Upstate Medical University Faculty
A. GENO ANDREATTA M.S. (1932 - 2021)
A. Geno Andreatta M.S. graduated from San Francisco State College after studying social science, anthropology, and international relations. He came to SUNY Upstate in 1963 as administrative assistant to the dean of Admissions and Student Affairs and as an instructor in the School of Allied Health Sciences (now the College of Health Professions). Mr. Andreatta served as assistant director, director, assistant dean, and finally dean of Admissions and Student Affairs for Upstate. He was also an assistant professor during his time here, and served simultaneously as co-director of a research project on physician shortage and health care in rural New York and as an advisor to the Rural Medical Service Committee of the Medical Society of the State of New York. Mr. Andreatta retired from SUNY Upstate in 1995.
PHILLIP B. ARMSTRONG M.D. (1899 - 1981)
Phillip B. Armstrong M.D. was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and a member of the Cornell College of Medicine class of 1926. Dr. Armstrong wrote extensively in the fields of embryology, physiology, and developmental anatomy. He was the chairman of the Department of Anatomy and a professor in the College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate from 1938 to 1967; he also served as the director of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts from 1948 to 1966 and was a member of that institution until 1980. On SUNY Upstate Alumni Day, the Philip B. Armstrong Award is presented to a member of the basic sciences department who has had the most influence on the graduating class.
N. BARRY BERG PH.D. (1942 - )
N. Barry Berg Ph.D. came to SUNY Upstate in 1972 as a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy. His research focused on cell biology and he spent many years as the coordinator of the Gross Anatomy course. He also managed the anatomical gift program for many years, for which he received awards from the American Red Cross and the Transplant Donor Services. Dr. Berg was appointed assistant dean for Medical Achievement in 1979; through programs like the Minority Educational Development program, the first extended curriculum program, and residency guidance programs, he supported and enriched medical education at Upstate. Dr. Berg retired from Upstate in 2014. A scholarship in Dr. Berg’s name is awarded each year to a student in the College of Medicine who plans to pursue graduate medical education in an area of musculoskeletal medicine.
CHUNG TAIK CHUNG M.D. (1942)
Chung Taik Chung M.D. was educated at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, completing his medical degree in 1967. He came to the United States in 1970 and began a residency in Radiation Oncology at SUNY Upstate in 1971. He returned to Upstate as assistant professor of Radiation Oncology in 1976 and was promoted to associate professor in 1981. He accepted a joint appointment in Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences in 1982 and became a full professor in both departments in 1991. In 1995, Dr. Chung became professor and founding chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Under his leadership, the department established three off-site radiation therapy offices and implemented state-of-the-art therapies at University Hospital. Dr. Chung was also chair of the Cancer Center Task Force and was instrumental in the completion of the Upstate Cancer Center, which opened in 2014.
RICHARD L. CROSS PH.D. (1943 - )
Richard L. Cross Ph.D. received his doctorate from Yale University in 1970. He completed his postdoctoral training at UCLA Molecular Biology Institute in the laboratory of Paul D. Boyer. Dr. Cross’s work on ATP synthase is internationally recognized, and he and his lab contributed to the Dr. Boyer’s research that won the 1997 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Dr. Cross’s work was continuously funded by the NIH for thirty years. He came to SUNY Upstate in 1973 as an assistant professor in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He moved through the ranks until becoming chair of that department in 1982, a position he held until 2009. Under his leadership, the faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology became one of the strongest on campus. Dr. Cross’s model of junior faculty review was the first of its kind at Upstate and has become the standard practice across departments, providing newer faculty with the guidance and support needed to attain tenure. Dr. Cross also served as chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology from 2006-2008, a transition period for that department. In 2007, Dr. Cross was recognized as a SUNY Distinguished Professor and he became professor emeritus in 2015.
