SUNY Upstate IMT

10/30/2026

👻🎃🦇🍁It's that time of year again! The Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital Halloween parade is one of our favorite events. Teams from IMT and all around Upstate gathered to create treat stations for pediatric patients at Golisano to trick or treat through!

10/29/2026

Tuesday’s Taste of IMT fundraiser was a perfect opportunity to present Michael Tubbs (Manager of Server Administration) with the Dave Bertrand Integrity Award! Dave was a longtime IMT employee who left a lasting legacy of integrity, honesty, responsibility, and kindness. The award, one of four given out by IMT each year, goes to an employee who exemplifies these qualities.

Mike was commended in his nomination for his honesty, thoughtfulness, reliability, and willingness to listen, among many, many other positive traits. Mark Zeman (CIO/CISO) presented him with the award.

Thank you Mike for being such an outstanding teammate! And thank you to everyone who made this year’s Taste of IMT a success.

📷: Mike (L) receiving his award, various event photos

10/07/2026

Yesterday, we cut the ribbon on the Air Upstate Hive 🐝, our new drone port and operation base located near the main Upstate campus. A flight demonstration followed the official ribbon cutting and remarks from Upstate Medical University President Mantosh Dewan, MD and Robert Corona, DO, MBA, CEO of Upstate University Hospital.

The opening of the Hive is a critical milestone in the expansion of Air Upstate’s drone delivery program for specimens, medications, and other important medical supplies. As the central hub for drone operations, it will connect Upstate’s downtown facilities with the new pathology lab in East Syracuse, opening next year.

With the city of Syracuse undergoing a major transformation, the Hive will help transport samples and supplies between Upstate’s widespread footprint of facilities faster than ever, without disruptions from traffic and construction. At the same time, it will set the stage for future growth and innovation for Air Upstate’s unmanned medical logistics program. Ultimately, this will lead to better treatment and better outcomes for the patients we serve throughout Central New York.

Thanks as always to the Air Upstate team and our partners for their hard work and dedication.

09/11/2026

🚀 Air Upstate Continues to Soar!

This week, the Air Upstate team surpassed 200 RigiTech Eiger flights, marking another major step forward in advancing autonomous aerial logistics and the future of healthcare delivery.
This accomplishment is a testament to the dedication, professionalism, and innovation of Bob Squire, Sebastian Ibanez, John McCormick, and Zachary Lane, who continue to demonstrate what is possible when industry, healthcare, and aviation partners work together.

We are proud to collaborate with RigiTech, AX Enterprize, NUAIR, and the Oneida County Test Site as we advance safe, scalable drone operations and help shape the future of healthcare logistics.

200 flights down. Many more ahead.

05/20/2026

Students from Syracuse STEAM School visited Upstate Community Hospital to learn how autonomous technology is being used in a healthcare setting 🚁🤖
During the visit, students explored SUNY Upstate's autonomous machines, watched live drone demonstrations and learned how robotics are supporting hospital operations and patient care.

04/03/2026

Upstate Medical University has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for an expanded drone flight area across Central New York, marking a significant milestone for the university’s medical drone program.

The newly granted Certificate of Waiver allows Upstate’s drone operator, Air Upstate, to operate drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) across a large operational corridor connecting several of its facilities, including Community Campus, Downtown Campus, the Pathology Institute, the Upstate Cancer Center in Verona, to Utica, along with locations in between. The span from the Upstate Downtown Campus to Utica is approximately 50 miles.

“This is a major achievement for our team and for the future of medical drone operations,” said Upstate University Hospital Chief Executive Officer Robert Corona, DO, MBA. “Approvals of this scale are very uncommon, and the FAA granting the full scope of what we requested positions Upstate in a unique and privileged position to continue advancing innovative solutions that improve patient care.”

Read more:

Waiver allows beyond-visual-line-of-sight medical drone flights connecting multiple healthcare facilities.

02/16/2026

Last week, Upstate Medical University's IMT Telecom & Information Security department met to present a road mapping and strategy session with Upstate CIO/CISO, Mark Zeman.

“I continue to be thoroughly impressed with the dedication and expertise of our Telecom and Information Security department. While it might go without saying, the work that this team does is deeply embedded in virtually all projects and initiatives in the organization, even if it’s not always the most visible aspect of what IMT does. The amount of work they currently undertake and knowing their upcoming roadmap of projects reflects Upstate’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve, thoughtfully leveraging proven, emerging technologies to strengthen our infrastructure, safeguard our organization, and ultimately advance our missions for patient care, education, and research. I am incredibly proud of the team’s vision, discipline, and dedication in positioning Upstate for continued success,” says Mark Zeman, Upstate Medical University CIO/CISO.

The Telecom & Information Security department consists of: Networking Services & Infrastructure, Voice Communications, Campus Protection Management, Identity & Access Management, SailPoint and Cybersecurity.

02/11/2026

Upstate Medical University chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO), Mark Zeman, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review 2026 list of hospital and health system CIO’s to know. Zeman was named CIO at Upstate in 2019 and, additionally, CISO in 2025.

According to Becker’s, the executives featured on this list drive forward-thinking strategies that create meaningful improvements for both patients and providers. In close collaboration with their teams, they are modernizing hospitals and health systems through initiatives such as EHR enhancements, AI integration, strengthened cybersecurity frameworks and more.

https://www.upstate.edu/imt/news/2026-02-11-ciotoknow.php

02/04/2026

“The digital divide is real; we see this in areas where the lack of high-speed internet access or a smart device can be a real barrier to patients receiving the health care they need,” said Margie Greenfield, program manager with Upstate’s Information Management and Technology department. “Our goal is to expand access to care by making telehealth truly equitable, ensuring technology is not what stands between patients and the care they need.”

As part of a five-year $2.4 million grant from the State Health Department, Upstate Medical University plans to expand telehealth services through the implementation of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and creation of Telehealth Access Points (TAPs). These initiatives will be completed over five years to strengthen access to care, improve health outcomes for individuals with chronic conditions, and reducing strain on the healthcare system.

As part of a five-year $2.4 million grant from the State Health Department, Upstate Medical University plans to expand telehealth services through the implementation of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and creation of Telehealth Access Points (TAPs).

01/08/2026

A new Upstate-initiated research study, published in the journal 'Drones', examines how efficiently drones with varying levels of autonomy perform when working alongside human operators in challenging environments such as rural areas with limited roads, weak communications, or difficult terrain.

This empirical research study was conducted by Gwendolyn Morgan during her tenure working with the Autonomous Machines department at Upstate Medical University, under the supervision of advisors from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Martha Grabowski, PhD and Selmer Bringsjord, PhD.

🗞 Read more: https://www.upstate.edu/imt/news/2026-1-08-droneresearch.php