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More than 800 to be honored at Employee Recognition Day June 4

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate Medical University will honor more than 800 employees, each celebrating significant milestones of service, at its Employee Recognition Day luncheon June 4.

Among the honorees are Zahi Makhuli, M.D., professor of urology, and John DeGrazio, R.P.H., Epic Willow pharmacist, who are both celebrating their 50-year anniversaries of service with Upstate.

Makhuli began his residency at Upstate in 1963 and completed the program in 1966, by which time he was married with children. “I decided to stay in Syracuse and stay at Upstate--it was a nice place to raise my growing family,” he said.

During his career at Upstate, Makhuli achieved much success, including the first renal transplant and laparoscopic nephrectomy. He taught more than 2,500 Upstate medical students, among them Patricia J. Numann, M.D., who later joined the Upstate faculty and started the Comprehensive Breast Care Center at Upstate, whose career also include many national affiliations, including service as president of the American College of Surgeons.

Turning 80 in August, Makhuli is still an active physician working at Upstate Urology and also attending conferences to keep abreast of new developments in medicine. He admits that when he first walked through the doors of Upstate 52 years ago, he didn’t expect to still be here at this age. “Upstate was very good to me, I have had good experiences, and it was a nice place to stay because of my colleagues,” he said.

Looking into the future, Makhlui expects health care to evolve, especially in regards to technology and gene manipulation.

Similarly, John DeGrazio notes the past half century has most radically changed in regards to technology. It was technology that drove him to Upstate as a young graduate from the Albany College of Pharmacy, when he accepted a nine-month internship at University Hospital, and it was technology that drew him back to Upstate when he was considering retirement a few years ago.

Following 16 years of service as the director of pharmacy, he first accepted a position to help transition to the computerized provider order entry system. He then accepted his current position in which he helps design how Willow, the pharmacy portion of the electronic medical record system Epic, works for Upstate.

The experiences he gained during the early days of his internship and throughout his career were eye-opening, DeGrazio said. “I was part of things I never dreamed of being involved with. That exposure to new experiences never stopped.”

DeGrazio’s love of his job not only kept him at Upstate for 50 years, it helped convince several of his family members to consider the health care field. Two of his children are nurses and another is a nursing aide. His brother also followed in his footsteps, serving as a pharmacist at the Community Campus for 42 years.

For DeGrazio, however, the love of pharmacy was not his first career choice. “I had a vision of being a photographer. But my mother said there was security in health care, especially in pharmacy. And I am glad I followed her advice.”

DeGrazio, 72, plans to retire in the coming months to enjoy time with his family and the outdoors.

Any words of advice for young professionals entering the health care field?

“Find an area you have a passion for and pursue it. It is very rewarding.”

Caption: John DeGrazio has served Upstate for a half century and will be recognized for his service at Upstate's Employee Recognition Day luncheon June 4.

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