Claire Conrad, MD ’25

Claire Conrad, MD ’25, is a trainee in the emergency medicine residency program.

A Buffalo native, she completed her undergraduate education at the University of Alabama, where she was a coxswain on the women’s Division I rowing team, served as sorority president, and worked as a case manager at an addiction and recovery center.

She earned her medical degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

When evaluating emergency medicine residency programs, culture was a top priority. I was looking for a team I would genuinely want to work with at 3 a.m. — people who are approachable and make it easy to think out loud, ask questions, and actually learn, while still pushing you to make your own decisions early on.

What stood out to me about UB’s emergency medicine program was the culture and how much the team focuses on building your confidence. From early on, you are encouraged to make decisions and think independently, but in a way that feels supportive rather than intimidating. The team is approachable and easygoing, and even in high-acuity situations, they stay calm and keep things grounded.

I saw this firsthand as a medical student. EM was a rotation where I truly felt like I belonged, I was included in patient care and treated as part of the team. That sense of inclusion extended across everyone, from clerical staff to nurses, physician assistants, and attendings, and it was clear that people genuinely cared about you both as a person and as a future physician. Seeing that same support extend to residents made it clear this was part of the culture, not just the student experience.

That support shows up in small, consistent ways — attendings taking a few minutes to sit down and check in with you during off-service rotations, bringing food and music on shift, and creating opportunities to connect outside of work. It is a place that pushes you to grow and one you look forward to showing up to.

One of the program’s greatest strengths is the diversity of its clinical training sites, as each setting emphasizes a different skill set. At Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, you approach workups differently, relying more on history and exam with less invasive testing.

At the Erie County Medical Center, exposure to trauma, psychiatric cases, and a county population broadens differentials and builds confidence managing complex patients. At the Buffalo General Medical Center, training in a STEMI and stroke center sharpens management of high-acuity, time-sensitive pathology.

At the VA and community sites, including DeGraff Memorial Hospital, you function more independently, with hands-on procedural experience. Together, these settings build adaptability across clinical environments.

Growing up in Buffalo, I didn’t fully appreciate it until coming back for residency. One of the biggest things I value is how livable it is day-to-day. After a long shift, it’s simple things — like decompressing with music on the drive home or deciding last minute to go out.

Residency can be unpredictable, and you don’t always know how you’ll feel after a shift, so it’s nice being in a city where you can still go out for a good meal or grab a drink without needing reservations or planning everything in advance.

At the same time, Buffalo still has a lot to offer — a strong sense of community, access to outdoor activities year-round, and professional sports — so it strikes a good balance between being a city and still being manageable during residency.