HARRY A. FELDMAN M.D. (1914 - 1985)
Harry A. Feldman M.D. was a member of the George Washington University School of Medicine class of 1939. He was a leader in the fields of infectious disease and preventive medicine and contributed to pioneering studies on pneumococcal meningitis, pneumococcal pneumonia, tuberculosis, leprosy, and malaria. He served in the medical corps during World War II, joining in October 1942. In 1949, he became associate professor of medicine and director of research of the Wieting-Johnson Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases at SUNY Upstate. In 1959 he was promoted to chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Feldman published more than 200 articles, contributed to more than a dozen textbooks, and was co-editor of Bacterial Infections of Humans, which focused on epidemiology and control measures and was regarded for its thoroughness and comprehensive perspective. Dr. Feldman retired from Upstate in 1985. After his death that same year, the American Epidemiological Society dedicated an annual lecture to Dr. Feldman and an award in his honor is given by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
E. ROBERT HEITZMAN, JR. M.D. (1927 - 2020)
E. Robert Heitzman Jr. M.D., SUNY Upstate class of 1951, was a radiologist and veteran of the United States Airforce. Dr. Heitzman co-founded the X-Ray Pathologic Conference in 1955 and was the first person to rigorously compare anatomous findings and clinical radiodiagnostic images of certain pulmonary conditions. Dr. Heitzman had been chairman of the Department of Radiology at both the VA hospital and Crouse-Irving Hospital in Syracuse before becoming director of Diagnostic Radiology at Upstate University Hospital in 1965. He served as acting chairman of Diagnostic Radiology from 1973 to 1974. Dr. Heitzman began his teaching career at Upstate in 1957 as an assistant professor and was made professor in 1968. He was honored as a Distinguished Service Professor in 1990 and retired from Upstate in 1999.
GORDON D. HOOPLE M.D. (1895 - 1973)
Gordon D. Hoople M.D. was a 1919 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Medicine. Dr. Hoople was a renowned otolaryngologist and the Hearing and Speech Center at Syracuse University was named for him. Dr. Hoople served as a major with the 52nd General Hospital Unit in World War II, and served as a medical missionary to China. He established the first student health service at Syracuse University and was its first full time physician. In 1945, he was made chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at the College of Medicine, a position he retained when the medical school was transferred to SUNY. He stepped down as chairman in 1952, but continued to teach as professor emeritus. Dr. Hoople served as president of the Alumni Association of Syracuse University and as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1961-1967 (board member 1938-1967). He was awarded nearly every honor that Syracuse University can bestow.
ELLEN COOK JACOBSEN M.D. (1919 - 2013)
Ellen Cook Jacobsen M.D. completed her undergraduate training and her master of science degree at Cornell University. She was a 1950 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Medicine. In 1954, Dr. Jacobsen became the first female instructor in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Upstate. She established the Student Health Service at Upstate in 1955 and the first Employee Health Service a decade later. Dr. Jacobsen felt strongly that physicians should have formal training in counseling and she took a leave of absence from the faculty in 1968 to complete a residency in psychiatry. In 1971, she rejoined the faculty with appointments to both the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry. She was the only faculty member at that time to hold dual appointments. Dr. Jacobsen was uniquely suited to head the Liaison and Consultation Service for Psychiatry, which interfaced between that department and all other clinical services in University Hospital to improve patient care, a position she was appointed to in 1972. In 1990, Dr. Jacobsen retired from Upstate. She was awarded the Distinguished Alumna Award by the Upstate Alumni Association in 1990; the Onondaga County Medical Society Community Service Award in 1991; the SUNY Upstate President’s Award for Distinguished Service in 1998; and was named to the SUNY Alumni Honor Roll in 1999.
EUGENE A. KAPLAN M.D. (1933 - 2022)
Eugene A. Kaplan M.D. began his association with SUNY Upstate as a medical student and psychiatric resident. Dr. Kaplan joined the faculty in 1961 and was made professor of Psychiatry in 1984. He became chairman of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 1986. Under his leadership, the department expanded and revitalized many programs, including the Child Psychiatry Division. New programs were established, including the Family Therapy Program and the Institute for Applied Psychiatry. Dr. Kaplan is a life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and served as a senior examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry for 25 years. He became professor and chair emeritus in 1999. Dr. Kaplan passed away in 2022.
