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Residents
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Birthplace: Somalia
College: Excelsior
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Medical/Research Interests:
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Horseback riding, soccer, hiking
How did you hear about our residency program? SAEM Website
About the Residency:
About Buffalo: Great place to live - no traffic jams, 1 1/2 hours from Toronto, water everywhere, good for boating.
Additional Comments: Great faculty is the secret of the Emergency Medicine program.
Research Project:
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Alejandro Casillas, MD |
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Birthplace: Mexico
College: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Medical School: USC Keck School of Medicine
(University of Southern California)
Medical/Research Interests: Ultrasound
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Bicycling, Tennis, Kayaking, Technology,
Travel, Movies
How did you hear about our residency program? From my wife
About the Residency: You practice in a variety of hospitals to provide a varied experience, from a small community-based ED to tertiary care centers. Your ED experience also includes working at teh Children's Hospital, so you get experience taking care of hte most complex pediatric cases.
About Buffalo: Buffalo wings, lakes, casinos, bars, parks, festivals. The spring and summer are great. Cost of living is low. The winters aren't bad -- and yes I'm from California.
Research Project: Use of Ultrasound for the Placement of a Transvenous Pacemaker
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Jonathan Coolidge, MD |
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Birthplace: Burlington, Vermont
College: College of the Holy Cross
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Medical/Research Interests:
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Anything outdoors
How did you hear about our residency program? End of the I-90 corridor
About the Residency:
About Buffalo:
Research Project:
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S. Justin DeLuca, MD |
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Birthplace: Gainesville, Florida
College: University of Florida...Go Gators!
Medical School: University of Florida
Medical/Research Interests: Ultrasound, High Altitude & Wilderness Medicine, Sports Medicine
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Outdoor activities, skiing, flying, skydiving, college football, watching sunsets along the beach, former hand model
How did you hear about our residency program? FRIEDA
About the Residency:
About Buffalo: Great city with low cost of living. Some of the best food I have ever eaten.
Research Project:
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Matt Hoertkorn, DO |
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Birthplace: Bremerton, Washington
College: University of Washington
Medical School: Des Moines University
Medical/Research Interests: Ultrasound, EMS
Scholarly Research Track: EMS
Personal Interests: Working on old cars, photography
How did you hear about our residency program? The internet
About the Residency:
About Buffalo:
Research Project:
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Heather Janik, MD |
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Birthplace: Syracuse, New York
College: SUNY at Buffalo
Medical School: SUNY at Buffalo
Medical/Research Interests: I'm still exploring...there's so much!
Scholarly Research Track: Academic
Personal Interests: Cooking; baking; anything outdoors; spending time with family, friends and my Maltese (Sabre)
How did you hear about our residency program? I had the opportunity to shadow emergency medicine physicians from this program as an undergraduate and did a few rotations in Emergency Medicine as a medical student (clinical and research)
About the Residency: The faculty members are so excited to teach, and even as a medical student I had one-on-one contact with almost all of the attending physicians. I was given constant feedback and important lessons on each case. There is so much variety within the program itself. We train at five different emergency departments with unique experiences and patient populations. I'll be ready for anything! Ultrasound is VERY strong here, but there are so many opportunities to learn about other aspects of emergency medicine (EMS, public health, administration, telemedicine, etc.). Overall, it's a great program!
About Buffalo: Known as the "City of Good Neighbors", the people are amazingly friendly and there is a strong sense of community. I remember we had a terrible snowstorm during the Superbowl a few years ago and had NO food in the house (we planned on ordering out that day). As we paced around the house, wondering how we could survive the game without food, we heard a knock on the door and there was our neighbor with a pot full of hot, homemade buffalo chicken wing soup just in time for kickoff! Buffalo has a ton of events all summer long that really brings the community together (Thursday in the Square, Canalfest, Polish Fest, Italian Fest, Irish Fest, etc.). It's a great place for family and single life. During the busiest hours of the day, I've never come to a complete stop on the highway and you can get anywhere in 20 minutes. We have awesome family-owned restaurants that serve every appetite and taste! I didn't grow up here, but I call this home and I plan to stay!
Research Project: Can the Use of Capnography in the Emergency Department Predict the Need for Hospitalization in Adults Presenting with Respiratory Distress?
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Melissa Kohn, MD |
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Birthplace: Hollywood, Florida
College: University of Delaware (Go Blue Hens!)
Medical School: University of Illinois-Rockford
Medical/Research Interests: Toxicology, EMS, Amateur Athletic Events Medical Services
Scholarly Research Track: EMS
Personal Interests: Dogs, running, sewing, outdoor activities, travel
How did you hear about our residency program?
Hasn't everyone??
