Faculty Profiles
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Urogynecology
Research Summary:
As a Urogynecologist, my clinical practice focuses on the comprehensive care of women with pelvic floor disorders. This includes incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse such as cystoceles and rectoceles, some types of fecal incontinence, painful bladder syndrome and aging of the pelvic floor. I also have an interest in geriatric gynecology and menopause and the multiple medical comorbidities that may occur as a result of aging. My goal is to provide the highest standard of treatment in a caring and comfortable setting, where my patients’ concerns will be heard and their treatment plan will be tailored to fit their needs. I want my patients to feel invested in, and involved with the care I give them. I practice at the Conventus building in Buffalo as well as the UBMD Obstetrics and Gynecology office on Wehrle Drive. I enjoy the teaching and research components of my faculty role, which include mentoring medical students and residents and conducting clinical, translational and basic research. I have a strong interest in collaborating with other subspecialties and disciplines.
Phone: 716-323-0615
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
I am interested in all aspects of Obstetrics and Gynecology and women’s health and practiced for many years doing general Ob/Gyn care. My long-time my clinical focus is the care of women with menopausal and peri-menopausal problems. Midlife can be a challenging time for many women and I try to take a holistic approach to their midlife health issues. I spend a lot of time counseling women about medical and non-medical treatment options, including hormone therapy. I also see women with disorders of the vulva such as chronic pain and difficult-to-treat skin disorders such as lichen sclerosus. Menopause and hormone therapy have also been a large part of my research activities, and I have been an investigator with several of the large clinical trials on the impact of hormone therapy on symptoms and disease, including the Women’s Health Initiative. I assist my faculty with their research projects and love to do multidisciplinary projects that benefit women’s health. I have been very impressed with the friendly and collaborative spirit here in Buffalo and Western New York. Currently, I am working with several multidisciplinary groups on the medical campus and the community investigating links between the microbiome of the pregnant woman and preterm birth, the effects of air pollution on birth outcomes, and strategies to reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy in Erie County. As Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, I take very seriously my roles as mentor and facilitator. I get great pleasure in helping others reach their potential and achieve success in academic medicine, whether they are students, residents in training, or faculty. I am very involved with our health care partners at the University at Buffalo and in our community as we focus on improving the quality and safety of women’s health care. I have been involved with the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology on the Safe Motherhood Initiative which seeks to lower maternal morbidity and mortality through the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, severe hypertension in pregnancy and venous thromboembolic disease.
Phone: (716) 829 2603
Research Summary:
Research in my lab focuses on ion channels. I am interested in how interventions such as ancillary subunits, mutations, drugs, and environmental changes affect the structure-function relationship, and ultimately how this affects cellular electrical activity. We do this using a combination of techniques and approaches including 2 electrode clamp to study heterologously expressed channels, whole cell clamp to record currents in the native cell, and mathematical modelling to understand and interpret results.
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
As a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, I am privileged to provide health care to women of all ages, as a part of the UBMD OB/GYN practice and at the Oishei Children’s Hospital. I also provide prenatal care to women with both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies at these locations, and provide my expertise to family medicine practices in UBMD as a consultant. I have practiced in a wide range of settings over the last eight years, including community health centers, refugee clinics, and rural offices, and this has given me a breadth of experience, not only in the complexities of the medical and surgical problems across many different cultures and lifestyles, but also the cultural needs of patients from diverse backgrounds. I also have extensive experience in minimally-invasive and vaginal gynecological surgery, and my practice has been a major source of vaginal hysterectomy training for University at Buffalo obstetrics and gynecology residents. I also have several years of experience in office procedures for diagnosis of gynecological issues and office sterilization, which is more convenient and easier to tolerate for most patients. I recently returned to Buffalo after completing a General Preventive Medicine residency at the University of Colorado at Denver, where I focused on cancer prevention and control. This additional training has better equipped me to address the cancer risk of my patients, and identify individuals at a greater than average risk of cancer. With that knowledge, more options are available for screening and prevention. This training also provided experience in public health research related to cancer, and how to improve not only practice, but the function of health care systems to take better care of patients at risk for cancer.
