3 minute read
Oley Meet and Greet between Past and Present
Cathy Harrington | Operations Manager
On February 14th, staff members Cathy Harrington and Andrea Taylor met with Oley Co-Founder, Dr. Lyn Howard, Executive Director Emeritus, Joan Bishop, and Dr. Jill Genua, Division of Metabolic and Perioperative Support within the Department of Surgery at Albany Medical Center in New York. This powerhouse of women discussed the past and future of the nutrition support world.
Dr. Lyn Howard, a leading pioneer in the world for home parenteral and enteral nutrition, ran the Clinical Nutrition program at Albany Medical Center from 1973 until retiring in 2008. Early on, she realized patients needed information and support beyond that which their physicians could provide. Together with Clarence “Oley” Oldenburg, Dr. Howard established the Oley Foundation in 1983. Over the years, Oley has connected many patients with the support they needed. In the beginning Oley members would gather for a local picnic in upstate New York. At that time, they had about 300 members in a few states. Over the next 43 years Oley grew and is now at an international level with 30,000 friends.
After Dr. Howard retired from practice, Dr. Ann Michalek took over seeing the adult home parenteral nutrition (HPN) patients. With the decrease in new physicians practicing in specialized nutrition support it was difficult for Dr. Michalek to retire when the time was near. Searching far and wide with little hope it looked like patients may not have anyone local to manage their care. Some would have to travel to Cleveland or Florida to find someone willing to take them on. It was a scary situation.
Then along came Jill Genua. Dr. Genua completed a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, Fla. She completed a residency in general surgery at Stamford Hospital/ Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She earned her medical degree from Albany Medical College.
She began her career in Long Island, NY and then moved back to the Albany area. In July 2024 she joined the new Division of Metabolic and Perioperative Support within the Department of Surgery at Albany Medical Center, where she will lead the expansion of metabolic nutrition care. Dr. Genua sees and manages complex pre- and post- surgical and medical patients who require an additional focus on metabolic nutrition, including adults on both enteral and parenteral nutrition and has taken over seeing Dr. Michalek’s patients.
Oley is very happy to be working alongside Dr. Genua and looks forward to collaborating on many projects to advance the care of patients on nutritional support. The biggest thing that patients are asking for is to connect with others on therapy.
Thank you, Lyn Howard, MB, FRCP, Joan Bishop, Ann Michalek, MD and Jill Genua, MD for your dedication and resilience and making a huge impact in many patients lives. The next 40 years look much brighter because of your tremendous contributions.
About Albany Medical Center
Albany Medical Center is the centerpiece of medicine, research, and medical education and one of the area's largest private employers. We are like no other health care provider in our region, providing our community with the highest level of patient care across disciplines, while receiving regional, national and international recognition for high standards in patient care, education and biomedical research. Visit https://www.albanymed.org/albany/ for more information.
