC) serves as the President's senior leadership body and provides high-level, cross-function representation of all aspects of the institution. The UEC meets weekly and provides decision-making and direction related to operations, policy, and capital allocations for the university system. Additionally, the UEC is ultimately responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of the institution's strategic planning process.
The Upstate Medical University Executive Committee (UEC)
![Mantosh Dewan, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/dewanm-250w.jpg)
President
Mantosh Dewan, MD, is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. He is former chair of the department and has also served as director of Undergraduate Education and director of Residency Training. He was interim dean of the College of Medicine. Throughout his career, which began at Upstate Medical in 1979 as an assistant professor of psychiatry, he has written 35 books and book chapters and 75 papers, and given hundreds of presentations on topics that range from brain imaging and economics of mental health care to psychotherapy and medical education. He received his medical degree from University of Bombay and completed his residency at SUNY Health Science Center (now SUNY Upstate Medical University) in Syracuse.
![David Amberg, PhD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/ambergd-250w.jpg)
Vice President for Research
Dr. Amberg has served as Vice President for Research since July 2014, overseeing the clinical, translational and basic research portfolios of the University. Amberg also provides expertise in research integrity and research conflict of interest, having served in those leadership capacities prior to his vice president post. Amberg, a Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and a Jacobsen Scholar, studies actin.
![Tammy Austin-Ketch, PhD, FNP, FAANP](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/austinkt.jpg)
Dean, College of Nursing
Dr. Tammy Austin-Ketch oversees the academic and clinical activities of the College of Nursing for degree programs at the baccalaureate (RN-BS), master of science, and doctoral (DNP) levels. Prior to her arrival at Upstate, she was employed for nearly 20 years at SUNY Buffalo serving as Assistant Dean for MS and DNP programming, as well as actively practicing as a family nurse practitioner.
![Katherine Beissner, PHD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/beissnek-250w.jpg)
Dean, College of Health Professions
Dr. Beissner provides leadership in a College that offers 10 allied health profession degrees offered at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. She also oversees the coordination and development of enrichment pipeline programs for racial/ethnic minority and disadvantaged students to enhance interest in, and preparedness for careers in the health professions.
![Lawrence Chin, MD, FAANS, FACS](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/chinl-250w.jpg)
Dean, College of Medicine
Dr. Lawrence Chin has served the Upstate community in a variety of roles, most recently as the Robert B. and Molly G. King Endowed Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery. Dr. Chin has brought outstanding leadership to his role as Chair of Neurosurgery and Chair of the UUMAS Governing Board. In his career at Boston University School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and at Upstate, he has been involved in many aspects of academic medicine, from clinical care and teaching to research. Dr. Chin is the recipient of numerous honors, awards and visiting professorships and has held a range of leadership positions in the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, theCongress of Neurological Surgeons, and other organizations.
![Lynn Cleary, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/clearyl-250w.jpg)
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Reporting to the president, Dr. Cleary works collaboratively with the college deans, faculty and staff on academic program development and academic infrastructure. She serves as the academic liaison between Upstate and SUNY Central Administration and the accreditation liaison officer to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Dr. Cleary is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and Professor of Medicine.
![Robert J. Corona DO, CPE, MBA, FCAP, FASCP](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/coronar-250w.jpg)
CEO Upstate University Hospital
Serving as CEO, Dr. Corona also is the Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Dean for Industry and Academic Relations. As an endowed chair for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, his role includes leadership of the CNY Biotechnology Accelerator and the Upstate Cord Blood Bank. Dr. Corona is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in neuropathology, clinical informatics and anatomic pathology.
![Rajesh Dave, MD, MBA](images/daver.jpg)
Dean, Clinical Campus
Dr. Dave oversees the faculty, staff and students at Upstate's Binghamton campus. Also maintains relationships with a network of volunteer faculty and the four regional affiliate hospitals. The clinical campus at Binghamton offers third- and fourth-year medical students direct interaction with community physicians. Binghamton Clinical Campus
![Daryll C. Dykes, PhD, MD, JD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/dykesd-250w.jpg)
Senior Academic Diversity Advisor
Dr. Dykes is a native of Syracuse and alumnus of Upstate’s MD/PhD program. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency and fellowships in spine surgery and trauma surgery in Minneapolis, MN, and subsequently earned his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. He is an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellowship and served as a senior health policy advisor in the United States Congress and Food and Drug Administration before returning to Upstate on the orthopedic surgery faculty. Dr. Dykes’ clinical, research, teaching and administrative priorities focus on legislative and regulatory health policy, administrative law, health quality and health equity.
