Nine Awards Were Presented on the Theme of Health Equity
Ithaca, NY – December 5, 2022 – On Friday, December 2, the Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) Internal Medicine Residency program, with co-sponsorship from the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Rural Health Equity Training Collaborative (RHETC), hosted an Upstate New York Poster Competition for the first time. Participants and judges were greeted from training programs across New York State, including Rochester General, Rochester Regional, UHS Binghamton, Unity, Arnot, as well as SUNY Upstate, and the University of Buffalo. The event was held at CMC.
Dr. Jamila Michener, co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity, served as the keynote speaker. Through a look into recent qualitative research and an engaging conversation, Dr. Michener outlined the importance of centering the voices of people with lived experiences to improve policies and transform how we practice healthcare for the better.
“She encouraged the audience to challenge assumptions, listen, and build power among marginalized populations to truly achieve health equity,” stated Julia Ressler, Manager Community Health & Engagement, at Cayuga Health.
During the poster competition, participants showcased their research and work in the newest advances in healthcare on the theme of health equity. Poster conferences, like this one, aim to create a platform for physicians to present their real-time work in scholarly endeavors and to share their views related to the theme of the conference.
“Our goal for this poster competition was to provide a local venue for residents of the Southern Tier and Upstate NY region to network among medical peers, to share innovative scholarly activities, to showcase unique community projects, and ultimately to stimulate collaborative and creative thinking,” stated Dr. Janette Lee, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at CMC. “I think, looking around the room, we accomplished our goal.”
A panel of judges from Cayuga Health including Dr. Timothy Bael, Dr. Lisa Cotton, Dr. Reilly Coch, Dr. Andreia DeLima, Dr. Caitlyn Foor-Pessin, Dr. Judy Griffin, Dr. Mohomamad Samih, Dr. Fnu Seemant, Dr. Anthony Sidari, as well as Dr. Daniel Chin from UHS Binghamton. Other participating panelists from Cayuga Health included Dr. Melissa Dhundale, Herb Alexander, Samara Touchton, Julia Ressler, and Lara Parilla, who served as judges for the category of health equity. Awards were given in five separate categories.
| Category | Award | Author | Institution |
| Case Report/Clinical Vignette | First Place | Vidisha Master | Rochester General Hospital |
| Second Place | Binay Kshetree | Cayuga Medical Center | |
| Quality Improvement | First Place | Munu Napit | Cayuga Medical Center |
| Second Place | Hyonju Kim | Cayuga Medical Center | |
| Clinical Research | First Place | Rachael Proumen | SUNY Upstate Medical University |
| Second Place | Angela Khidhir | University at Buffalo | |
| Medical Education | First Place | Anurag Aryal | Cayuga Medical Center |
| Second Place | Murad Ali | University at Buffalo | |
| SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) | Award of Distinction | Hyonju Kim | Cayuga Medical Center |
“This meeting’s theme is one of health equity, and we were interested to receive abstract submissions that highlight or focus on this theme,” continued Lee. “The reason for this is that our residency recognizes that as practitioners of medicine, it is our professional and moral imperative to be leaders in the effort to make healthcare more just, and to strive to improve the health of ALL patients and communities.”
About Cayuga Health
Cayuga Health (CH) has two hospitals, Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital, as well as a multi-specialty group, Cayuga Medical Associates. Combined employment, including affiliate organizations, is over 2,500 employees. CH is clinically linked to Mayo Medical Laboratories, Rochester Regional Health for cardiac services, and the University of Rochester for neurosciences. Visit www.cayugahealth.org for more information.
Media Contact:
Steve Savage, Assistant Vice President for Communications
Cayuga Health
(607) 274-4284