Change in Leadership at Hematology-Oncology Associates

Longtime CEO Maryann Roefaro retires after 23 years as new CEO takes the helm

By Mary Beth Roach

 

Jen Pichoske, chief operating officer at Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY, will become the practice’s CEO after current CEO Maryann Roefaro retires on Feb. 14.

Maryann Roefaro will step down as CEO of the Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY on Feb. 14 after 23 years in the position. Assuming the leadership role will be Jen Pichoske, who came to the practice in 2012 as director of nursing. She was named chief clinical director in 2020 and has been HOA’s chief operating officer since 2023.

HOA is a private practice providing care for people with blood disorders and cancer since 1982. Roefaro noted that it is unique in that it is not affiliated with a supergroup or large hospital system. Last year alone, HOA recorded 133,479 patient visits, including visits to doctors, advanced practice providers, physical therapists, labs, cancer genetics and lung cancer screenings.

The number of employees is approximately 335, including 21 physicians and 34 advanced practice providers.

For the past two-plus decades, Roefaro has brought her boundless energy to her job. Her tenure has been marked by building — and rebuilding — virtually every facet of the organization — constructing brick-and-mortar facilities, rebranding the practice, enhancing the workplace environment, bringing in new therapy programs and introducing initiatives to help relieve some of the stresses that their patients experience.

Shortly after becoming CEO, she helped to expand its Brittonfield space, which had first housed its radiation operation, to 65,000 square feet, bringing the entire practice under one roof. She was instrumental in opening a center in Auburn in 2012 and a Patient Rx Center in 2013. More recently, she oversaw the opening of a massive new 21,000- square-foot comprehensive cancer center in Camillus.

She called the cancer center in Camillus her “last hurrah.”

“We opened our doors to this state-of-the-art facility in August. I put so much love into selecting the colors, furniture and artwork — every time I drive by, my heart smiles.”

However, she noted that one of her first orders of business 23 years ago was to build new staff morale.

“My first objective was to change the culture of our practice,” she explained. “The doctors were and still are fabulous — which only underscores the importance of good leadership. Culture is everything in an organization and it’s not one and done — it’s a continual effort. One of my first successes is that within a year, our culture improved significantly. My leadership and I supported by our physicians — created a culture of love, integrity, trust, transparency and accountability. The employees knew they had a voice and were appreciated — it did not take long for the personality of our organization to be known in the market and our turnover became low and our applicants became many.”

She realized, too, the need for what she called “long-term sustainability and success,” which she believed would come about through greater community awareness. To that end, she was responsible for creating the current HOA logo; investing marketing dollars into sponsorships for cancer-related foundations; and involving the HOA in various events that would give the organization more exposure. She also connected with boards in the area, such as Hospice of CNY, the CNY Komen Foundation; Syracuse Home and McHarrie Towne, to name a few.

Roefaro noted, too, that she is proud of that HOA has been able to maintain state-of-the art equipment and therapies.

Among those is CyberKnife radiation treatment, the only provider in Central New York to offer the treatment. She offered an example of its efficacy: prostate treatments are done in five days instead of 45 conventional treatments, adding that with such great outcomes it has become a standard of therapy for prostate cancer in the industry.

And as integrative or complementary therapy programs to augment cancer care became popular, often they were only available at large, prestigious cancer centers across the country. However, she noted, HOA was the first in Central New York to develop a complementary therapy program that included massage, acupuncture, reiki, foot reflexology and other energy healing modalities.

“I knew it was difficult for our patients to pay for these services while dealing with the financial stressors of cancer therapy, so I wanted to do something to help them. With the support of our physicians, I created CancerConnects, Inc. — originally known at Unique Connections,” she added.

She secured its 501 (c)(3) status and it provides free complementary therapy sessions (like reiki, etc.) and assist cancer patients with all their financial burdens through their journey. These could include supplemental insurance payments, insurance co-pays, financial assistance for daycare, mortgages, rent, groceries, gas and other necessities.

CancerConnects also saw expansion during Roefaro’s tenure. As she explained, staff social worker Gussie Sorensen felt it was essential to create a mentoring program for cancer patients — trained volunteers that would assist in the journey and Roefaro brought it under the CancerConnects umbrella. In addition, the program has partnered with the Saint Agatha Foundation, which provides financial support for breast cancer patients. Additional support for CancerConnects comes through fundraising events held by the HOA Fun Committee, which Roefaro started.

She is also proud of her work with John Gullo, hematology-oncologist specialist, to develop the Breast Care Partners LLC, which is unique in that it brings together breast health specialists — regardless of the healthcare institution they’re affiliated — to provide, as its website states, “an organized, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, team approach to breast care that is now considered best practice to improve clinical and psychological outcomes for all patients.”

The energy that Roefaro brought to her work will not be lost in her retirement.

While she doesn’t have any specific retirement plans, she is looking forward to sleeping past 4:30 a.m., the time this avid runner usually got up so she could do a run before heading to work. She is working on her fourth book, “Transitions of Hope,” which she said is about half done; she plans on spending time with her husband, Tom Carranti, their family and her two dogs, Millie and Bella. She’s also considering taking up golf and starting a podcast with friend Mary Schechter.

And she said she may do her seventh marathon when she turns 70.

As she leaves HOA, she believes that Pichoske “is not only brilliant and truly understands operations, patient’s needs and cancer care, her heart and soul was made for HOA.”

Pichoske brings both professional and personal experience to her new role and her goals are to continue to develop staff morale; invest in new technologies and therapies; build partnerships; and to see HOA become more active politically.

Pichoske has been in hematology and oncology care for nearly 30 years as a nurse, nurse practitioner and instructor at the Crouse Hospital School of Nursing. She has an executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology and a Master of Science in nursing from the University at Buffalo and she is an advanced oncology certified nurse practitioner. In addition, because family members have had cancer, she has first-hand knowledge of a patient’s journey through the disease.

“I understand all the complexities that it takes to support the healthcare professional in every way and to help patients and families look at their mortality, keep them motivated through hope,” she said.

She noted too, that although she and Roefaro had been working together for the past two years to facilitate a smooth transition, it is still a big change for the staff. So she said she is going to continue to work on employee morale.

“Without them, we couldn’t get anything done,” she said.

Among her other goals, she said, is to have “the latest and greatest therapies” in medical oncology, radiation oncology and diagnostic imaging, which, with the ever-changing technological advances in the field, is a continual work in progress.

And she wants to continue to build the organization’s ongoing network of partners, especially, as she noted, since there have been some delays in services because of the pandemic.

HOA partnerships can only be enhanced Pichoske’s involvement with various boards.

She serves as vice president of the board for Hospice of CNY and the Finger Lakes, a local board member for Breast Care Partners, LLC and Cancer Connects, Inc. and a national board member of the Community Oncology Alliance.

She explained that COA is active in lobbying lawmakers, taking part in Hill Days three or four times a year and she wants to bring an increased presence on the state level.

“I’m going to continue to foster and promote political activism for cancer care nationally and statewide,” she said. “We’re going to get really active in that and go to Albany and make sure patients have everything that they need and access to care when it comes to cancer care.”