![Kerry Greene-Donnelly, MBA, RT (R) (M) (CT) (QM)](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/greenek-250w.jpg)
Chair Faculty Council
Chair, Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences
Kerry Greene-Donnelly serves as the Chair of Upstate Medical Universities Faculty Council, representing faculty from all four colleges. Additionally, Greene -Donnelly serves as the Chair and Associate Professor in the department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences in the College of Health Professions. She also engages in Clinical Research involving dosimetry, image quality and quality management.
![Luis Mejico, MD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/mejicol-250w.jpg)
Professor and Chair of Neurology
Dr. Mejico is Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurology and Chair of the UUMAS Governing Board at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He also does Clinical researcher and focuses on various Neuro-Ophthalmic conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension; as well as multiple sclerosis and headache syndromes.
![Eileen Pezzi, MPA](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/pezzee.jpg)
Vice President for Development
Ms. Pezzi administers the activities of the Upstate Foundation, including the Alumni Association for the Colleges of Nursing and Health Professions. She is responsible for organizing and implementing multi-year, million-dollar capital, annual and endowment campaigns, planned giving, corporate and foundation gift giving, fund management, investment management and special events. She also oversees a 40-member board of directors.
![Mark Schmitt, PhD](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/schmittm-250w.jpg)
Dean, College of Graduate Studies
As dean, Dr. Schmitt oversees the overall operations of the College which educates PhD, Masters, and MD/PhD students in six different biomedical science programs. In addition, he is a faculty member and has a research lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He is also active in both Graduate and Medical education at Upstate.
![Eric J. Smith](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/smither.jpg)
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Senior Associate Dean for Finance, College of Medicine
Reporting to the president, Mr. Smith oversees the University’s finance, accounting and budget, and post-award sponsored programs offices. In addition, he is responsible for the operations of many shared service departments serving all components of the University, including human resources, business services (payroll, contracts/campus purchasing, and accounts payable), university police, facilities and capital planning, property management, and other related operations. Mr. Smith serves in leadership and governance roles for various university affiliates, including the Research Foundation for SUNY, Faculty-Student Association, Upstate Properties Development, and the Upstate Foundation. He has led various performance improvement, strategic planning and accreditation initiatives since joining Upstate in 2005 as the Assistant Vice President for Finance. Mr. Smith is a Certified Public Accountant and prior to joining Upstate spent 12 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Manager in the Assurance and Business Advisory Services Group.
![Jeffrey Stevens](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/stevens_jeffrey-2021.jpg)
Vice President and Chief of Human Resources
Mr. Stevens leads all human resources functions for SUNY Upstate Medical University. Previously, Jeff was the chief human resources officer for Jefferson Health and University, University of Rochester Medicine, and the University of Massachusetts Health System. Jeff has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. Among the many things that comprise his work, Jeff is focused on HR processes and efficiencies, and also on HR work that advances SUNY Upstate Medical University’s goals in workplace culture and employee engagement.
![Linda Veit, MPH](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/veit-linda.jpg)
Assistant Vice President for Community Relations
Ms. Veit is responsible for the development and evaluation of value-added programs and partnerships with community and external organizations. Ms. Veit can provide advice on strategic community program development, as it relates to Upstate's priorities, as well as connect Upstate experts to community organizations. Her office serves as a liaison between Upstate and the broader community.
![Dr. Julie Rawls White](images/whitejul.jpg)
Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs
Dr. Julie Rawls White is the Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs. She has worked here at Upstate since 2007. She has the distinct honor of supervising the functions in Student Affairs and the Health Sciences Library. The work of these teams squarely focuses on meeting students "where they are" with support services, resources and advocacy and by assisting faculty and staff in their noble endeavors.