About the Residency: The program is fantastic! There are so many opportunities to choose from, it's really what you make of them. The research tracks are helpful in making you reach your goals and requirements, but aren't too strict that you couldn't help out on other projects if you're interested. The variety of hospitals and patients provide a wide spectrum and a good solid education, preparing you well for the future. Our faculty are very intelligent, but still easily approachable and very willing to teach.
About Buffalo: The rent is very affordable and the people are very friendly. The weather is fine, just bring a good coat and warm boots! There are a ton of great neighborhoods that there will be one that fits whatever you're looking for. There are so many things to do in Buffalo, it's just a matter of having enough time to do them all! The city seems to have a bit of a Midwestern feel since the people are pretty welcoming. But you're still close enough to all the major cities on the East Coast.
Additional Comments: I've lived up and down the east coast but consider Philadelphia my home.
Research Project: Planning EMS / Medical services for a large amateur athletic event
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Joshua Lynch, DO |
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Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
College: University at Buffalo
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical/Research Interests: EMS, Tactical Medicine
Scholarly Research Track: EMS
Personal Interests: Skiing, biking, music, reading, cooking, spending time with my family and friends
How did you hear about our residency program? Current faculty
About the Residency: The goal of residency should be to prepare you to work and be comfortable in any environment. By rotating through a children's hospital, a county trauma center (ECMC), a large medical center (Buffalo General), a large suburban hospital, and a smaller rural hospital, you have exposure to a range of emergency departments. Not only do you acquire experience working in a variety of clinical settings but you become quick to adapt to new computer systems, nursing styles, etc. Leaving the residency program here, you will have extensive experience in trauma, ultrasound, EMS (including time on a fly car), telemedicine, and many more subsets of emergency medicine. There are several areas of interest (tracks) that you may choose from to explore one aspect of emergency medicine in depth over the course of the residency (EMS, administration, education, research, ultrasound, telemedicine/telehealth, etc.). Graduating with exposure to several types of emergency departments in conjunction with the completion of a specialty track will make you a very desirable employee to prospective employers.
About Buffalo: A great place to live! Everyone knows everyone so it is very easy to meet people. The summers are beautiful here and the snow isn't so bad!
Research Project: Safety Profile of Propofol Infusions During Air Medical Transport: A Case Series
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Snehal Patel, MD |
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Chief Resident

Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey
College: University of Rochester
Medical School: SUNY at Buffalo
Medical/Research Interests: EMS, Ultrasound, Academic Emergency Medicine, International Emergency Medicine, Flight Medicine
Scholarly Research Track: EMS
Personal Interests: Travel, photography
How did you hear about our residency program? Medical School
About the Residency:
About Buffalo: A great city with a "small town" feel. You can find almost anything to do or see if you look hard enough. Great summers and winters (if you like the snow). Really friendly people!
Research Project:
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Rajinder (Ruby) Sekhon, MD |
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Birthplace: Fresno, California
College: UC San Diego
Medical School: UC San Diego
Medical/Research Interests: Ultrasound, Academic Emergency Medicine,
Disaster Emergency Medicine
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Traveling, cooking, watching new movies,
world/current events, trying new restaurants, reading crime/mystery novels
How did you hear about our residency program? SAEM
About the Residency: You will get to work at multiple sites that will give you exposure to a diverse group of patients and clinical presentations. I believe this setting will prepare you for whatever type of of ED you choose to practice in after residency. We have great faculty here with multiple research interests who genuinely care about your well-being. The research tracks are also a unique quality to this program.
About Buffalo: Living expenses are very low here compared to other cities, which allows you to have extra money at the end of the month for other personal expenses. Niagara Falls is only 30 minutes away and it is amazing every time. Toronto is about 1.5 hrs away which is a really beautiful city with lots to do/see, great variety in restaurants, and with great shopping now that the value of the dollar has gone up. The snow is not that bad as long as you have the right clothes and it only comes in spurts.
Research Project:
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Lane Smith, MD |
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Birthplace: Columbus, Indiana
College: Walsh University
Medical School: University of Toledo
Medical/Research Interests: Sports Medicine, Forensics
Scholarly Research Track: Ultrasound
Personal Interests: Football, track, tennis, racquetball, fishing, movies, music
How did you hear about our residency program? SAEM, studentdoctor.net
About the Residency:
About Buffalo: A nice place to live; the people are very friendly
Research Project:
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Stephanie Wodowski, DO |
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Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
College: Providence College
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical/Research Interests: Women's Health, International Medicine
Scholarly Research Track: Public Health
Personal Interests: Anything outdoors or sports-related, travel, music - singing / playing piano
How did you hear about our residency program? Rotated here as a 4th year visiting student
About the Residency:
About Buffalo: I'm from Buffalo, left after high school and was not sure that I'd ever reside here again. Now that I'm back, I'm thrilled to be here! The food, the things to do, and the people (particularly all the jolly Polish) make this a great location....AND Syracuse gets more snow than we do.
Research Project:
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