Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Interview with Dr. Robert Corona, CEO at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital

Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Lauren Dardo (Becker’s Healthcare)
Guest: Dr. Bob Corona, DO, MBA, FCAP, FASCP – CEO, SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital

Episode Overview

This episode features an engaging conversation with Dr. Bob Corona, leader of the SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital system, discussing recent achievements, innovative initiatives, and growth plans amid surging demand for healthcare services in Central and Northern New York. Dr. Corona shares insights into workforce wellness, technology adoption (notably drones and robotics), expansion plans, and the challenges of balancing growth with organizational wellbeing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction to SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital

• The health system includes three hospitals: University, Community, and Golisano Children’s Hospitals.
• Largest trauma center in NY for children and overall trauma care due to regional centrality.
• Current bed count: 752, with 56 in the children’s hospital.
• Significant ongoing expansion with new satellite sites to meet growing regional needs.
  • Quote:
    • “We’re the busiest trauma center overall for children in the state of New York and the second busiest adult trauma center and combined makes us the busiest trauma center.” — Dr. Corona [01:55]

2025 Highlights: Key Initiatives & Outcomes

• Quality Improvement:
  • Raised rating from a two-star to three-star hospital, despite infrastructural challenges.
  • Magnet hospital reaccreditation achieved—the only such hospital in their region.
• “Respect and Heal” Initiative:
  • Addressing workforce violence; convened state-wide conferences and influenced legislation.
  • Launching a K9 unit based on best practices identified.
• Innovation with Drone and Robot Delivery:
  • Development of an “autonomous machines” program leveraging their location as an FAA drone transportation test site.
  • Drones routinely transport pharmaceuticals/specimens; have completed approx. 6,000 safe flights.
  • Regular flights, including “beyond line of sight” missions up to 50 miles to remote locations.
  • Expansion includes hiring drone pilots and engineers, plus a growing robotics program within the hospital.
  • Quote:
    • “We now regularly drone transport pharmaceuticals [and] specimens between our hospital and some of our retail pharmacies...about 6,000 successful safe flights so far.” — Dr. Corona [05:32]
• Robotics and Automation:
  • Integration of robots for in-hospital transport, with support from former Google autonomous machines engineers.
  • Vision for seamless communication between drones and robots, minimizing human involvement in logistics.

Building the Program: Leadership, Resources, and Perseverance

• Initial skepticism from peers when Dr. Corona pitched drone transportation in 2014; persistence and eventual support after moving into the CEO role.
• Leveraged proximity to FAA test site and built a skilled team as opportunities (and resources) grew.
  • Quote:
    • “Everybody thought I was nuts, so I just kept at it...When I moved...to the CEO of the hospital, I got a little more attention and had a few more resources and just kept pushing.” — Dr. Corona [07:06]

2026 Priorities: Expansions & Capacity

• State Funding & Major Construction:
  • Received $450 million from the State of NY for new acute care annex (ER, burn unit, ORs, imaging, labs).
  • High daily capacity strain: often over 120% in key units.
  • New parking garages, ambulatory facilities, and sterile processing centers in development.
• Managing Exponential Regional Growth:
  • Community economic boom (Micron, Chobani) predicted to add up to 200,000 residents and at least 50,000 jobs.
  • Balancing expansion with avoiding staff overwhelm is a central leadership challenge.
  • Quote:
    • “We are way over capacity almost every day...Today, for instance, we're at 120% capacity in our med surg unit, and we're way overflowing in our children's hospital.” — Dr. Corona [09:08]
    • “Managing the growth and not overwhelming our staff with the capacity strain we have is probably the hardest thing we have ahead of us.” — Dr. Corona [11:28]

Staff Wellness & Organizational Health

• Appointment of a Chief Wellness Officer to champion staff wellbeing.
• Investment in infrastructure for staff: Recharge rooms, wellness education, operation centers for load balancing.
• Technology to reduce administrative burdens (e.g., robots).
• Ongoing efforts to deliver joy and reduce burnout amid fast-paced changes.
  • Quote:
    • “We're trying to implement, I think, like every other institution, new technologies that reduce the administrative burden for physicians and nurses.” — Dr. Corona [13:24]

Organizational Growth Strategies

• Ambulatory Expansion:
  • Deliberate growth in outpatient sites to meet community demand, especially in areas outside downtown Syracuse.
  • Collaboration with community hospitals to provide specialized services locally.
  • Ongoing need to balance ambulatory and inpatient expansion under complex state regulatory constraints.
  • Quote:
    • “There's a lot of people that don't want to come to downtown Syracuse to see our specialists...multiple access points in the region are key.” — Dr. Corona [14:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We have a robust functioning drone and robot transport program, we call it our autonomous machines program...we now have about 13 robots that do various transportation efforts within the hospital.” — Dr. Corona [05:11], [07:55]
• “Upstate New York is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance...at a minimum 50,000 jobs...population growing by 200,000.” — Dr. Corona [10:59]
• "Feel like I'm in the construction business, but that's largely what we're focusing on in 2026." — Dr. Corona [09:57]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:28] Health system overview, trauma center status
• [03:05] 2025 initiatives: Hospital rating, Magnet status, workforce safety, drones/robots
• [06:49] Building the innovation program: Drones, staffing, robotics, vision
• [08:51] 2026 priorities: Expansion, construction, capacity growth
• [10:51] Challenges: Managing growth with limited resources, community/population boom
• [12:41] Staff wellness strategies: Chief Wellness Officer, recharge rooms, tech for burden reduction
• [14:20] Ambulatory and organizational growth plans

Takeaways

Dr. Corona’s leadership at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital exemplifies resilience, innovation, and an unwavering focus on quality and staff wellbeing amid unprecedented regional growth. The hospital’s initiatives in logistics innovation, workforce safety, and facility expansion position it as a model for adapting proactively to dynamic changes in healthcare demand.