Healing Through Connection: Meet Steve Siano ’15, M.D.

As an interventional pain physician, Steve Siano ’15, M.D., knows most of his patients are not fixated on what the results of a particular blood test are; they simply want to know that they can climb stairs or pick up their children or grandchildren without pain. Siano appreciates that when he is, for example, administering an epidural injection, it is extremely high stakes. Patients are often worried, particularly if it is their first treatment. It is in those moments, he says, that the value of his Le Moyne education truly shines through.

Siano is able to connect with his patients, asking them questions such as, “What is your favorite Shakspeare play?” It takes their minds off of whatever it is they are undergoing, and allows him to learn something more about them. Siano majored in biology on the Heights. When he reflects on his time on campus, he appreciates the fact that, in addition to receiving outstanding instruction in anatomy, physiology and microbiology, he also learned about literature and philosophy, and how to write clearly and effectively. 

That is just the start of what the Liverpool, New York, native took away from his time at Le Moyne. 

Siano specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Put simply, he focuses on nonsurgical treatment of painful musculoskeletal disorders. It is an area that is growing rapidly, and reflects what Siano sees as a move in medicine toward “values-based care,” or care that is more efficient and focused on prevention of illness. New discoveries in this branch of medicine are coming at a rapid rate, making it critical for Siano to be a life-long learner, something that was instilled in him throughout his time at Le Moyne.