Danielle Laraque-Arena, the first woman president of the Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York, has announced she is stepping down, effective at the end of this semester. She will return to a full-time faculty position in June 2019 after taking a “study-leave” during the Spring 2019 semester.
“Leading SUNY Upstate Medical University has been my distinct honor with the goal of achieving our mission as One University dedicated to the highest standard in academia and patient care, focused on improving health disparities, and placing the highest value on excellence and inclusion,” Dr. Laraque-Arena said. “I am most proud of the revival of the heart and vascular program, our progress and expansion of many services — especially our Cancer Center, our deep commitment to quality, our efforts in violence prevention, and the creation of a new academic department of geriatrics. I have endeavored to lead this university with integrity, professionalism and innovation. I would like to thank all the staff and colleagues who have supported me during my tenure.”
Prior to becoming president in January 2016, Dr. Laraque-Arena served as chair of the department of pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and as a professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Earlier, she was the Debra and Leon Black Professor of Pediatrics and chief of the Division of General Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Dr. Laraque-Arena is a native of Haiti. She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a medical doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her internship and residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania.