Highlighting UB’s Impact on Health of WNY Community

By Dirk Hoffman

Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, UB’s vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, gave the keynote address titled “Transforming Health Care in Western New York and Beyond.”

In her introduction of Brashear, Melissa L. Rayhill, MD ’10, clinical associate professor of neurology and outgoing president of the Jacobs School’s Medical Alumni Association (MAA), noted as a renowned neurologist and expert in ATP1A3-related diseases, Brashear has been reshaping health care in Western New York and beyond since her appointment in 2021.

“Her bold vision and tireless commitment have integrated education, research, and clinical programs across UB’s health sciences schools, strengthening partnerships with hospital and community affiliates,” she said.

“As president and CEO of UBMD Physicians’ Group and a member of UB’s senior leadership team, Dr. Brashear drives innovation and excellence in health care delivery, education and research. Under her leadership, the Jacobs School has been ranked among America’s Best Graduate Schools for 2025-2026 by US News & World Report, placing in the top 50% of medical programs nationwide in both primary care and research.”

Brashear thanked Rayhill for her “outstanding leadership” as president of the MAA and noted that Jessica A. Donhauser, MD ’13, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, will be the new incoming president.

“Melissa’s dedication and vision have truly made a difference, and we are immensely grateful for her years of service,” she said. “We are excited about the future under Jessica’s leadership and look forward to continued growth and success for our association.”

Brashear said the goal of UB, and all of its health sciences schools, is to improve and transform the health of Western New York and the rest of the country.

She said UB is going about this by:

•  developing medical leaders by prioritizing strategic coordination

•  shaping the future with cutting-edge researcher training

•  fostering growth by contributing to startups, attracting recruits, and retaining trainees in WNY

“One of the reasons we want Western New York to be healthy is because we want businesses to come to Western New York and thrive,” Brashear said. “We want to create a partnership with them and make sure we have a robust economy for many years to come.”

“We are here to bring more people, new chairs, more research, train more physicians and other sub-interests and bring all those people to Western New York.”

One of the ways UB is committed to transforming the health of WNY is through all of its schools of health, Brashear said.

“We have 12 decanal units and six of them represent the schools of health,” she said. “Fifty percent of our schools are focused on improving health.”

Beyond the Jacobs School, UB has the School of Nursing, School of Public Health and Health Professions, School of Dental Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the School of Social Work.

“All of these professions are really needed in WNY, so we train in the areas, not just of medicine, but in all of the health professions,” Brashear said.

Brashear noted the Jacobs School has K-12 outreach in the STEM fields in some Buffalo city schools.

“We also have the fourth largest undergraduate program at UB; we have a robust graduate program, including master’s and doctoral degrees; we have a number of programs in our MD footprint; and then of course we have our residencies and fellowships,” she said.

“The word continuum is one I would like people to remember. UB trains people across the continuum. We start early and we want everyone to practice here and stay in Buffalo.”

Brashear noted the Jacobs School is the “keystone of health sciences downtown,” and said the new Well Beyond medical curriculum launched last July “teaches medical students to be leaders and lifelong learners. They work with community-based organizations and are required to complete a research project before graduation.”

Brashear also highlighted the Jacobs School’s “deep partnership” with Kaleida Health, Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), Catholic Health, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Care and the VA Western New York Healthcare System.

“We rely on our hospital partners. We have such a strong physician footprint, that is the secret sauce,” she said. “We could not do anything without our hospital partners.”

“The Jacobs School also has a very robust clinical group. UBMD is the clinical arm of our medical school,” Brashear said. “Our chairs are very involved in developing robust clinical programs, both within their departments, and in the ambulatory centers, and in partnership with our hospitals. When you walk into area hospitals or emergency rooms, you are most likely going to see one of our faculty members.”

UB is also partnering with Kaleida Health and ECMC to overhaul the electronic health records system in Western New York.

“Right now, medical records in Buffalo and Western New York are somewhat of a challenge because everyone is on different medical records platforms,” she said. “We are all going to Epic, which is what most academic health systems are on. This will present a robust opportunity to improve access and decrease the cost of care. It will also help to increase clinical trial participation because it interfaces with the clinical trial platform that is already in place.”

“This will be significant for our researchers, our students and for our practice groups when UB goes live in the fall of 2026.”

Brashear underscored the importance of primary care by mentioning a new program, the Buffalo Initiative, designed to train more physicians in this critical area. “We want to provide scholarships to individuals who are going into primary care, guarantee them a residency and then a job here,” she said.

The Buffalo Initiative intends to place four primary care physicians annually in the east and west Buffalo communities. “The goal is also to keep more of our residents, of which we have 830 under our purview, here in Buffalo. We are in the top 10 percent of the largest residency programs in the entire country.”

Brashear noted that research also continues to drive better health outcomes.

“Innovation is at the heart and soul of UB. We are going to drive innovation and fold artificial intelligence into that.”

She noted that drug discovery comes out of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding — citing that 30% of pharmaceutical drugs are discovered in academic labs. Brashear said funding from NIH has contributed to 99.4% of drugs approved from 2010 to 2019, totaling $187 billion.

