UB School of Management to honor alumni executives, leaders in COVID-19 vaccine effort

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo School of Management will honor the co-leaders of the Western New York Vaccination Hub and several alumni at the school’s annual awards ceremony this fall.

Receiving the 2021 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award for their role in the regional COVID-19 vaccination effort will be WNY Vaccine Hub co-leaders: Michael E. Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Thomas J. Quatroche Jr., PhD ’04, president and CEO of Erie County Medical Center Corp.; and Mark A. Sullivan, president and CEO of Catholic Health.

In addition, the School of Management will celebrate the following alumni for their considerable impact on the school, the community and their industry.

• George Chamoun, BA ’97, CEO of ACV, for entrepreneurship
• Ridzki Kramadibrata, MBA ’99, president of Grab Indonesia, for industry leadership
• Sarah Tanbakuchi, BA ’09, JD/MBA ’14, administrative vice president at M&T Technology, for her service to the School of Management
• Danielle Vazquez, BA ’16, MPH/MBA ’19, director of support services at Rush University Medical Center, for early career success

The honors will be presented at the 71st Annual UB School of Management Alumni Association Awards Ceremony, which will be held virtually at 6 p.m. Nov. 9.

For more information on the awards ceremony, contact the School of Management’s Office of Alumni Engagement and External Relations at mgt-alumnievents@buffalo.edu or 716-645-3224.

Established in 1949, the Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award is presented annually to an individual or individuals who reside in or have a major impact on the region, and whose career has been distinguished by executive success and civic leadership. The WNY Vaccine Hub co-leaders were selected by a vote of past honorees and the alumni association’s board of directors.

One of 10 regional hubs created across New York State in late 2020, the WNY Vaccine Hub was charged with safely, efficiently and equitably vaccinating Western New Yorkers against the virus that causes COVID-19. It was the only hub in the state to leverage the strength and reach of a university medical center, public hospital and nonprofit health care system.

The co-leaders lobbied state officials for the region’s vaccine needs and coordinated the efforts of several sub-groups, including communications, logistics, operations, planning and information management, as well as a regional advisory committee and health equity task force.

Through the winter and spring of 2021, the team met daily to develop and adjust distribution plans based on robust data analysis and emerging supply or demand issues. As the vaccine became available, the Hub worked to get shots in arms rapidly and ensure no doses were wasted. Later, as supply began to outpace demand, the Hub ramped up its public communications and outreach efforts, worked to identify and fill gaps in vaccination rates, and finally wrapped up its efforts in early summer.