OSWEGO, NY – Assemblyman Will Barclay presented Dr. Ronald Uva of Oswego Health with an Assembly Resolution today (April 19) at Oswego Hospital.
Dr. Uva recently received the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The Assembly Resolution commemorates that award as well as his 30 plus years as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
“I’m very honored to be standing here today to honor Dr. Ronald Uva,” Ann Gilpin, Oswego Health CEO, told the large crowd assembled in the hospital’s cafeteria. “It is quite a pleasure that our Assemblyman Barclay took the time to do a state proclamation for Dr. Uva. I have been here for six years. And, in those six years, at every medical staff meeting Dr. Uva has taken the time to talk about the importance of advocacy for our medical staff, for health care; and how critical it is that we step forward and make sure that our voice is heard. Dr. Uva has continued to do that.”
“It’s my great honor to help recognize Dr. Uva and all that he has done for our community,” Barclay added.
Dr. Uva is the president of Oswego County OB/GYN, PC. He recently began a second five-year term on the NYS Board for Medicine. He is believed to be the first physician from Oswego Health to be named to this prestigious board.
In 2011, he was elected vice chair of the New York District of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The resolution, recently passed by the Assembly, is now part of the official state record, Barclay pointed out.
He along with Assemblyman Bob Oaks sponsored the resolution.
Barclay quipped that as soon as he arrived this morning, Dr. Uva began telling him about certain issues in the medical community he’d like the assemblyman to look into.
“The reason I did that is because Assemblyman Barclay has always been a friend of medicine,” Dr. Uva added. “He and Assemblyman Oaks and Senator (Patty) Ritchie, I can always go to. I know that they are on our side.”
On hand for the presentation was Dr. Uva’s wife, Sarah, several other family members and dozens of his close colleagues and hospital administrators. Besides his wife, family members attending were: daughter, Christina Barlow and husband, Kristopher, with children Lauren, Paige, and Ryan; son, Michael Uva, with girlfriend, Breeda Phoumanny. His son, Matthew Uva, with fiancée, Sarah Vespa, were unable to attend.
“Dr. Uva has brought many Oswego County residents into this world. Beyond his admirable accomplishments with his many patients, he also works to improve the medical community through his advocacy efforts. He also works to empower women through public education efforts,” Barclay said. “I am happy to present Dr. Uva with this resolution today.”
Dr. Uva recalled an old SUNY motto: Let each become all he is capable of being.
“Having come from a blue collar family, one of the only ways I could go to college was through the State University system. I had to work my way through so I got B’s instead of A’s,” he said.
He was working at the nuclear plants when he met his wife who was working at the hospital. He met Dr. Mather Sr., who offered him a job three years before he graduated.
“In that time frame, I was an operating room orderly. I was the guy who moved the patients, swabbed the floors and did all that,” Dr. Uva said. “So, even today, I know this hospital inside and out. I started moonlighting here in 1978.”
When he says, let each become all he is capable of being, he puts that into his life, he explained.
You can’t just be there to deliver their babies, you have to be an advocate for women, Dr. Uva said.
“Through the years, my wife has become a female activist. She sees the horrible things that go on with women, not only in the United States but across the world,” he said. “It’s a very, very frustrating this to do because in general I find there are politicians who agree with us and those that don’t. And sometimes it seems that those that don’t are because the way the money stream goes.”
He vowed to never stop advocating.
“I plan on retiring soon. But not retire from the administration of medicine,” he said. “Thank you all from my heart.”
Dr. Ivan Proano, president of the medical staff, said he has known Dr. Uva for more than 20 years.
“When I think of what Dr. Uva stands for, the best words that can be used to describe him are leadership and commitment,” he said. “He is very committed to the community and this hospital, its medical staff and his colleagues.”
He has advocated for the community, the hospital and its staff at the state and federal levels, Proano said.
“Oswego Health is also very proud of Dr. Uva and the many accomplishments he has made throughout his career. He has been a dedicated physician for more than 30 years and has always put his patients first, whether it is providing direct care or advocating for them on important health care issues on the state level,” he added.
“We are all very pleased to thank Dr. Uva for all that he has done – and will continue to do to ensure that our voice is heard as we go forth to fight the battle to ensure that health care has a voice in the state of New York and at the federal level,” Ms Gilpin said.
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