Remembering Ray Mayewski: An Innovative CMO and a Doctors’ Doctor

Whatever the situation, whatever the challenge, Ray Mayewski maintained a simple maxim: If you’re unsure what to do, ask what would be best for the patients, and do it.

It was an idea that Mayewski, who died July 8 at age 78, shared with generations of administrators, clinicians, and students, and one that speaks to his reputation as a doctors’ doctor—a skilled and innovative physician leader, yes, but one who never forgot the people in the wards, clinics, and emergency departments.

“His advice has never failed me,” said Mike Apostolakos, MD, who succeeded Mayewski as CMO in 2017. “He was a mentor to me as a young physician, the first person to suggest that I might make a good CMO, an icon of medicine at URMC, and one of the finest physicians I’ve ever known.”

Mayewski joined URMC as a resident in 1972. He served in several leadership roles in the department of Medicine, as SMH’s CMO and physician-in-chief from 1995-2017, and as Highland Hospital’s CMO from 2000-2017.

“Dr. Mayewski's contributions to URMC are far-reaching and profound,” said CEO David Linehan, MD. “He played an integral part in creating, guiding, or growing much of what defines us today, from URMFG and the Center for Primary Care to our emphasis on quality and safety initiatives. As a leader he built consensus, drove innovation, and ensured that the needs of patients and providers remained paramount in our decision-making. He will be missed, but his work will never be forgotten.”

Mark Taubman, MD, Linehan’s predecessor as CEO, worked closely with Mayewski for much of his tenure.

“Ray had the talent and the inclination to provide whatever the medical center needed – whether it be establishing the first version of the medical faculty group, stepping in at a moment’s notice as the head of the emergency room, helping to develop the primary care network, or working in the Southern Tier,” he said. “As chief medical officer at SMH, he led the charge to create a new culture of safety at the medical center. Although never an easy job, it was made easier by the fact that he had the complete respect of all of the faculty, for his knowledge and for his fairness.”

Transformative Work

Steve Goldstein, a URMC vice president who served for years as CEO of Strong and Highland, remembers Mayewski as someone who could always get things done. He rose to the CMO role on the strength of his sound judgement, the awe in which fellow physicians held him, and his no-nonsense approach.

“Ray was a strong advocate for our physicians and brought their voice to our leadership teams,” Goldstein said. “He was simultaneously a champion of our patients and of quality and safety improvements. He often served as our public face, presenting an image of friendliness, welcome, and skill to the community. His legacy of excellence will be felt for years to come.”

“Ray's tenacity and drive helped guarantee our success as a health system during his many years in leadership and beyond,” said Kathy Parrinello, CEO of Strong and Highland. “He excelled at leading by example and fostering teamwork. I learned a lot about leadership from Ray as he was a practical, hands-on administrator who always put patients and families first, keeping an eye on the future and embracing innovation.”

During his time as CMO, Mayewski helped establish the Center for Primary Care, building a structure that unified primary care physicians and enabled them to participate in decision making, and he played a vital role in the creation of Accountable Health Partners, our mechanism for working with community providers.

He was also the founding director of URMFG, where he built our first centralized framework for physician credentialing, compliance, billing, and contract negotiation.

“Ray's time at URMFG laid the groundwork for the unified, self-governing medical faculty group that our practice has become,” said Michael Rotondo, MD, CEO of URMFG. “He excelled as a clinician, teacher, and leader, and he was always willing to share his expertise and insight; I benefited personally from his knowledge of both URMFG and our wider organization, as did generations of leaders.”

A Voice for Quality and Safety

In his role as CMO—and in leadership roles he held long before—Mayewski was an early advocate for quality and safety initiatives.

“One of the most important things he did was to teach me and other young physicians that it’s OK and in fact helpful and necessary to speak about your mistakes,” said Apostolakos, who now leads URMC’s Quality Institute and believes a direct line can be drawn from Mayewski’s work to its creation. “That really made an impression on me, that he would talk about that and highlight that as a way to learn and grow.”

Robert Panzer, MD, former chief quality officer, worked closely with Mayewski and said he always supported his work.

“He was a champion of the patient safety movement and one of the founding members of our patient safety committee as well as being our representative at one of the key early patient safety conferences in Salzburg, Austria,” Panzer said. “His early embrace of quality and safety made a giant difference. When he spoke to various groups, he often said, ‘I really only have one job, and that’s patient safety. Other things are important, but that’s job one.’ He said it out loud, and he acted on it.”

Health System Roles

Mayewski’s impact extended well beyond Elmwood Avenue. In his role as Highland’s CMO he worked with Goldstein to develop new programs in orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynecology, bariatrics and more.

Following his retirement as CMO, he remained active in the region as interim president of Arnot Medical Services for Arnot-Ogden Medical Center in Elmira from 2018-20, ushering in updated practices and a renewed focus on patient-centered care. He also served as medical director at St. James in Hornell from about 2017-2018.

“It’s hard to encapsulate all that he did because he was so facile in his ability to fit in wherever he was needed,” Goldstein said.

Along with his clinical roles, Mayewski was a prodigious fundraiser, securing donations in excess of $20 million. Taubman said Mayewski’s grateful patients often gave back, with no one responsible for more endowed professorships than he was.

A Pennsylvania Native

Born in Wilkes-Barre in 1946, Mayewski graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1968 and Temple University School of Medicine in 1972.

Well-known as a teacher, clinician and leader long before his appointment as CMO, he was among the earliest physicians to establish a dedicated clinic for patients with AIDs in the 1980s.

When he retired as CMO, he said his proudest moments included hearing patients tell him he saved a friend’s life decades ago, or students say a lesson he taught stayed with them through their careers.

“That’s what makes you feel good and makes it all worth it,” Mayewski said. “I don’t remember the budgets. I remember those other things. Combined, they are what helps create a great institution like URMC, which was my first choice as a resident and remains my first choice today.”

Mayewski is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and a large family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, with a funeral mass Thursday.