KNOWN FOR OUR EXPERTISE. CHOSEN FOR OUR CARE. APRIL 2020 DIGITAL EDITION

TODAY

Steadfast Leadership in Season of Change Dr. Dennis P. McKenna Becomes President and CEOOn April 1, Dennis P. McKenna, MD, assumed the role of Albany Med president and CEO. A familiar presence at the Medical Center, Dr. McKenna’s 20-year tenure has included service as hospital medical director and president of the Albany Med Physicians Group. His appointment, which was met with great enthusiasm when it was announced last summer, feels especially prescient now, given unfolding events related to the novel coronavirus. Why?

· He is an Emergency Department physician. Dr. McKenna has worked in emergency medicine for more than two decades, both here at Albany Med and internationally. For five years he served as medical director of the Emergency Department, and he plans to devote a portion of his time to continuing to serve the department as an attending physician.

· He knows Albany Med and its patients. A Capital Region native and 1992 graduate of Albany Medical College, Dr. McKenna has a keen understanding of the Medical Center and what makes sense for patients. He instituted the hospital’s morning safety brief several years ago, a daily gathering of managers who update one another on important developments, and he has been at the forefront of COVID-19 preparedness plans.

· He has served on the front lines. Literally. A retired U.S. Navy captain, Dr. McKenna spent two decades in the military and completed numerous tours of duty. On three separate occasions after 9/11 he was mobilized to active duty as a reservist, including two combat tours in Iraq. During his second tour, his wife, Karen, a registered nurse at Albany Med, was home with three children under three. “She was working as hard as I was at that point, trust me,” he said. The McKennas now have four children.

Dr. McKenna succeeds Jim Barba, whose 25 years of service as Albany Med’s president and CEO brought unprecedented growth and flourishing to the Medical Center. Under his leadership, Albany Med recovered from the brink of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s to become the region’s leading health care provider, a vast organization that delivers a scope of medical treatments available typically only in major metropolitan areas. The Albany Med Health System now serves patients in more than 100 locations throughout the region and is comprised of Albany Med, Columbia Memorial Health and Saratoga Hospital. In July, Glens Falls Hospital will join the Albany Med Health System as the fourth hospital in the network.

“Among the many qualities that made us feel

certain Dr. McKenna was the right person to lead Albany Med were his energy, his intellect and his fierce dedication to patients. And nowhere have those things been in stronger evidence than these past two months,” Barba said. “We are in great hands.”

Albany Med remains committed to providing the community with care and support during COVID-19 containment efforts. To stay abreast of the latest information, please visit www.amc.edu.

President and CEO Dr. Dennis P. McKenna, right, with Dr. Ferdinand Venditti, executive vice president for system care delivery and hospital general director, second right, and other local hospital leaders at a press conference in March that outlined the regional health care systems’ coordinated response to COVID-19.

Outgoing President and CEO Jim Barba, left, with Dr. Dennis P. McKenna.

VOL. 15, NO. 4 APRIL 2020 Albany Med Today is published monthly by the Department of Policy, Planning and Communications at Albany Med. Comments and story suggestions can be directed to Public Relations at (518) 262-3421 or albanymedcommunications@amc.edu.

ALBANY MED OFFICERS

DENNIS P. MCKENNA, MDPresident and Chief Executive Officer

STEVEN M. FRISCH, MDSenior Executive Vice President for the Integrated Delivery System

VINCENT VERDILE, MDThe Lynne and Mark Groban, M.D. ’67, Distinguished Dean of Albany Medical College and Senior Executive Vice President for System Care Delivery

FRANCES SPREER ALBERTExecutive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer

GEORGE T. HICKMAN Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Analytics Officer

FERDINAND J. VENDITTI, MDExecutive Vice President for System Care Delivery and Hospital General Director

DIANE CAREY, MSN, RNInterim Chief Nursing Officer

ELLEN COSGROVE, MD Vice Dean for Academic Administration

ARUP DE, MD, MBA Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and President of the Albany Med Physicians Group

JOHN DEPAOLAExecutive Associate Dean of Albany Medical College and Chief Administrative Officer for System Care Delivery

LOUIS FILHOUR, PHD, RNChief Executive Officer of Better Health for Northeast New York

NOEL HOGANSenior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer

MATTHEW JONES, JDSenior Vice President and General Counsel

KEVIN M. LEYDENSenior Vice President for Business Development and Strategic Partnerships

DARLEEN SOUZASenior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

ROBERT WELCH Senior Vice President for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services

JAMES J. BARBA, JDPresident Emeritus

APRIL 2020 ALBANY MED TODAY 2

TODAY

How to Stay Balanced in Unsettling TimesEven the most cool-headed among us are feeling nervous and unsettled these days.