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
As a general obstetrician gynecologist, I have the privilege of caring for women through all stages of life. My patients range in age from adolescence to post menopause. I provide preventative services, obstetric care, and treat a full range of gynecologic conditions. My specific interests and expertise include low and high risk obstetric care, postpartum care, contraception, abnormal uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, minimally invasive surgery and menopause. My goal is to provide my patients with the highest level of care. It is important to me that my patients understand all of their options to enable them to make the most informed decision regarding their medical care. I see patients at UBMD Obstetrics and Gynecology on Wehrle Drive in Williamsville. I perform deliveries and surgeries at Oishei Children‘s Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. As a faculty physician, I am passionate about medical student and resident education. I am dedicated to training the next generation of physicians to provide kind and compassionate care for their patients. I have always enjoyed working with students and residents, and have been recognized for excellence in both medical student and resident education.
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
I am an obstetrician and gynecologist who cares for adult patients and is also fellowship trained in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. The scope of my practice includes the care of children and adolescents with anomalies of the reproductive tract, genital lesions and infections, problems with puberty, abnormal menstrual bleeding, painful menses, ovarian masses, and contraceptive need, including young women with significant medical conditions. I also care for older women with general ob/gyn concerns and those in need of gynecologic surgery and have a special interest in treating women with menstrual abnormalities and counseling on contraceptive options. As Associate Dean for Medical Curriculum at the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Science and Vice Chair of Medical Education in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, I am committed to advancing medical education. In my role at the medical school, I am actively involved in shaping the medical curriculum so that students will continue to receive the most up-to-date medical knowledge in an environment where newer, most effective, teaching techniques are being applied. I also train medical students and residents in the clinic, hospital floors, labor ward, and operating room and I have a mission to improve the quality of medical education for our trainees. The masters degrees I received in both Public Health and Health Professions Education have helped reinforce to me the importance of providing holistic care to our patients in a collaborative manner with other health professionals. This is the approach I use with my patients in my daily practice and strive to train medical students and residents in the value of these ideals. My efforts appear to be well received in that I have been awarded numerous teaching awards from medical students and residents for my work with them in the classroom, hospital and clinic. I believe that my passion for taking care of women with reproductive problems shines through whether I am taking care of my patients or speaking in the classroom.
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
As a general obstetrician-gynecologist, I care for girls and women at all stages of their lives. I provide preventative services, evaluate and treat various gynecologic conditions, emphasize patient education and promote safe and healthy relationships for the girls and women I care for. I have a special interest in gynecologic conditions in the pediatric-adolescent population. In addition to providing prenatal and peripartum care, managing contraceptive options and performing annual gynecologic exams, I care for patients who have abnormal vaginal bleeding, endometriosis, pelvic pain, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, vulvovaginal complaints, menopausal symptoms and abnormal pap smears, among other conditions. I see patients at our UBMD Obstetrics and Gynecology offices on Wehrle Drive in Williamsville and in the Conventus building in Buffalo. I deliver babies and perform surgeries primarily at Oishei Children‘s Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. My area of interest in research is in medical education, specifically interprofessional education (IPE). I also collaborate with Dr. Xiaozhang Wen, in UB’s Department of Pediatrics, to study lifestyle behaviors of pregnant women (i.e., smoking and dietary choices) and the impact on neonatal and childhood obesity of their offspring. I am committed to training the next generation of physicians and have been recognized throughout my career for excellence in education. I am the clerkship director for medical students’ third-year obstetrics and gynecology rotation, and I also coordinate electives and sub-internships for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I serve as a research mentor for residents and medical students. I routinely train and supervise residents from obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine and family medicine in all clinical settings. Additionally, I collaborate with faculty from UB’s School of Nursing and staff at the Behling Simulation Center to conduct IPE simulation sessions. The sessions involve medical students, obstetrics and gynecology residents and nursing students, with the goal of training physicians and nurses to work as a team. Right now, my collaborators and I are conducting labor and delivery scenarios, but we are exploring other scenarios in order to provide sessions for our trainees throughout the academic year.
