Sergio Hernandez MD
Sergio Hernandez
MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Medical Student Education Director; Director of Center for Medical Humanities; Medical Humanities Thread Leader
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Psychiatry
Contact Information
Patient Care
Patient Care
This faculty member is affiliated with UBMD, practicing physicians who are also professors in the Jacobs School.
View this physician on UBMDProfessional Summary:
I am board-certified in psychiatry, and I work as an emergency psychiatrist at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC). I regularly care for patients who have diagnoses ranging from schizophrenia to substance use disorders. I have been recognized with awards for my compassionate care of psychiatric patients.
I am also engaged in research, with a primary interest in medical student education. I have presented at a professional meeting--usually at the national level--every year since completing my residency. My topics have included a variety of areas in teaching, e.g., curriculum innovations and use of media in education, with an emphasis on psychiatric material. I also have a research interest in the stigma of mental disorders. In the past few years, I have become interested in the field of Positive Psychology and have received a Certification in Positive Psychology from the Wholebeing Institute. With the support of the Jacobs School of Medicine, I have been able to incorporate teaching on topics in Positive Psychology into the medical student curriculum.
I am deeply committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of physicians who will care for the mentally ill. The Psychiatric Emergency room is one of the primary teaching units at ECMC. As director of medical student education in psychiatry, most of my responsibilities and day-to-day activities include teaching and training medical students and residents. I orient and lecture the third-year medical students in my role as clerkship director, oversee the third-year medical student curriculum, coordinate the three-week psychiatry segment of the Neuroscience and Behavior course for the second-year students and lecture for a significant part of the course. I also teach the psychiatry residents on my inpatient unit and regularly deliver resident lectures.
I have been recognized for teaching throughout my career, both at the school and national levels. For example, I twice received the Mentor of the Year award from UB’s psychiatry residents, and I received the Irma Bland Award for Excellence in Teaching Residents from the American Psychiatric Association. Most recently I received the Siegel Distinguished Teaching Award, an award selected by medical students for excellence in teaching.
Education and Training:
- Residency, University at Buffalo (2010)
- Residency, Resident in Psychiatry, University at Buffalo - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2010)
- Residency, University at Buffalo - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2009)
- MD, University at Buffalo - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2006)
- BA, Molecular and Cell biology, University of California, Berkeley (1999)
Employment:
- Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2021-present)
- Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2021-present)
- Medical Humanities Curriculum Thread Leader, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2021-present)
- Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2013-present)
- Inpatient Psychiatric Attending Physician, Erie County Medical Center (2010-present)
- Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Psychiatry, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2010–2021)
- Assistant Director of Medical Student Education, Department of Psychiatry, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2013)
- Junior Attending, Erie County Medical Center (2009–2010)
- Assistant Clinical Instructor, Psychiatry, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (2006–2010)
Awards and Honors:
- Louis A. and Ruth Siegel Distinguished Teaching Award (2021)
- Murray A. Morphy, MD Mentor of the Year Award (2016)
- Outstanding Staff Physician - Erie County Medical Center (2014)
- Irma Bland, M.D. Certificate of Excellence in Teaching Residents (2014)
- Murray A. Morphy, MD Mentor of the Year Award (2013)
- Royal College of Physicians Accreditation (2013)
- Honorable Mention for the Siegel Teaching Award, Preclinical Years (2013)
- Outstanding Contributions to Medical Student Education (2012)
- Outstanding Contributions to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (2012)
- Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award (2007)
- Gold Humanism Honor Society Second Biennial Conference (2006)
- Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award (2006)
- Dr. James Goldinger Curriculum Leadership Award (2006)
- The Gilbert M. Beck Memorial Prize in Psychiatry (2006)
- Inducted Member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (2005)
- President's Undergraduate Research Fellowship (1999)
- Recipient of the President's Undergraduate Research Fellowship (1999)
- Regent's and Chancellor's Scholarship (1996)
Journal Articles:
- Baker JG, Leddy JJ, Hinds AL, Haider MN, Shucard J, Sharma T, Hernandez S, Durinka J, Zivadinov R, Willer BS. (2018) An Exploratory Study of Mild Cognitive Impairment of Retired Professional Contact Sport Athletes. J Head Trauma Rehabil (Sep), 33(5): 16-23.
