Levy Letter

08/07/26

Hospital at Home Program Surpasses 200 Patients

This Hospital at Home milestone marks the program’s transition from proving the model to expanding it. And demonstrates how delivering inpatient care at home can reveal patients’ everyday challenges that often go unseen during a traditional hospital stay.  “In the first year, we wanted to make sure this model was safe and effective and could work here in Rochester. We’ve shown that it can. Now we’re focused on expanding access while maintaining the quality that got us here,” according to Justin Hopkin, MD, chief of HAH and Hospital Medicine.

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Top Stories

Teamwork Key to Best Hospital Ranking

Photograph of SMH at dusk with illuminated windows and entrance, featuring text highlighting it as the #1 hospital in Upstate and Western New York according to U.S. News & World Report for 2026-2027. The design includes a dark blue and yellow color scheme with bold white and yellow text emphasizing the hospital's top ranking.

Strong Memorial Hospital remains Upstate New York’s top hospital according to U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings. The hospital earned high performing ratings in Cardiology/Cardiac Surgery, Endocrinology/Diabetes, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, and Pulmonology/Lung Surgery. This recognition relies on expertise, collaboration, and commitment from faculty and staff throughout the system.

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Tennis anyone? Annual Tournament August 22

Photograph collage showing three group photos of people posing outdoors with tennis rackets, indicating a tennis event or gathering. Top photo features a large group on a tennis court, bottom left shows four individuals standing in front of a banner for UR Medicine Department of Medicine, and bottom right displays six people on grass with tennis rackets, highlighting community and sports participation.

Faculty and staff are invited to join the annual URochester Medicine Tennis Tournament set for 2 p.m. Saturday, August 22, at the Tennis Club of Rochester. Spearheaded by CEO Kathy Parrinello and Chair Ruth O’Regan, MD, it’s a fun afternoon of competition and camaraderie. If you want to play, contact O’Regan.

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Opportunities & Updates

America's Got Regulatory Science Talent: Apply for this competition, which challenges student teams to develop a proposed solution to a current FDA regulatory science need, with a chance to present their ideas to the FDA.
Prepare for eRecord Upgrade: Our next eRecord upgrade will go live on Sunday, August 9. Visit the intranet for important dates and resources to help you prepare.
GI and Liver Update Conference Sept. 19: Register now for the full-day interdisciplinary conference highlighting the latest advances in gastroenterology and hepatology and expert faculty presentations on emerging topics. 
Proposals Sought for Research in Health Equity Symposium: Proposals for oral presentations, posters, and workshops during the 2027 symposium are due September 20. The Office of Engagement and Wellbeing event, set for February 4-5, focuses on healing communities. Questions can be directed to Laura Stamm, PhD.

Off the Clock

Photograph of a group of nine cyclists standing in a row near a waterfront with bicycles parked behind them, under a tree and clear blue sky. The scene includes street signs labeled "Washington" and directional arrows, highlighting a casual outdoor gathering or cycling event.

Each Wednesday evening, Highland Hospital bicyclists don helmets to train for the ROC Triathlon set for August 21-22. Several colleagues joined in to support their efforts. The group, which includes Dylan Ruebeck, MD, Steve Fine, MD, PhD, Dharmendra “Dan” Persaud, MD, Robert Bennett, MD, Valentin Guset, MD, Rebeca Monk, MD, Laticia Valle, MD, and Kathleen McCullough, NP, paused for this photo along the Ontario Lake shoreline in Pultneyville.

Special Announcements

Publications

Kathy Heffner-Johnson, PhD, of Geriatrics/Aging, was lead author of “Beyond The Key: A Qualitative Study of the Experience of a 12-Week Piano Training Program in People Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment,” published in Geriatric Nursing.
Jennifer Muniak, MD, of Geriatrics/Aging, was an author of “One Size Fits None: Developing a Person-Centered Approach to Weight Management in Older Adults,” published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Cardiology’s Ronald Schwartz, MD, MS, was lead author of “Quantitative CZT SPECT Myocardial Blood Flow for Physiological Assessment and Risk Stratification of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy,” published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Other authors include: Leway Chen, MD, MPH, Erin Armenia, MD, of Cardiology, and Dillon Dzikowicz, PhD, RN, of the Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Disease fellows Steven Avino, MD, and Paul Blasio, MD, and Internal Medicine resident Paul Hart, MD.
Miklos Molnar, MD, PhD, of Nephrology, was an author of “Clinical Application of PIRCHE Scores: Reclassifying Immunologic Risk in Patients with Medium Eplet Mismatch,” published in Frontiers in Immunology.

Social Spotlight

Photograph of a Hawaiian sunrise at Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference showing a coastal scene with silhouetted palm trees, rocky shore, and calm ocean under a colorful sky transitioning from dark blue to orange. Foreground includes beach chairs and a table, highlighting a peaceful early morning atmosphere at the conference location.

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