Phone:
Specialty/Research Focus:
Maternal - Fetal Medicine; Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
My subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology is maternal-fetal medicine, which involves caring for both mothers and unborn babies in high-risk pregnancies. As division director for maternal-fetal medicine and medical director of the Perinatal Center, I am responsible for promoting education, research, and systems of care that maintain and improve the safety and health outcomes for the mothers and infants of Buffalo and Western New York. The Regional Perinatal Center at Oishei Children’s Hospital provides the advanced level of care needed for the pregnancies referred for consultation or transfer for serious, and often life-threatening, conditions. Efficient and effective communications and collaboration with all the western New York hospitals and physicians providing obstetrical services are vital system responsibilities for our regional perinatal center. My colleagues and I also help train the physicians and research scientists who will continue to provide health improvements into the future. I have been especially honored to receive awards for teaching physicians in training. My training and academic career has given me experience in a number of organizations and cultures that can be useful in designing, building, and managing complex systems of population based perinatal care. Most recently, I served as the initiating chair for hiring and designing a new department of obstetrics and gynecology for a women and children’s hospital being built in Doha, Qatar. Previous experience with the NY State Regional Perinatal System was extremely useful as I faced that task. I am pleased to be back in New York now and excited to participate in the current challenges and opportunities we have to develop a world class center of excellence in perinatal care here in Buffalo.
Phone: (716) 323-0715
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Research Summary:
As a generalist obstetrician gynecologist at UBMD, I care for patients at our OBGYN outpatient location on Wehrle Drive, and I perform deliveries and surgeries at both Oishei Children’s Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. My clinical practice is concentrated on the comprehensive care of women throughout all stages of their reproductive health. In particular, I am experienced in providing preventive health services, family planning, treatment of various gynecologic conditions, and prenatal care, including vaginal and cesarean delivery of both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. In the surgical setting, I perform gynecologic procedures utilizing both conventional and robotic laparoscopy. During patient visits, my focus is on developing rapport, tailoring my care to the individual needs of each patient, and delivering the highest quality of care. My training both locally and internationally have provided me with a broad skill set, as well as awareness of cultural and social determinants of healthcare. Through my experiences working in West Africa, India, Haiti, and upstate New York, I have gained exposure to women’s health in a diversity of settings. My training has provided me with the unique opportunity to practice obstetrics and gynecology at both a tertiary academic center as well as a community hospital. As a educator in both academic outpatient and hospital settings, I am committed to training future healthcare providers in the remarkable field of obstetrics and gynecology with an overarching focus on public health, evidence-based medicine, and continual quality improvement.
Phone:
Specialty/Research Focus:
Obstetrics and Gynecology; Reproductive Endocrinology
Research Summary:
My expertise and special interest are Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility within the broader area of Women’s Health. In these areas I have done my teaching, research and administrative work. • One of my earlier studies on laparoscopic surgical treatment for infertile women heralded in the new age of minimally invasive surgery. • I surgically treated a series of individuals with disorders of sexual development and with the University Department of Media Studies I created an educational video on vaginoplasty. • The University and the Veterans Hospital of Buffalo identified a need to create a Women’s Health Care Program within the VA, where more than 97% of patients were male. I was given this challenge, completed it, and received a Letter of Commendation from the VA. The VAs of Buffalo, Batavia, and Rochester, NY saw the numbers of women grow with the Program from a few hundred to several thousand. New women’s clinic facilities were built in Batavia and Rochester and the “Helen Jacob Women’s Wellness Center” in Buffalo. I organized a series of comprehensive health fairs, and worked with service and women’s organizations and military units to promote the Program. The VA hospital provided state of the art equipment, medication and laboratory tests on site for comprehensive evaluation and treatment of women, except for obstetrical services. The Program became a model for the VA. I organized a series of educational conferences about the Program for the VA and testified about women’s health before the congressional subcommittee on Veterans Affairs.