ROBERT B. KING M.D. (1922 - 2008)
Robert B. King M.D. graduated cum laude from the Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1946. He completed his graduate medical education in Surgery and Neurosurgery at Washington University, after which he completed a fellowship in Neurology and Neuropathology at the National Hospital, Queens Square in London. Dr. King was awarded the Neurosurgeon of the Year Award from the American Academy of Neurological Surgery in 1979. He was at various times chairman of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, president of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, president of the Society of Neurological Surgeons, president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and chairman of the American Board of Medical Specialties. While leading the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in 1981, he founded the Neurosurgical Research and Education Foundation. He came to SUNY Upstate in 1957 as director of the Neurological Program and he served as chairman of Neurosurgery from 1966-1987. Dr. King was made medical director of University Hospital and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education in 1989. The Robert B. and Molly G. King Endowed Professorship in Neurosurgery is presented by SUNY Upstate to honor his contributions.
RICHARD H. LYONS M.D. (1910 - 1986)
Richard H. Lyons M.D. graduated from the University of Michigan in 1935 and became the chairman of the Department of Medicine of the Syracuse University College of Medicine in 1947. Dr. Lyons was the first full-time professor employed by the College of Medicine and he, along with other noteworthy faculty members, revitalized the program following World War II. Dr. Lyons was an engaging teacher and an outstanding clinician. He established a close relationship with the clinical staff at the VA Hospital and ensured that those learning opportunities were available to his students. Dr. Lyons resigned from SUNY Upstate in 1967 to become the director of the Central New York Regional Medical program, a project to improve local public health through increased access to health care, which was a joint endeavor between Upstate and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The program ended in 1976 and many of its functions were absorbed by the Central New York Health Systems Agency.
JUSTUS F. MUELLER PH.D. (1902 - 1993)
Justus F. Mueller Ph.D. received his doctorate in Parasitology from the University of Illinois in 1928. He immediately began a 15 year relationship with the SUNY College of Forestry in Syracuse, and he began lecturing on parasitology at the Syracuse University College of Medicine. Eventually, he rose to the rank of professor at SUNY Upstate and served one term as chairman of the Department of Microbiology. He became professor emeritus in 1972. Dr. Mueller integrated his artistic skill and scientific knowledge into the design of the Mueller-Ward models, covering 16 varied zoological topics using 188 models. The models are known for their accuracy and style. Dr. Mueller authored 331 research papers, the last of which he published at the age of 81. He achieved significant insights with the tapeworm Spirometra Mansonoides, developing for the first time the means to complete the life cycle of a parasitic worm in a laboratory. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Dr. Mueller traveled extensively in Central and South America, where he furthered his studies in parasitology and his interest in Pre-Columbian art and history. Much of his art collection was donated to the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY.
DAVID G. MURRAY M.D. (1930 - )
David G. Murray M.D. F.A.C.S. received his medical degree from The School of Medicine of Washington University in St. Louise in 1955. Dr. Murray served with the US Navy from 1956-1958 before completing a residency in general surgery at SUNY Upstate. He did a residency in orthopedic surgery at the State University of Iowa and joined the faculty of SUNY Upstate as assistant professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 1962, a position he held until 1986 and again from 1990 to 2000. In 1966, Dr. Murray became the founding chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Murray was a pioneer in total hip and knee replacement surgery and he chaired the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Total Hip Replacement in 1994. Dr. Murray designed, developed, and patented the variable-axis knee prosthesis, which for many years was referred to as the “Syracuse knee.” He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Academic Surgery in 1979 and the Distinguished Service Professor award from Upstate in 1989. He was made the 77th President of the American College of Surgeons in 1996. In 2000, he was made an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He retired from Upstate that same year.
