Shinaman Appointed URMC General Counsel

 Aileen Shinaman has been appointed Associate Vice President and General Counsel to the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Shinaman, who will assume the position effective March 1, succeeds Christine Burke who will be retiring from the University.

“I am extremely pleased Aileen has agreed to serve as General Counsel to the Medical Center,” said Mark Taubman, CEO of URMC and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Her decades of service and breadth of experience and understanding of the unique clinical, scientific, and educational role of this institution will enable us to navigate the complex issues that we will face in health care in the coming years.”

The URMC General Counsel oversees an office of 13 attorneys and professional staff who provide in-house legal services to the Medical Center faculty, staff, and leadership on a wide range of corporate, health care, employment, risk management, real estate, contract, and intellectual property legal and regulatory issues.

Shinaman, who joined the Medical Center in 1992 and currently serves as senior counsel, was selected following a national search.   During her tenure, Shinaman played a key legal role in the Medical Center‘s acquisition of the assets of Lakeside Hospital and its conversion into the region’s first free standing emergency department, provided legal advice and oversight for more than 2,000 active research projects, and assisted in the expansion of UR Medicine clinical services across the region.

Shinaman received her J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University in 1988.  Prior to arriving at URMC she was an associate in the Health Services and Litigation Practice Groups at Nixon Peabody and served as a law clerk in the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Third Department, in Albany.

In her new role, Shinaman will focus on more closely integrating and coordinating the legal work of UR Medicine, which has grown significantly in recent years with the Medical Center’s affiliation with Thompson Health, Noyes Health, and Jones Memorial Hospital. 

“Aileen was chosen from an outstanding group of candidates and possess the right legal knowledge to help guide the Medical Center through the complex and dynamic health care landscape and expand the capacity of the office to meet the needs of our growing network of hospitals and providers,” said Gail Norris, Vice President and General Counsel for the University of Rochester.

Burke will step down following 26 years of service at the Medical Center.  When she started in 1991, the Medical Center’s legal team consisted of only three people who focused primarily on clinical and regulatory matters.  Over the years, Burke played a key role in expanding the office’s legal team and depth of expertise. 

“I am extremely grateful for the guidance and insight that Christine has provided the Medical Center,” said Taubman. “The last several years have witnessed a fundamental transformation in the health care landscape and Christine’s wise counsel and strong leadership of her team have enabled us to meet these challenges.”

The search committee for the URMC General Council was chaired by Norris and consisted of Mike Rotondo, M.D., Dave Kirshner, Steve Dewhurst Ph.D., Steve Goldstein, Teri D’Agostino, and Peter Robinson.