HEALTHCARE LEADERS IN CENTRAL NEW YORK
Jose Acevedo
Michael C. Backus President and chief executive officer, Finger Lakes Health.
Executive vice president and chief operating officer, Oswego Health.
With organization since: 2004. In current position since: 2010.
With organization since: September 2020. In current position since: September 2020.
Education: MBA, New York Institute of Technology, New York City; fellowship in pulmonary/critical care, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn; residency in internal medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn; medical degree from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico; bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Career Highlights: Developed multispecialty network consisting of dermatology, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, gastroenterology and general surgery, covering 100,000 lives over four counties in New York; four centers of excellence (stroke, chest pain, knee and hip); brought stakeholders in alignment (board, medical staff, employees and community). Current affiliations: American College of Healthcare Executives; American Thoracic Society; American College of Chest Physicians; American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board; HANYS, board member secretary. How do you describe your managerial philosophy or approach? “Visionary and servant leader to all of our stakeholders by creating a culture of trust.” Skills that make you an effective leader? “Listening and empathy.” How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “Better collaboration among all service providers and better alignment with community organizations and third-party payors.” What do you do for fun? “Traveling, hiking, painting, woodworking.”
Education: Master’s degree in public administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Le Moyne College. Career Highlights: Recognized as a Certified Community Leader by Leadership Greater Syracuse in 2012. Recognized by several regional and statewide publications as 40-Under-40 “Rising Star,” including by the Central New York Business Journal and the Albany-based City and State magazine. In 2018, was awarded the inaugural “Friend of the First” award by The (Oswego) Palladium-Times. Before joining Oswego Health, served in elected office as clerk of Oswego County where he led the legislative committee for the New York State Association of County Clerks. He also has served on the legislative staff of state and federal officials, including former US Representative John McHugh. Current affiliations: Chairman of the board, ConnextCare; member of the Board of Regents, Le Moyne College. How do you describe your managerial philosophy or approach? “I believe strongly in servant leadership and ensuring that decisions are made in a collaborative, communicative environment where every member of your team feels valued.” Skills that make you an effective leader? “Whoever said, ‘you have two ears and one mouth — use them in proportion’ knew what they were talking about. I try to lead with that in mind and focus on being an effective listener first, then transition good ideas into realistic, data-driven action items. I also believe that for me to be an effective leader I also have to be accountable to my team. They need to not only feel like they’ve been heard, but that their ideas are also meaningfully considered and, if possible, implemented.” How can the healthcare industry in the region be improved? “Every healthcare institution in the region is focused daily on responding to the pandemic. That’s job number one right now
and ensuring that we are there for our patients during this extraordinary time. Thankfully, Oswego Health as a system includes hospital-based in-patient care, as well as outpatient surgery, primary care, our Lakeview Center for Mental Health and Wellness, along with many other services. That diversity of care right at home in our community is what healthcare needs to be and I think it has benefitted our community during COVID. We should be focused on furthering efforts to expand services right here in our community, so patients don’t need to travel. Thankfully, we have great partnerships throughout central New York to offer care locally. I will keep working on bringing more care to Oswego County and expanding upon efforts to advance healthy behaviors.” What do you do for fun? “I am blessed with two very active children, and they bring the fun every day. Watching them grow closer during this pandemic with no one other than each other to play with has been a silver lining. They also have shown interest in playing catch with Dad and hitting a few golf balls now and then, so we enjoy the time we have when we have it.”
Lisa M. Betrus Senior vice president, chief strategy and transformation officer, Bassett Healthcare Network. With organization since: 1998. In current position since: August 2020. Education: Bachelor’s degree in health administration from Ithaca College; MBA from Sage Graduate School. Licensed NYS nursing home administrator. Has received regional and national recognition for her work in long-term care and service to her community. Career highlights: Assumed the position of senior vice president, chief strategy and transformation officer for the Bassett network in August of 2020. Supports an exceptional patient experience through developing, communicating, executing and sustaining network strategic initiatives. Oversees the development and execution of strategic and growth initiatives, supports the operational deployment of transformative care delivery models across the network. Remains involved in the leadership of long-term care at Valley Health Services, Valley Residen-
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