PATRICIA J. NUMANN M.D. (1941 - )
Patricia J. Numann MD, a 1965 alumna, completed her general surgery residency at Upstate Medical University in 1970. She became the first woman surgeon at Upstate University Hospital and the first woman to join the surgical faculty of the medical school. Dr. Numann held various administrative roles, including: Associate Dean for the College of Medicine, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, and Medical Director for University Hospital. She was made the Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery and SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in 2000. She is also a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor. She became Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery Emeritus in 2007. The Patricia J. Numann MD Chair of Surgery was fully endowed, with the support of more than 500 donors, in 2017 and is the first endowed chair at Upstate named for a woman. She
received the Upstate Medical University Distinguished Alumna Award and SUNY Alumna of Distinction Award. Dr. Numann's scientific and clinical interests are in the area of thyroid and parathyroid disease and breast disease. She founded The Breast and Endocrine Center at Upstate, which now bears her name. Upstate awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in 2012. Dr. Numann is an active member of numerous professional societies. She has served as Vice President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and President of the Association for Surgical Education. She was the second woman to become President of the American College of Surgeons and the first woman to chair the American Board of Surgery. She was one of the founding members of the Association for Surgical Education and founded the Association for Women Surgeons. She was the first woman elected to the American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs. Dr. Numann has received numerous honors and awards at the national and international level. She has received the Nina Starr Braunwald Award of the Association of Women Surgeons and was inducted into the International Women Physicians’ Hall of Fame. She was named a “Local Legend” to The National Library of Medicine’s Changing Faces of Medicine exhibit. In 2006, Dr. Numann received the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal from the American Medical Women’s Association and was the first woman to receive The American College of Surgeon’s Distinguished Service Award. In 2011, she received the International Society of Surgeons’ highest honor, the ISS Prize. She has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, The Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand and the Association of Surgeons of India. In 2017, Dr. Numann was awarded the Lila A. Wallis Women’s Health Award from the American Medical Women’s Association and she was named an “Icon of Surgery” by the American College of Surgeons. She has received many other accolades during her remarkable career. She has been a tireless advocate for women in medicine and a trailblazer in modern medicine. Her achievements stand as a testament to the role women now play in the field of surgery.
FREDERICK B. PARKER JR. M.D. (1936 - 2020)
Frederick B. Parker M.D. completed his medical degree at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He joined the faculty at SUNY Upstate in 1971 and was named chair of the Department of Surgery in 1990. Dr. Parker retired as chair of the Department of Surgery in 2001. He was a member of the board of the Upstate Foundation for fourteen years, where he took leadership roles on the capital campaigns for Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Upstate Cancer Center. In 2015, he was given the President’s Award for Philanthropic Service, Individual and the Frederick B. Parker Jr. M.D. Endowed Lecture in Cardiothoracic Surgery has been established in his honor. A classroom in the Setnor Academic Building was also named for Dr. Parker.
JAMES B. PRESTON M.D. (1926 - 2004)
James B. Preston M.D. obtained his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He served in the Korean War as a member of the Army Signal Corps and as a medic with the 38th Parallel. Dr. Preston became an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology at SUNY Upstate in 1956 and was made professor and chairman of the department in 1960. He stepped down as chairman in 1991, but remained professor emeritus. Dr. Preston served on many state and national committees, including the American Physiological Society, and the National Board of Medical Examiners. A scholarship in his honor was established at Upstate.
DANIEL A. RICHERT PH.D. (1916 - 1971)
Daniel A. Richert Ph.D. completed his doctorate in biochemistry at St. Louis University. He was a research associate at Harvard Medical School before coming to the Syracuse University College of Medicine in 1944. He became an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry in 1952 and was made professor in 1961. Dr. Richert was widely known for his published studies on nutrition and the thyroid glands.
LLOYD S. ROGERS M.D. (1914 - 2001)
Lloyd S. Rogers M.D. graduated from the University of Rochester Medical School and served overseas in World War II. Dr. Rogers taught at Trinity College and the University of Rochester before coming to Syracuse in 1953 as the first chief of surgery for the VA Hospital and as an assistant professor with the Upstate College of Medicine. In 1965, he became the first full-time professor in the Department of Surgery and was made director of General Surgery at Upstate University Hospital in 1967. He stepped down as director of General Surgery in 1977, but he served as vice chairman of Surgery from 1982 until his retirement in 1985. The Lloyd S. Rogers Professor of Surgery Endowment was established in his honor in 2000.
CHARLES R. ROSS PH.D. (1930 - 1989)
Charles R. Ross Ph.D. received his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He came to Upstate as a postdoctoral fellow in Pharmacology in 1963 and in 1966 he became a faculty member in that department. He was made full professor in 1978 and became the first African American dean of the College of Graduate Studies in 1982. He concurrently served as vice president for Research beginning in 1988. Dr. Ross’s major research interests were renal transport mechanisms, renal pharmacology and physiology, membrane properties and nephrotoxicities. His project “Renal Transport for Organ Compounds” was continuously funded by the NIH for 32 years. The Dr. Charles R. Ross Research Fellowship and the annual Charles R. Ross Ph.D. Research Poster Session were established at Upstate in his honor.
