Aquinas Landmark Spring 2021

4 Dr. Alex DeLucenay ‘03 has been a key leader in his field helping the Finger Lakes Region combat COVID-19. In December, he was responsible for staffing the first vaccine clinic at Rochester General Hospital (RGH) where he practices as a clinical pharmacist. Alongside nurses, physicians, and other pharmacists, Dr. DeLucenay helped to administer the first COVID-19 vaccine doses to his high-risk colleagues from the intensive care units, emergency depart- ment, and COVID floors at RGH. “This was one of the highlights of my career,”he said.“It was nice to feel like I was taking a tangible step to assist our community in getting out of the darkness that is COVID-19.”Dr. DeLucenay is taking further steps to help the community by enlisting the help of his students at St. John Fisher College where he is an associate professor of pharmacy practice at theWegmans School of Pharmacy. According to Dr. DeLucenay, his students are just as eager to do their part to end the pandemic and are currently preparing to assist with the vaccination process. In January, Dr. DeLucenay, who also serves as president of The Pharma- cist Society of Rochester, was appointed to The Finger Lakes COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. Convened by Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza, the task force includes over 60 regional leaders who have the ultimate responsibility to ensure equity, transparency, and efficiency in COVID-19 immunization efforts. The goal is to vaccinate at least 70% of adults in the Finger Lakes Region. “I am privileged to work with an incredibly talented group of people aimed at getting the vaccine out to all community members, including those in the underserved communities of urban Rochester, and the rural Finger Lakes,”said Dr. DeLucenay regarding his work with the task force.“That desire to reach the underserved communities in particular, is definitely a value that was instilled in me at Aquinas.” Overall, Dr. DeLucenay hopes that as the vaccination rate of the Finger Lakes Region increases, those who may be nervous about the vaccine will feel more comfortable receiving it.“I understand that there are con- cerns about the vaccine, however, I urge people to reach out to their pharmacist, physician, nurse, or other healthcare provider to discuss their concerns,”he said.“The herd immunity that the vaccine will provide is our way out of this. The more people that receive the vaccine, the more lives we will save, and the quicker our families and communities will be brought back together.” Dr. AlexDeLucenay ‘03 Over the course of the past year, there have been many heroes rising to the occasion in the face of the global pandemic – many of whom are members of our own Aquinas family. Here we highlight a few alumni you may not yet know by name, but whose work is impacting many in the Rochester area and beyond. H idden H eroes AQUINAS LANDMARK | SPRING 2021 Dr. DeLucenay ‘03 administers the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a colleague at Rochester General Hospital.> CherisseHeirs ‘13 QCLaboratoryDirector/SeniorClinical LabScientist atFlorenceTechnologies When Cherisse Heirs ‘13, applied to attend Aquinas in middle school, she already knew that she wanted to be a veterinarian. Twelve years later, Cherisse is completing a graduate program in microbiology through George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science. She found her studies temporarily on hold in March 2020, as the COVID pandemic shut down NewYork City. She was recruited away from a veterinary laboratory to assist with clinical research at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, NewYork. There, she assisted in a COVID-19 study involving a rheumatoid arthritis drug by Regeneron