David F. Lehmann, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, is an internist and clinical pharmacologist at Upstate Medical University.

He has had substantial teaching roles in Upstate’s undergraduate and graduate medical education programs, as well as extensive service to academic leadership throughout his career at Upstate, including chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, chief of the Section of Clinical Pharmacology in the Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, chief of the Division of General Medicine, and vice chair of the Department of Medicine.

Internationally, Dr. Lehmann has served as a practicing physician in Saipan, hospital pharmacy director in Kenya, and educator and consultant in the development of pharmacology curricula in Nepal and India, in addition to volunteering his personal time on medical relief missions to Haiti, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico.

Dr. Lehmann, a dynamic physician full of ingenuity and drive to work outside of the box, was spurred to this pursuit of street medicine through these experiences, and; thus, in 2018, he co-founded HouseCalls for the Homeless – Upstate, the 61st street medicine program in the nation, providing medical care to our sisters and brothers experiencing homelessness, directly on the street and in area shelters, of Onondaga County.

His focus is on the combined effort of two of his favorite passions: serving those living in homelessness, and by bringing medical students to the streets, teaching the next generation of medical providers how to be compassionate caregivers.

A degree in geography-anthropology did not lead Mia to a place of teaching, as her professors had suggested it would. It has, however, led her down pathways of engaging with people from all walks of life - from a women's craft cooperative in a poverty-stricken sector of Guatemala City, a neighborhood advocacy organization in Portland, ME, promoting its focus on educational programs as a pathway out of poverty, and housing stability to families struggling to maintain affordable housing, to working with detained immigrants and their families in Central New York.

These experiences led her to working side by side with Dr. David Lehmann. Each from their own experiences, recognized the parallel between the needs of people experiencing homelessness in other parts of the world, to those in our own "backyard".

Dr. Lehmann's straightforward approach and caring touch to unsheltered and medically underserved individuals, his enthusiasm for teaching, along with Mia's aptitude for building strong working relationships through community engagement as well as within our own Upstate departments, have been complementary cornerstones to the foundation of this program.

Hallie hails from Rochester, NY and went to Binghamton University for her undergraduate studies. HouseCalls has always been a program that she wanted to join. She even talked about her interest in it during her Upstate medical school interview, and after arriving to Upstate it was the most important club for her to join. She loves HouseCalls because you are able to meet patients and care for them throughout multiple years. The most rewarding part for her has been seeing patients finally become housed.

She was so dedicated to HouseCalls that she invested her time to design and launch a Street Medicine elective in her four years as a medical student here at Upstate! Six students are able to join the class and volunteer with street outreach, receiving lectures from Upstate faculty, and attending seminars with Dr. Lehmann. HouseCalls is a rewarding experience for everyone involved, and it contributed so much to her learning and career trajectory moving forward.

Jilliane started her studies as an art major focusing on studio art. During that time she took various psychology classes and fell in love with understanding the mind and behavior.  Those classes changed the trajectory of her life and studies. After completing her degree in Psychology Jilliane worked for many years as a patient care technician at St. Joseph's health comprehensive psychiatric emergency program (CPEP). This role helped Jilliane foster her empathy and care for others. Although the work was challenging being able to help those at the most vulnerable moments in their lives really created a deep seeded passion in helping others. Jilliane has been working in the service field for the past 14 years in various roles all focused on compassion, empathy, and service to others. Jilliane`s work and faith can best be described by Matthew 25: 35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.