treatment, advanced urologic cancer care and access to multinational clinical research trials. Current affiliations: Clinical staff and urologist at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Crouse Hospital and Community General Hospital. How do you describe your managerial philosophy or approach? “I aspire to be a servant leader. The focus of my role is to ensure the success of our organization and team which ultimately translates improved patient care and outcomes. I value input and recommendations from my team and feedback from our patients with regards to decision making at all levels. Inclusive and thoughtful decisionmaking builds trust in an organization. Building trust in an organization is increasingly vital to adapt and remain agile in the quickly evolving world of healthcare.” How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “We are fortunate to live in CNY which offers the community access to world class facilities and physicians. A challenge the healthcare industry is facing is how to make the system more accessible and affordable while maintaining quality. We as a community need to continue working collaboratively to increase efficiency of sharing information and coordinating care for patients. We all need to play increasing role in enabling and encouraging our patients to improve their health through preventative measures and provide them with the resources so that they can adhere to treatment plans more effectively.” What do you do for fun? “Spending time with my family. My wife and two daughters enjoy hiking in the Adirondacks, skiing, and cooking.”
Carlton Rule Medical director, Little Falls Hospital. With organization since: 2019. In current position since: 2019. Education: Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Cornell University; medical degree from New York University; residency in family medicine, Highland Hospital in Rochester.
Career Highlights: Practicing family doctor and executive vice president at A.O. Fox Hospital, Oneonta; chief executive officer at O’Connor Hospital in Delhi, Delaware County; executive medical director of Ellis Medical Group; medical director at Little Falls Hospital; chief quality officer of Bassett Medical Group. Current affiliations: American Academy of Family Practice, American Association for Physician Leadership. Skills that make you an effective leader: “My strength is in bringing together partners from differing backgrounds to form a cohesive team in pursuit of a common goal. This has been particularly helpful in the healthcare arena with so many interested entities involved.” How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “I believe that the continuation of integration across the healthcare continuum will be essential to deliver the highest quality care for the lowest cost while meeting the needs of patients. This goal can only be met when a patient can seamlessly move throughout the system with full exchange of information between treating physicians, hospitals, home care agencies, long-term care facilities and the like.” What do you do for fun? “I enjoy outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, and hiking. I enjoy watching most sports including football, baseball, soccer and ice hockey.”
Mansoor Shahid Executive vice president, Mohawk Valley Health System. With organization since: January 2020. In current position since: 2020. Education: Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives; lean bronze certification, Watson Healthcare, IBM; lean six sigma black belt, Methodist Lean Six Sigma Institute; master of health administration, University of Memphis; bachelor’s degree, Hanover College. Career Highlights: “Opening of brand new Le Bonheur children hospital and transferring of 240 pediatric patients
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many of them in the NICU; complete remodel and renovation of Methodist South hospital along the lines of a strategic master plan — addition of new ED, ICU, front lobby plus modernization of all med-surgical floors; development and mentorship of people to succeed in doing bigger and better things than their current role in line with their aspirations. Many of them have kept in touch and I have been able to provide consistent guidance to them. Some have followed me in successive organizations, a fact that I am very proud of.” Current affiliations: American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). How do you describe your managerial philosophy or approach? “Pursuing excellence and taking 100% responsibility. For me results are what matter most; I try and encourage people not to confuse activity with results. Also, collaboration is key, as healthcare is a relationship based business and one should genuinely care about the wellbeing and success of his or her team. That said, one should always keep an eye on the target and the progress being made toward it. Our patients depend on it.” Skills that make you an effective leader: “Taking pride in your work along with having the right attitude. Secondly, not being afraid of failure. You have to make tough decisions in leadership — not all of which will pan out. Excellence and innovation demand a level of ingenuity that cannot be separated from the occasional misstep.” How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “The new regional medical center in Downtown Utica will be a game changer. It will improve the quality of care we provide to our patients while helping attract fresh talent. Collaboration between various major players in the region is another key focus area. The more synergies we can create with our partners the better it will be for our patients.” What do you do for fun? “I love to travel with my family and read books. I just finished reading ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ and found them both to be thought provoking, albeit for very different reasons.”
2021 CNY Healthcare Guide is online @ www.cnyhealth.com