Some medical students are choosing to stay in Buffalo

Denise Dennis-Coke is getting set to complete her residency training in Buffalo to become a local primary caregiver.

Dennis-Coke, a UB medical student, said her decision to stay in Buffalo has provided her with a wealth of knowledge.

Residency match day is when medical students find out where they will be living for the next few years for their program. There is a comprehensive system of recommendations and other criteria that goes into the national match program, according to Dennis-Coke. If prospective residents receive the right recommendations or select Buffalo as a top choice they have a higher chance of staying in the area, she said.

Forty-five students out of 143 in the current graduate class of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will begin residency training in Buffalo after graduating, according to The Buffalo News. This is highest number of students since 2008.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will move from South Campus to downtown Buffalo in 2017. The move will be funded by the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant program, philanthropic efforts, among other sources, according to UB’s website.

Jeremy Jacobs, UB Council chairman, made a $30 million donation last year, which led to the school being renamed in his honor.

The move downtown will be vital to supply a pipeline of new doctors to the area, according to Charles Severin, associate dean for Medical Education and Admissions.

“I think for sure the new medical campus is going to have an effect on the number of admissions we see, not just residents staying in the area for training,” Severin said.

David Milling, senior associate dean for Student and Academic Affairs in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, said the move is an effort to have the school closer to UB’s clinical partners located downtown.

Milling also completed his residency training in Buffalo like Dennis-Coke.

He said even though it was many years ago, he and Dennis-Coke had similar reasons for enjoying the medical school.

“I would say that I got a very broad education from people who were interested in my career and development as a doctor,” Milling said.

Dennis-Coke said she has learned a lot in Buffalo.

“It feels like I’ve gotten a little bit of everything so far and it’s only been my training. Because of the local [Roswell Park Cancer Institute] for instance, I know far more about cancer treatments than someone could say they do if they received training in any other city,” she said.

Caitlin Batjer, a freshman nursing major, said she sees the new campus as an exciting opportunity.

“It’s not every day that your curriculum gets an entirely new building with all new resources to study and practice with,” Batjer said. “I still don’t know for sure what I want to do in the far future but [the new campus] has definitely made me consider Buffalo.”

Corey Klino is a news staff writer and can be reached at news@ubspectrum.com.