News

Pulmonary Team Shines Hosting Statewide Conference

Monday, April 13, 2026

Members of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine team

Congratulations to the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine team, led by Manoj Mammen, MD, and Alexandra Adams, MD, successfully hosting the New York State Thoracic Society (NYSTS) conference March 26-27. Mammen is the society president and Adams is program chair.

The NYSTS annual conference brings together chest physicians from across the U.S. and beyond to share knowledge on the full spectrum of respiratory diseases and critical care medicine.

This year’s conference featured speakers from Texas to Quebec and everywhere in between. Among the many URMC presenters was DOM’s Daniel Lachant, DO, of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, who addressed the use of wearables to monitor recovery and improve outcomes following pulmonary embolism.

Other URMC presenters include Curtis Benesch, MD, MPH, of Neurology, Matthew Bender, MD, of Neurosurgery, and Debra Roberts, MD, PhD, Chief of Neuro Critical Care, who discussed stroke essentials for ICU physicians, and Nicholas Nacca, MD, of Emergency Medicine, who shared how to manage opioid dependence in the critical care setting.

The poster session featured research by the following DOM faculty and trainees:

• Gabriel Alonso, MD, Pulmonary & Critical Care fellow, “A Peculiar Case of Autoimmune Serologies: The Diagnostic Challenge of Pulmonary-Renal Syndromes.”
• John Clay MD, Internal Medicine resident, “A Case Report of Multifocal Pneumonia Without Source Demonstrating a “Reverse-Halo Sign.”
• Spencer Dahl, MD, Internal Medicine resident, “Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum and Bilateral Pneumothoraces Secondary to Bleomycin Lung Toxicity, Leading to ARDS.”
• Faris Dar Hamed, MD, Internal Medicine resident, “Progressive Encephalopathy and Shock Revealing Myxedema Coma.”
• Gagandeep Kaur, PhD, Toxicology postdoctoral research associate, “Senescent B-Cell Niches in AT2 Regions Define a Pathologic Microenvironment in COPD.”
• Ian Mathews, MD, PhD, Internal Medicine resident, “Advanced Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Presenting as Ectopic Adrenocorticotropin Hormone-Dependent Hypercortisolism.”
• Nathan Rotundo, MD, Medicine-Pediatrics resident, “A Case of Massive Pulmonary Embolism Complicated by Left Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke.”
• Mallory Rowley, MD, Medicine-Pediatrics resident, “Persistent Pneumothorax in Rheumatoid Arthritis Pulmonary Nodulosis.”
• Gregory Russo, MD, Internal Medicine resident, “Pulmonary Embolism Discharge Order Set Implementation to Improve Anticoagulation Adherence and Follow Up.”
• Xingyi Shi, MD, Pulmonary & Critical Care fellow, “Organizing Pneumonia.”
• Timothy Yang, MD, Pulmonary & Critical Care fellow, “A 25-year-old Woman with Cough and a Persistent Pulmonary Nodule.”

Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Unifies ICU Services Across Strong, Highland

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Irene Perillo, M.D.

After over 20 years of dedicated service, Irene Perillo, MD, of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, will transition from her role as the medical director of the Highland Hospital ICU in June. The Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) has established a new PCCM-Medical ICU service line spanning Strong Memorial and Highland hospitals.

The new service line will establish a coordinated system for delivering critical care, ensuring consistent protocols, shared expertise, and streamlined patient transfers. Caroline Quill, MD, will oversee the service line, and Joshua Mauro, MD, will assume the role of Highland ICU medical director. Serban Staicu, MD, will serve as associate director of the Highland ICU and continue in his roles as director of Highland’s Step Down Unit and pulmonary clinic. 

Joshua Mauro, M.D.

Serban Staicu, M.D.

Caroline Quill, M.D.

“We sincerely thank Dr. Perillo for her leadership, vision, and enduring contributions to Highland Hospital and the patients and teams she has served,” said M. Patricia Rivera, MD, chief of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine. “Her visionary leadership has transformed critical care at Highland Hospital.”

Since taking on the medical director position in 2003, Perillo led creation of a 14-bed medical–surgical ICU to support higher-acuity patients. She led the formation of a dedicated multidisciplinary ICU team, including faculty, APPs, and fellows, ensuring expert coordinated care with round-the-clock coverage for critically ill patients.

Perillo also spearheaded numerous significant Highland Hospital and regional initiatives, including transitioning its ICU to an intensivist-co-managed model aligned with the Leapfrog Initiative, developing regional transfer protocols, and expanding critical care capacity during the pandemic. She helped establish several key programs, such as the Medical Emergency Response Team, Rapid Response Team, Stroke Code team, and a continuous renal replacement therapy program.

She also played a key role in developing educational programs and rotations in the Highland ICU for fellows, residents, APP trainees, and medical students across various disciplines.