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Outpatient children's cancer center renamed for noted Syracuse physician

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The outpatient clinic of the Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders at University Hospital has been renamed in honor of William J. Waters, M.D., one of the first Syracuse area physicians to specialize in treating children with cancer and blood disorders.

In his short life, he died at the age of 47 in 1966, Waters was regarded as a pioneering pediatric hematologist-oncologist known for his caring and compassionate treatment of seriously ill children and their families.

"It is fitting that the Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders memorializes Dr. Waters," said Thomas Welch, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University. "His respect and compassion for his patients, his dedication to research into children's cancers and blood disorders are all hallmarks of the center today."

A Syracuse native, Waters earned his medical degree from the former Syracuse University College of Medicine, now SUNY Upstate, and completed his residency in hematology at Children's Hospital Boston.

The Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders, which offers both inpatient and outpatient care, provides diagnostic testing and treatment for children with various malignancies and for children with hematologic abnormalities. Presently, 700 children, from the Canadian border to northern Pennsylvania are served by the center and 50 to 60 new patients are referred for evaluation and treatment each year.

The recognition of Waters is made possible by contributions to the Central New York Children's Hospital at University Hospital from Syracuse pediatric orthopedic surgeon Robert Cady, M.D., and Peter Waters, William J. Water's son, a physician at Children's Hospital Boston, and their families.

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