DAVID H.P. STREETEN M.D. D.PHIL. (1922 - 2000)
David H.P. Streeten M.D. Ph.D. was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He received his medical degree from Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and his doctorate in pharmacology from Oxford University. He was the recipient of a Rockefeller Tarvling Fellowship in 1949 and he traveled to Harvard Medical School for training in endocrinology. He began his career with Upstate in 1960 as an associate professor with the Department of Medicine. He quickly advanced to professor by 1964. Dr. Streeten was an expert on hypertension and was one of the first doctors to attempt to treat high blood pressure using interleukin 2 (or IL-2), a therapy developed by Richard S. Tuttle of the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, NY. Dr. Streeten became professor emeritus in 1994.
THOMAS S. SZASZ M.D. (1920 - 2012)
Thomas S. Szasz M.D. was born in Budapest, Hungary, but became a United States citizen in 1944. That same year he completed his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. In 1951, he joined the staff of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago and in 1954 he joined the US Navy as the psychiatrist in charge of the Enlisted Psychiatric Services, U.S Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Szasz joined the faculty of SUNY Upstate as a professor of psychiatry in 1956. Dr. Szasz coined the phrase the “myth of mental illness”, which is part of the vocabulary of modern psychiatry and social science. He wrote numerous books with such titles as The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct; The Manufacture of Madness; The Ethics of Psychoanalysis: The Theory and Method of Autonomous Psychotherapy; and Ideology and Insanity: Essays on the Psychiatric Dehumanization of Man. He was a co-founder of the American Association for the Abolition of Involuntary Mental Hospitalization Inc. Dr. Szasz was a controversial figure in his field, but he revolutionized thinking about psychiatry and the moral implications of its practice.
GREGORY A. THREATTE M.D. (1947 - )
Gregory A. Threatte M.D. is a 1973 graduate of the SUNY Upstate College of Medicine. Dr. Threatte was a post-doctoral fellow in Experimental Hematology at the Lawrence Berkley Laboratory in Berkley CA and assistant professor of Pathology at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. He returned to his alma mater in 1986 as associate professor of Pathology, director of Clinical Chemistry, and deputy to the president for Minority Affairs. In his role with Minority Affairs he was concerned with increasing application and matriculation rates as well as graduation rates for minority students. He became chairman of the Department of Pathology in 2003. Dr. Threatte retired in 2012 and is currently professor emeritus of Pathology at Upstate. He is also trustee emeritus for Colgate University and is a trustee for The Commonwealth Medical College.
This portrait of Dr. Threatte was painted by Darryl Hughto in 2012.
This portrait hangs in Weiskotten Hall - President's Office Hallway.
WILFRED W. WESTERFELD PH.D. & SC.D. (1913 - 2010)
Wilfred W. Westerfeld Ph.D. received his doctorate in biochemistry from St. Louis University in 1938 and was a National Research Fellow at Oxford University and Columbia University. He served as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School before joining the Department of Biochemistry at Syracuse University College of Medicine in 1945 as professor and chairman. He was appointed acting dean for the College of Medicine from 1956-1957 and was made dean of the College of Graduate Studies in 1956. Dr. Westerfeld also served as acting president in 1967 until he resigned from that position in 1968. Dr. Westerfeld lead a coalition of U.S. medical educators to the University of Saigon in South Vietnam to advance medical education in that country. Dr. Westerfeld retired from SUNY Upstate in 1979.
MARGARET L. WILLIAMS M.D. (1923 - 1985)
Margaret L. Williams M.D. graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital. Dr. Williams was a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania from 1954-1970 when she and her husband Dr. William J. Williams moved to Syracuse. Dr. Williams joined the Upstate faculty in 1970 and was named professor of Pediatrics in 1975. She was the medical director of the neonatal intensive care nursery at Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital until she co-founded the Upstate Regional Perinatal Center. She was founder and director of the Margaret Williams Developmental Evaluation Center in Syracuse and was the recipient of the Post Standard Woman of Achievement in Medicine award in 1975. She was honored by the Onondaga County Medical Society, the March of Dimes, and was cited as a woman of distinction in medicine by New York State Governor Mario Cuomo.