Presentations:
- "Drugs and the Brain" Camp Neuro; Jacob School of Medicine and Health Sciences Charter School; Camp Neuro (2016)
- "Exploring Factors that Encourage the Increase in Medical Students Choosing Psychiatry as a Career" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; ADMSEP; ADMSEP (2016)
- "Principle Speaker at Doctors Back to School" Doctors Back to School; Jacob School of Medicine and Health Sciences Charter School; Doctors Back to School (2016)
- "Drugs and the Brain" Camp Neuro; University at Buffalo; Camp Neuro (2015)
- "On Call Rx for Success: Medical School - Keynote Speaker" On Call Rx for Success: Medical School; University at Buffalo; Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (2015)
- "Evidence Based Medicine in Psychiatry" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; ADMSEP; ADMSEP (2014)
- "Medical Student Perception of Psychiatry/Mental Illness Before and After Psychiatric Curriculum" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; ADMSEP; ADMSEP (2014)
- "Using Reflective Writing to Increase Empathy in Medical Students" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (2013)
- "Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome in an Acute Inpatient with Psychosis" 16th Annual Scholarly Exchange at Spring Clinical Day; University at Buffalo; Department of Psychiatry (2013)
- "Songs In The Key of Life: Using Music to Teach Psychiatry" PsychSIGN Annual Meeting; PsychSIGN (2013)
- "The Next Generation: Trends, Factors, And Success Stories in Recruiting Medical Students into Psychiatry" Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association; American Psychiatric Association (2013)
- "Songs In The Key of Life: Using Music to Teach Psychiatry" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (2012)
- "Songs In The Key of Life: Using Music to Teach Psychiatry" PsychSIGN Annual Meeting; PsychSIGN (2012)
- "Songs in the Key of Life: Using Music to Teach Psychiatry" PsychSIGN Annual Meeting; PsychSIGN; PsychSIGN (2011)
- "Copyrights and Wrongs: Understanding the Fair Use Exception" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (2010)
- "Using Music to Teach Psychiatry" PsychSIGN Annual Meeting; PsychSIGN; PsychSIGN (2010)
- "The Lives of Others: Using a Film Club to Encourage Interest in Psychiatry" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Poster Presentation (2009)
- "Healing Arts" Gold Humanism Honor Society Third Biennial Conference; The Gold Humanism Honor Society; Round Table (2008)
- "It Don‘t Mean a Thing if it Ain‘t Got that Swing: Creating a Multimedia Mental Status Exam" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Workshop (2008)
- "Using the Arts in Psychiatric Medical Student Education" PsychSIGN Annual Meeting; PsychSIGN; PsychSIGN (2008)
- "Mental Illness and All That Jazz: Using the Arts to Reduce Stigma" Annual Conference of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Annual Conference of the Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (2007)
- "Gold Humanism Honor Society" Gold Humanism Honor Society Second Biennial Conference; Gold Humanism Honor Society (2006)
Service Activities:
- Lead and coordinated the Humanities working group for the Jacobs School Curricular Revision 2021; Leader of Humanities Working Group for Curricular Revision (2021–2022)
- ; Member of the Jacobs School of Medicine Curricular Revision Design Team (2021–2022)
- I facilitate a monthly group led and organized by Third Year residents in the Psychiatry Residency training program; Faculty Facilitator of the Psychiatry Residency Wellness Group (2021–2022)
- Phase 2 Committee Member Member of the UB School of Medicine Phase 2 Committee; Committee Member (2013–present)
- Consolidation Committee Member Member of the Erie County Medical Center's Consolidation Committee; Committee Member (2013–present)
- Residency Education Policy Committee Committee member of the UB Department of Psychiatry Residency Program Education Policy Committee; Committee Member (2013–present)
- Residency Program Evaluation Committee Committee member of the UB Department of Psychiatry Residency Program Evaluation Committee; Committee Member (2013–present)
- Department of Psychiatry Executive Committee; Member (2013–present)
- Department of Psychiatry Undergraduate Medical Education Committee; Member (2013–present)
- Travel Policy Committee Committee member of the Department of Psychiatry Travel Policy Committee; Committee Member (2013–present)
- Faculty Chapter Advisor, Good Humanism Honor Society; Advisor (2010–2012)
- Co-Advisor Benjamin Rush Society; Advisor (2010–present)
- Psychiatry Film Club Coordinator The Psychiatry Film club explores films relevant to psychiatric treatment and diagnosis. Students and faculty meet to watch and discuss the films.; Coordinator (2010–present)
- Residency Program Selection Subcommittee; Committee Member (2007–2012)
- Member, American Psychiatric Association; Member (2006–2012)
- Resident Coordinator - Film Club Resident Coordinator of the Film Club; Coordinator (2006–2010)
- Member Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry; Member (2006–present)
- Member Gold Humanism Honor Society; Member (2006–present)
- Volunteer Friends of the Night People Homeless Shelter; Volunteer (2004–2010)