UB Medicine Podcast
Listen to the podcast where transformation meets innovation in health care. Broadcasting from the heart of downtown Buffalo, NY, this exciting series dives deep into the evolving landscape of health and wellness in Western New York.
Episode 18 – Starting Strong at the Jacobs School: Supporting Students in the Transition from High School to College
The transition from high school to college is one of the most exciting—and challenging—periods in a young person’s life. For students pursuing careers in medicine, health care, and science, the first year often brings new academic expectations, greater independence, and important questions about identity, belonging, and purpose.
In this episode of the UB Medicine Podcast, host Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, explores what it takes to help students successfully navigate this critical transition. She is joined by John C. Panepinto, PhD, senior associate dean for biomedical education, and Carissa Uschold-Klepfer, LCSW, assistant director for outreach programs, for a conversation about academic readiness, student wellbeing, resilience, and the evolving role of families.
Together, they discuss the challenges many students face during their first year, how confidence is built through support and early success, and why seeking help is a sign of strength—not weakness. The episode also offers practical advice for incoming students and their families on developing healthy habits, managing stress, building connections, and making the most of the college experience.
Whether you're a student preparing for your first semester, a parent supporting a child through this transition, or an educator committed to student success, this conversation offers valuable insights into helping young people thrive during a pivotal stage of their educational journey.
Check Out Past Episodes
Missed an episode? Tune in to powerful past discussions to discover how Western New York is becoming a hub for health transformation.
Each episode of UB Medicine features candid, insightful conversations with the region’s most respected doctors, medical pioneers and wellness advocates who are redefining what it means to be healthy in today’s world.
Covering a range of themes, episodes of the UB Medicine podcast bring you stories that inspire, inform and empower. Whether you’re a health care professional or someone just looking to live better, this podcast offers real talk, expert opinions, a few surprises, and a local lens on the national health conversation.
Visionary leader Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, hosts the UB Medicine podcast. She is an internationally recognized neurologist, accomplished researcher and health science administrator. Brashear was appointed vice president for health sciences at the University at Buffalo and dean of the Jacobs School in December 2021.
She also leads the strategic integration of interprofessional education and practice, health sciences collaborative research, and clinical programs across the university’s health science schools — the Jacobs school, dental medicine, nursing, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, public health and health professions — as well as programs among our hospital and clinical affiliates.
Brashear is an internationally renowned researcher in movement disorders and an expert in ATP1A3-related diseases, a spectrum of rare neurologic disorders. Additionally, she is a powerful advocate for promoting diverse leaders in medicine and a lifelong champion of advancing women’s leadership in medicine.
She is committed to educating the next generation of medical doctors and research scientists, exploring areas of clinically impactful and cutting-edge discovery science, conducting impactful research, and cultivating relationships through community involvement.