News
Daisy Team Award
Upstate held it's 38th Annual Nursing Excellence Celebration on October 23, 2024.
Our adult trauma program was the proud recipients of the Daisy Team Award.
The DAISY Team Award honors the collaboration of a nursing led team that identifies and meets patient and family needs by going above and beyond the traditional role of Nursing.
The DAISY Foundation partners internationally with hospitals "to meaningfully celebrate extraordinary, compassionate nurses, capturing those moments unique to nursing that make a profound difference in the lives of people around the world.
Dr. Magowan Returns to Upstate
Trauma Surgeon Elizabeth Magowan, MD has been appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery here at Upstate.
Magowan completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Michigan.
She is returning to Upstate where she completed her residency in General Surgery after earning her medical degree here.
Trauma Surgeon Joins Upstate

Trauma surgeon Anna Wu, MD, has been appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery here at Upstate.
Wu previously served on the faculty of Albany Medical Center with the Division of Trauma and Critical Care Surgery at Albany Medical Center.
Wu completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at the University of Rochester and a residency in general surgery at Albany Medical Center. She earned her medical degree from Albany Medical College and an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College.
New Performance Improvement Coordinator
Brianne Patenaude has joined our team as our newest PI Coordinator.
She has been a Registered Nurse for 10 years. She started her nursing career at Upstate University Hospital in the Surgical-Trauma ICU in 2014. This is where her passion for caring for trauma patients began.
In 2020, she began working in Nursing Quality, focusing on educating bedside staff about pressure injury prevention.
As a Trauma Process Improvement Coordinator, she evaluates and monitors the quality of clinical care of the injured patient from point of injury to discharge from the hospital.
ARCOS Blood Navigator
Severe bleeding is the most common cause of shock in trauma patients.
The treatment often includes the rapid administration of large quantities of blood products (platelets, plasma and packed red blood cells).
Patients have the best outcomes when these blood products are administered in the ratio of 1:1:1.
The ARCOS Blood Navigator helps us to optimize the tracking and documenting of the blood products we administer.
The system alerts us to maintain the 1:1:1 ratio and interfaces with our electronic medical record to document the blood products that were administered.
After a very successful trial, the system was fully adopted in June.
Trauma Fest Returns
May was Trauma Awareness month and we wanted to highlight the fantastic work being accomplished by all of our partners who care for trauma patients.
On Wednesday, May 15th 2024, Trauma Fest was held at the Downtown Campus and was a great success!
Spotlighted was our trauma program and many of our trauma partners, including AMR, LifeNet, Mercy Flight Central, Syracuse Fire Dept. and University Police.
This day was especially significant, as it was also National Trauma Survivors’ Day.
New Nurse Navigator
Genevieve DeFrancesco, RN has joined our team as Upstate's first Trauma Nurse Navigator and is a member of the Mental Health for Trauma and Burn (MTAB) team.
Her role includes interviewing trauma patients and screening them for mental health concerns.
She works collaboratively with the Department of Psychology to assure that those in need of assistance receive referrals and the services they need.
The American College of Surgeons, who verify trauma centers, has placed a major focus on the mental health and well-being of trauma patients.
ACS Re-Verification
We have been re-verified as a Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma through December of 2026.
The re-verification process is an intense look at the commitment of Upstate to providing the highest quality of trauma care to our patients.
All aspects of our program were reviewed and no deficiencies were found, in fact, we received many compliments for our program and the trauma care we provide.