Who better to consult than Robin Tassinari, MD, professor of psychiatry and internal medicine and director of the consultation service for the Department of Psychiatry? Dr. Tassinari has provided care to patients in the Emergency Department and across the hospital for 49 years.

“These are unusual times,” he said, “and it’s important to remember that stress is a normal thing to be experiencing. Don’t criticize yourself if you’re feeling anxious. Instead, ask yourself, what can I do about it?”

A good first step, he suggested, is limiting your intake of TV news. “These stories and the way they’re presented can be very alarming,” Dr. Tassinari said. “It’s important to stay informed, but you don’t need to be continually engaged with it. Take healthy breaks from the news and from social media.”

The latter, he added, “is not the place to go for reliable information.” Instead, look to Albany Med and other hospitals, the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization or your physician.

Hospitals like Albany Med and its workforce face not only the stress of what a pandemic means in the world, but also the immediacy of caring for patients.

“Health care workers are especially taxed right now,” Dr. Tassinari said. “They can experience something called compassion fatigue, or secondary traumatic stress. They care for patients who are struggling and they take it on themselves.

“Younger professionals are more at risk for this, since their more seasoned counterparts tend to learn, over time, how to compartmentalize,” he said.

To help guard against compassion fatigue, clinicians must consciously reserve time to unwind and regain their balance. “When you leave the hospital, put your work behind you. Don’t bring it home. If there is something bothering you, talk it through with a colleague or a friend. These conversations can be one of the very best things you can do for yourself,” he said.

When needs are great all around, it is critical to set aside personal time to do the things that bring joy. “Don’t drop the techniques that have worked for you in the past,” Dr. Tassinari said. “If you can’t go to the gym you can still exercise. Get outside. Take a walk or a bike ride—of course, remembering to practice social distancing.”

Other reliable de-stressors: Read a book. Watch a movie. Kick back with your family, your pets or your own fine company.

Now can be a perfect time to indulge in those things there was never time for. “Call up a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Watch some TV. Just maybe not always the news,” Dr. Tassinari said.

t

53% ENTERING FIELDS

THAT LEAD TO PRIMARY CARE

CAREER

Match Day is the culmination of years of studying, training and research and is a defining moment as our students prepare to embark on their careers in medicine. On this day, we celebrate the stellar results that our students achieve year after year.

Introducing the 2020 Match Results ALBANY MEDICAL COLLEGE

2020

TOP 5 SPECIALTIES� Internal Medicine

� Pediatrics

� Emergency Medicine

� Family Medicine

� Anesthesiology

STUDENTS MATCHED IN NEW YORK STATE

52 (35%)OTHER TOP STATES

students will begin their residencies this July.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Match Day at Albany Medical College.

147

OUR GRADUATES MATCH ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

17% WESTERN MATCHES

10% CENTRAL MATCHES

73% EASTERN MATCHES

STUDENTS MATCHED AT

12(8%)

2020

Class of 2020 Learns Residency AssignmentsAfter four years of hard work and countless contributions, Albany Medical College’s Class of 2020 recently learned where they will continue their medical training as resident physicians after they graduate. Normally, the College hosts a celebration for Match Day, which fell on March 20 this year, but efforts to contain the novel coronavirus necessitated its cancellation. Albany Med extends its thanks to all of the medical students who have offered to volunteer during the COVID-19 crisis and congratulates the Class of 2020 on its excellent match results.

Committed to the CommunityAlbany Med continues to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New York State Department of Health and others during the coronavirus pandemic. The health and safety of our patients, visitors and workforce remains our highest concern. Experts from across the Medical Center meet daily to evolve planning efforts and ensure that all staff and resources are in place, ready to protect our community.