Brashear said the fact that the Jacobs School had $69 million in research awards in fiscal year 2024 is evidence that it and all of the health science schools are big drivers of research funding at UB.

In terms of proposal counts, the Jacobs School led UB at 32% of all university activity.

“And we are not taking our foot off the gas, no matter what is thrown at us,” she said. “We are still going to be submitting grants, we are still going to be nurturing the next generation.”

“We are still going to think innovatively — we may have to find additional sources of funding for these types of research opportunities, but we are not taking our foot off the gas. Because we believe that research is part of making the community healthy.”

In summary, Brashear stated that the Jacobs School’s efforts are about trying to improve health across the continuum — “from K-12, all the way to people becoming physicians. By partnership with our hospitals, by using education, research and a robust clinical environment.”

“And this commitment is not just from the Jacobs School, but it is also from UB, as evidenced by the robust health sciences schools that we have and are incredibly proud of,” she said. “As alums, these are all pieces as to why you should be very proud of UB.”

The May 3 event was made possible by the D.W. Harrington Lecture Endowment. The Harrington is UB’s longest-running lecture series, established in 1896.

The event is a collaboration between partners in the Jacobs School, the Medical Alumni Association, Office of Medical Advancement and the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Following Brashear’s lecture, she joined a panel of academic health leaders moderated by Rayhill to speak about ways in which UB is shaping the future of health care in Western New York and beyond.

Other panelists were:

• Benny L. Joyner Jr., MD, the A. Conger Goodyear Professor and Chair of pediatrics
• Blackford Middleton, MD ’85, most recently the chief informatics and innovation officer at Apervita, Inc., a leading platform in health care data and analytics
• David A. Milling, MD ’93, executive director of the Office of Medical Education and senior associate dean for medical education 
• Beth A. Smith, MD, ’00, professor and chair of psychiatry and chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Daniel Woo, MD, professor and Irvin and Rosemary Smith Endowed Chair of neurology
  

The Jacobs School Distinguished Alumni Awards were also presented to:

• David A. Milling, MD, ’93, who received the MAA’s “Medical Alumnus of the Year” award.
  
  “Dr. Milling has dedicated his career to advancing medical education, mentoring future physicians, and fostering a more diverse health care workforce,” said Rayhill, who counts herself among those whose career has been influenced by Milling. “His leadership has been instrumental in the launch of the Well Beyond curriculum and the integration of innovative, student-centered learning experiences at the Jacobs School.”
  
  Milling oversees admissions, curriculum, and student and academic affairs as the executive director of the Office of Medical Education and as senior associate dean for medical student education.
  
  “Dr. Milling has directed critical pathway programs, led UB’s simulation and clinical competency centers, and continues to practice as a primary care physician with UBMD Internal Medicine. I share some patients with you, and they adore you,” Rayhill said to Milling.
  
  “His impact on our medical community — both here at UB and far beyond — is profound and lasting.”
  
  “You truly have shaped a generation of physicians who share your values — our UB values,” Rayhill said. “It is with deep gratitude and pride that we recognize Dr. David A. Milling today.”

• Margaret Paroski, MD ’80, who was honored with the “Distinguished Medical Alumna” award.
  
  Paroski is a distinguished neurologist and a dedicated leader who has profoundly impacted the medical landscape, Brashear said, noting her remarkable career has been characterized by significant contributions to medical education, clinical practice and health care administration.
  
  Paroski currently serves as the chief medical officer of Catholic Medical Partners, a large independent practice association, where she also served as president and CEO from April 2020 until this past March.
  
  “Her leadership has been pivotal in driving clinical integration, standardization of care, and fostering strong physician relations within the organization,” Brashear said. 
  
  Throughout her career, Paroski has held significant roles, including medical director at Erie County Medical Center, senior associate dean and interim dean at the Jacobs School and executive vice president at Kaleida Health.
  
  Her commitment to the Jacobs School is further exemplified by her more than 40 years as a dedicated faculty member in neurology, during which she received multiple teaching awards and served as the neurology clerkship director for 28 years.
  
  “Even after her formal retirement in 2019, Dr. Paroski continues to contribute as emeritus faculty, holding a volunteer faculty appointment and teaching at the medical school,” Brashear said.

• Menghang Xia, PhD ’93, who received the “Distinguished Biomedical Alumna” award, an honor bestowed upon graduates who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and made significant and lasting contributions to the biomedical field.
  
  Xia’s journey began with her doctoral degree in pharmacology and toxicology from the Jacobs School , where she was mentored by Suzanne G. Laychock, PhD. It was the foundation upon which she has built an extraordinary scientific career.
  
  Following postdoctoral training at the University of California at San Francisco, Xia has risen to prominence at the National Institutes of Health, currently serving as the Group Leader of Systems Toxicology at NCATS.
  
  “In this role, she has been instrumental in the development and validation of numerous in vitro assays, significantly advancing our understanding of chemical safety and environmental health,” Brashear said.
  
  Xia’s extensive scholarly contributions, including numerous publications, book editorships, and presentations, have established her as a leading voice in toxicology.