![Dr. Sipho Mbuqe](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/mbuqes-250w.jpg)
Interim Chief Diversity Officer
Upstate Hospital Officer Leadership Team
Upstate University Hospital has two campuses—the Downtown Campus, and four miles west of downtown Syracuse, its Community Campus. Hospital leadership oversees all aspects related to patient care at Upstate's hospitals and at its more than 80 specialty clinics. Upstate University Hospital's 17-county service area covers approximately one-third of New York State.
Upstate Hospital Officer Leadership Team
![Robert J. Corona DO, CPE, MBA, FCAP, FASCP](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/coronar-250w.jpg)
CEO Upstate University Hospital
Dr. Corona is the chief executive officer of Upstate Medical University Hospital and Community Hospital. He continues his academic role as John B Henry Endowed Professor of Experimental Pathology and Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. He is an emeritus member of the New York State Board for Medicine and past member of the NYS DOH Office of Professional Medical Conduct. Dr. Corona is board certified by the American Board of Pathology in neuropathology, clinical informatics and anatomic pathology. He recently won CNY Business Journal 2020 Outstanding Hospital Executive and was named to Becker’s Top 100 CEO’s to Know as well as to Cornell’s Institute for Healthy Futures.
![Amy Tucker, MD, MHCM](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/tuckeram.jpg)
Vice President for Ambulatory Services and Population Health
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Tucker is responsible for overseeing strategy, operations, and quality in the Upstate Ambulatory clinics. Additionally, she is working collaboratively with providers and administrators across the organization to develop and operationalize Upstate’s population health program. As CMO she promotes a positive patient experience and quality of care hospital-wide.
![Scott Jessie, MS, RN, NEA-BC](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/jessies-250w.jpg)
Chief Nursing Officer
Mr. Jessie provides executive leadership for the division of nursing which encompasses 3000 of Upstate’s employees across the health system. Upstate nursing received Magnet designation in 2021 and has increased bedside nursing staff involvement in shared governance to increase decision making directly from front line staff. The continuous focus on fostering RN engagement will lead the nursing division in improving quality of care for the patients and families Upstate serves.
![Stuart M. Wright, CPA, MBA](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/wrights-250w.jpg)
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Wright is responsible for all financial functions of the hospital including accounting, financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, cash and investment management, revenue cycle and managed care contracting. Additionally, he is responsible for patient access services, health information management (HIM), utilization management (UM), clinical documentation improvement (CDI) services and Retail Pharmacy Operations.
![Nancy Daoust, LNHA, FACHE](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/daoustn.jpg)
Chief Ambulatory Officer
Nancy Daoust serves as the primary liaison and point of coordination between ambulatory operations and all other University Departments, governmental agencies and community constituencies on a wide range of clinical, programmatic and/or administrative functions. Daoust has served in numerous roles at Upstate, including as chief administrative officer for the Community Campus, where she assisted in the transition of the campus to Upstate and oversaw the expansion and introduction of new services, like the Family Birth Center, Transitional Care Unit and outpatient clinics, such as Midwifery, Vascular, Family Medicine and ENT.
![Mark Zeman](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/about/images/zemanm.jpg)
Chief Information Officer
Mr. Zeman began his role as Interim Chief Information Officer in 2018. He is responsible for the planning, implementation and management of information technology throughout the university to support of the missions of patient care, education and research. He also oversees clinical engineering at both hospitals.
![Marylin Galimi](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/galimim-250w.jpg)
Chief Operating Officer
Marylin Galimi is responsible for the operational oversight, integration, and optimization of Upstate’s facilities, services and support functions to execute Upstate’s strategic and operational objectives. Additionally, she supports the efficient and cost effective use of organization resources recognizing the critical need for a high level of operational and clinical integration.
![Jeffrey Stevens](http://q.yasemenyikama.com/site-assets/images/portraits/stevejef-250w.jpg)
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Mr. Stevens leads all human resources functions for SUNY Upstate Medical University. Previously, Jeff was the chief human resources officer for Jefferson Health and University, University of Rochester Medicine, and the University of Massachusetts Health System. Jeff has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. Among the many things that comprise his work, Jeff is focused on HR processes and efficiencies, and also on HR work that advances SUNY Upstate Medical University’s goals in workplace culture and employee engagement.