People news: Upstate Medical names chair of its anesthesiology department

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University has appointed Dr. Xiuli Zhang chair of the school’s department of anesthesiology.

The appointment was effective May 11, per an Upstate Medical news release. Zhang has served as interim chair of anesthesiology since last August.

The appointment was announced by Dr. Lawrence Chin, dean of Upstate Medical’s College of Medicine.

“I am pleased and honored to have Dr. Zhang lead the department of anesthesiology,” Chin said. “The department has benefited greatly from her interim service and we look forward to her continued leadership as chair.”

During her interim role, Zhang recruited five physicians, who will join the faculty this year. She has also maintained close relationships with faculty, administration, and surgical and nursing teams.

Zhang first joined Upstate in 2002. She earned her medical degree from Qingdao Medical College in China. After coming to the U.S., she became a research fellow in the field of immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Zhang completed an internship in general surgery at Brooklyn Hospital Center prior to entering anesthesiology residency at Upstate Medical University, where she served as chief resident between 2004 and 2005.

After completing her training as chief resident, Zhang continued at Upstate as a faculty member, the medical school said.