Community Partnerships

Sarah Ventre, MD, MPH, in the Conventus clinic.

Sarah J. Ventre, MD, MPH, leads many of our community efforts as the interim division chief of General Pediatrics, associate program director of advocacy for the UB Pediatric Residency Program, medical co-director of Buffalo Public School District and the director of the WNY Children’s Environmental Health Center. 

At the University at Buffalo’s Child and Maternal Health Research Institute (CMHRI), we believe that bold science and lasting impact begin with strong partnerships. Our work bridges academic innovation with real-world change by collaborating across health care systems, universities, government agencies and grassroots organizations. These partnerships are essential to our mission, advance health equity, accelerate discovery and improve outcomes for children, mothers and families in Western New York and beyond.

Community Collaborations

Members of the CMHRI have several ongoing collaborations with the community. These partnerships are critical to enacting positive changes within our neighborhoods and help to form relationships between our medical researchers and our patient populations.

We currently have working relationships with:

UB Research Center Affiliations

Center for Developmental Biology of the Lung

Director: Praveen Chandrasekharan, MD

Conducts translational research to prevent and treat disorders of pulmonary transition such as birth asphyxia, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)

Children’s Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center

Medical Director: Michelle E. Hartley-McAndrew, MD

Research encompasses neurobiology of children with autism spectrum disorders; concurrent seizure disorders; epileptiform abnormalities; etiology; screening and evaluation techniques.

Cystic Fibrosis Center of Western New York

Pediatric Program Director: Danielle M. Goetz, MD

Adult Program Director: Carla A. Frederick, MD  

Has participated in more than 40 clinical trials and has helped bring several drugs through development to clinical use for patients with CF, focusing on inhaled antibiotics, mucoactive drugs and CFTR potentiators and correctors. 

Collaborations & Funding Agencies

Academic and Research Collaborators

  • University at Rochester & Golisano Children’s Hospital
  • SUNY Upstate Medical University & Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital
  • UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
  • Primary Care Research Institute (Family Medicine, UB)
  • Schools and Colleges at UB: Engineering, Pharmacy, Arts and Sciences, Public Health, and more

Community-Based Organizations

  • Buffalo Center for Health Equity
  • African American Health Equity Task Force
  • Seneca Babcock Community Center
  • Cecelia Health – delivering telehealth support for youth with Type 1 diabetes

National & Philanthropic Collaborators

  • Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
  • Mother Cabrini Health Foundation
  • Children’s Cardiomyopathy Foundation
  • Foundation 214
  • March of Dimes
  • Gerber Foundation
  • Thrasher Research Fund
  • Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy Association

Government Funders

  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
  • NIH (including NCATS, NICHD, NHLBI)
  • New York State Department of Health

Industry Sponsors and Partnerships

  • AbbVie Inc
  • Ascendis Pharma A/S
  • BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical
  • Dompe Farmaceutici
  • Homology Medicines
  • Kedrion S.p.A.
  • Lilly USA LLC
  • Lumos Pharma
  • Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp
  • Novo Nordisk Inc
  • Pfizer Inc
  • Provention Bio Inc
  • Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Inc
  • Sanofi US Services Inc
  • Spruce Biosciences Inc
  • TARGET RWE
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc
  • Welch Allyn
  • Zynerba Pharmaceuticals

Health Systems & Clinical Partners