Preventive Medicine Residency

Smita Bakhai, MD, MPH, FACP.

Program director Smita Bakhai, MD, MPH, FACP, is dedicated to quality improvement in primary care. “I am passionate about teaching and mentoring residents in providing excellence in clinical, preventive care and advancing health equity in population health,” she says.

Preventive medicine is an ever-expanding field. As a preventive medicine specialist, you can make a significant difference in the individual lives of patients, and you can beneficially influence public health.

Do you have a background in the primary care specialties of family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine or med-peds?

Are you a physician — having already completed three years of residency — with aspirations to make a meaningful impact on health care systems?

Would you like the unique opportunity to become board certified in public health and preventive medicine — and earn a fully-funded master’s degree in public health?

If so, our residency is just what you seek.

Our comprehensive training can change the trajectory of your career while enabling you to promote and protect the health of people in our local communities, as well as populations nationwide and abroad.

How? Explore our program to find out:

  • Message from the Program Director
    5/5/22
    Smita Bakhai, MD, asks: Will you join us in our mission to advance health equity? Will you take on the challenge of becoming an exemplary leader in public health?
  • Curriculum
    5/5/22
    Our two-year residency will uniquely prepare you in both clinical medicine and public health in order to promote and maintain health and well-being — and reduce the risks of disease, disability and death in individuals and populations. 
  • Training Sites
    5/6/22
    Our many teaching sites help you acquire the skills you need to adapt to a variety of professional environments.
  • Research
    5/9/22
    Research is an important element of your training in our preventive medicine residency. 
  • Scholarships and Awards
    5/9/22
    We will recognize your accomplishments and support your research.
  • Applying for Residency
    5/9/22
    Our rigorous training program is competitive; we select only two to three residents per year.
  • About Buffalo
    12/31/21
    Our program is situated in the “City of Good Neighbors,” which boasts a robust cultural scene, excellent dining options, affordable living and a wide range of entertainment possibilities.

Our Program at a Glance:

A chart shows the program strengths, which are: interprofessional collaboration, faculty expertise, research and QI, unique curriculum, diverse patient population, concentration-specific MPH.

Faculty members are certified in:

  • public health and general preventive medicine
  • occupational medicine
  • clinical informatics
  • addiction medicine
A chart shows the program mission: to create excellent leaders in public health; to provide exemplary care in disease prevention and health promotion; to advance health equity.

Our Core Values Encompass:

  • respect
  • excellence in care
  • collaboration
  • access and equity

Contact Us

  • Program Director

    Smita Y. Bakhai MD, MPH, FACP.

    Smita Y. Bakhai, MD, MPH, FACP

    Clinical Associate Professor

    Program Director: Public Health/General Preventive Medicine (PH/GPM) Residency and Internal Medicine/Preventive Medicine (IM/PM) Residency

    Erie County Medical Center, David K. Miller Building, 462 Grider Street, Buffalo, NY 14215

    Phone: (716) 898-4578

  • Training Program Administrator

    Nathali Head.

    Nathali Head

    Program Administrator for: UBMD/IM, PH/GPM Residency, IM/PM Residency

    Erie County Medical Center, David K. Miller Building, 462 Grider Street, Buffalo, NY 14215

    Phone: (716) 898-4578

    Email: nathalih@buffalo.edu

This publication is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $2,840,574 with 0% percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.