UB Neurosurgery to Host DEI/URM Summer Scholar

By Dirk Hoffman

The goal of the program — which includes 15 nationally recognized institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania — is to create a more equitable neurosurgical work force.

Twenty-one medical students between their first and second year who are underrepresented in medicine (URM) and have overcome adversity to obtain a medical education, were admitted to the program, and will be paired with a team of mentors, including neurosurgeons, neurosurgery residents, scientists, and researchers at the 15 institutions.

They will be able to participate in shadowing both in the clinic and operating rooms. Additionally, the students will participate in both clinical and basic science research under the guidance of research mentors. Students are required to be in person for the duration of the 9-week fellowship.

“Given our commitment to excellence and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as demonstrated by our resident complement over the last several years since I became chair, UBNS was considered for this prestigious program,” says Elad I. Levy, MD, MBA, SUNY Distinguished Professor and the L. Nelson Hopkins III, MD, Professor and Chair of neurosurgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

“As the top-ranked neurosurgery training program in the USA by volume, and also one of the most productive research institutions, as defined by the number of papers per year, UBNS is positioned well to help students accelerate careers in academic neurosurgery.”

“As an immigrant myself who came to this country with very little, I remain committed and passionate to creating opportunities for exceptional students from all backgrounds,” adds Levy, who was born in Israel.

Michael Lee Glaze Jr., a first-year medical student at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, will be joining UBNS on June 3.

Glaze says he found out about the DEI/URM summer research scholarship through an upperclassman at Toledo who participated in the program last summer.

“I find the brain to be the most valuable piece of human machinery, so it’s critically important to keep it healthy and strong,” he says. “It holds the information that makes us human, such as who our family members are, what it means to love, our personality and the multitude of skills and abilities that we acquire throughout our lives.”

Renée Reynolds, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery and director of the neurosurgery residency program, says students interested in the DEI/URM summer research scholarship program were asked to identify and then rank the programs participating in the initiative by their interest.

Students who listed UB on their applications participated in videoconference interviews with Levy, Reynolds and Jeffrey P. Mullin, MD, MBA, assistant professor of neurosurgery and assistant program director of the neurosurgery residency program.

“During this interview, the candidate’s background, interest in neurosurgery, research background and other interests and details were discussed to find who we felt was the best fit for our program and the opportunities within it,” Reynolds says.

“Michael certainly stood out as that person and was offered the position within our department and eagerly accepted.”

During his interview, Glaze says he was told, “Michael, we want you here.”

“Those words still resonate with me and bring a smile to my face. It’s such a great feeling to be wanted and welcomed and that is what attracts me the most about the University at Buffalo,” he says. “I know the pain of being ostracized and being treated like an outcast, so it’s wonderful to be accepted.”

“I’ve heard that UB Neurosurgery is in the top 20 of academic productivity, about their commitment to train their residents on current technology and how the attendings make time for the residents outside of class,” says Glaze, a native of Columbus, Ohio, and the first person in his family to attend medical school.

“The idea of being at a top-ranked school with supervisors that are dedicated to the success of those they train, while taking the time to pour into them outside of academia is truly phenomenal. I’m looking forward to spending the summer at the University at Buffalo.”