WINTER IN SYRACUSE: 70 degrees on March 4 brought students outside for studying.

BIG BAND AT THE UPSTATE CANCER: Musicians with the West Hill High School Tri-M Music Honor Society performed at the Upstate Cancer Center during their recent Winter Break.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Babies of Worship perform an African American Heritage Dance during the Department of Medicine’s Black History Month, held event Feb. 26 in the Academic Building. The event featured vocal performances as well as panel discussions on the 15th ward and racial disparities in health care.

DYNAMIC DOU: Pharmacist Sarabeth Wojnowicz and nurse practitioner Brooke Fraser speak with NewsChannel 9’s Carrie Lazarus for a special presentation of the duo’s caring antics with patients at the Upstate Cancert Center’s pediatric clinic. Watch a preview of the special report here: http://rb.gy/kxvkb8

PAINT, SPLASH, CRUNCH: A patient at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital uses a syringe to spray paint on the protected face of a Syracuse Crunch player. More than a dozen members of the Crunch participated in the recent paint-splash party.

TRANSPLANT OPEN: Upstate officials flank kidney transplant recipient Michelle Krukowski to cut the ribbon officiallly opening the new location of the Upstate Kidney Transplant Center. Krukowski received her new kidney from altruistic donor who saw a plea for a kidney on social media. The new center is located at 550 Harrison Center.

A RADIOTHON PAYDAY: The Upstate Foundation’s Radiothon for Kids raised more than $193,000 from callers all across Central New York this week to benefit sick and injured children at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The Radiothon was supported by CNY Central and iHeartradio stations, 570WSYR and Y94, which provided live broadcasts about the Radiothon from the hospital lobby.

EDUCATION VIPS: Upstate President Mantosh Dewan, MD, center, chats with, from left, Sipho Mbque, PhD, Upstate professor of diversity and inclusion; Onondaga Community College President Warren Hilton, PhD; Executive Director of Say Yes to Education Syracuse Ahmeed Turner and  Syracuse City School Superintendent Anthony Davis, who participated in a panel presentation on Student Success and Academic Excellence, as part of Upstate’s Black History Month activities.

ELIZABETH BLACKWELL DAY: Janice P. Nimura signs copies of her book The Doctors Blackwell following her Elizabeth Blackwell Day presentation Feb. 7 in Weiskotten Hall. This year, Elizabeth Blackwell Day marks the 175th anniversary of Blackwell earning her medical degree, from what is now Upstate Medical University, and ushers in the era of coed medical education. Blackwell was the first women to earn a medical degree in America. Of Blackwell, Nimura said, “She really believed that by proving to the public what a woman could do, she would help to change the way women felt about…

RSV DRUG SHORTAGE: Jana Shaw, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and public health and preventive medicine, holds the only box of the drug Beyfortus, used to protect babies against RSV, at an Upstate press conference hosted by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer. The senator called on federal regulators to increase the amount of the drug to available to many regions of the state. Looking on is Upstate President Mantosh Dewan, MD.

VIP VISIT: Roselyn Tso, director of U.S. Indian Health Services, and Upstate President Mantosh Dewan, MD, review research posters by faculty and students at Upstate’s Health Justice Conference, held annually on Martin Luther King Day. Tso delivered the keynote address. Tso administers a nationwide health care delivery program responsible for providing preventive, curative, and community health care to approximately 2.7 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

TAKE NOTE: Banners depicting notable women physicians have been installed on the light poles throughout the Weiskotten Hall courtyard as Upstate celebrates 2024 as the 175 anniversary of Elizabeth Blackwell’s graduation from medical school and Upstate becoming the first coed medical school in the country.