A Brief Overview of UB Med
You may have received information from the school regarding class schedules and the logistics of being in medical school. Don’t worry if you haven’t: often, you won’t receive your class schedule until the day before a class begins. Here is your general schedule: class runs from 8:00-12:00 most days. Sometimes, you’ll have a lecture at 1:00 with a break at noon for lunch. During first semester, you may end up with a lot of 1:00 lectures on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Don’t worry, though: during second semester, you’ll be done by 12:00 with rare exceptions! The syllabus that you will receive will tell you when the tests are. It is our conclusion that the OME (Office of Medical Education) wishes you to get used to this level of independence and efficiency from the start!
At the OME, you will find a staff truly interested in helping you with all of your problems. The OME is located on the first floor atrium across from the mailroom.
Dr. Charles Severin is one of the most vital people in the OME. He acts as a liaison between the medical students, with all of our problems and concerns, and the administration and faculty who are, at times, completely out of touch with us. If you have any concerns or problems, or just want to shoot the breeze, talk to him. He is a very down-to-earth guy and very easy to approach. Dr. Severin will indeed become a valuable resource.
The secretaries in the OME, Mary and Kim, are extremely nice and helpful, especially if you need to make an appointment with Dr. Severin or Dr. Milling.
Dr. Michael Cain is the dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He is a cardiologist by training, and is very interested in cardiology research.
You’ll also find Dr. David Milling in the OME. Dr. Milling is the dean of students for third and fourth years, so you’ll get to know him in a couple of years. He’s approachable and easy to talk to.
Upstairs from the OME, in Medical Admissions, you will find Mr. James Rosso. Mr. Rosso is unbelievably nice, and he is likely to bend over backwards to help you.
No matter where you go in the medical school, you are likely to run into Donna Harber and Leah Keefe. They are in charge of curriculum support, which means that they look after both students and faculty. They always have a smile on their faces, and will be there the morning of the exams to wish you good luck. They're also very helpful and friendly, and always say hi when they see you in the hall.
Don’t look to the OME to get any questions answered about money. For that, you must contact the Office of Financial Aid. Nicole Griffo and Colleen Fox Long are the financial aid advisors for medical students. You can call, email, or make an appointment.
The place that you will come to know best will be Butler Auditorium. This is where most of your lecture classes will be held. You will also spend tons of quality time in G-26 (a.k.a. Ghetto 26, or the G-spot - find an old yearbook and you’ll see why) when another class needs the space in Butler. Don’t take Butler for granted, because although you might get sick of being there, you’ll miss it when you’re forced down into G-26 more permanently in your second year.
Your class is the fifteenth one to use the brand spanking new “systems-based” method of learning (really, it’s not so new anymore). This means that all of the courses focus on specific organ systems in concert, rather than individual academic subjects. This is a far cry from the traditional “block system” in which all classes had no sense of continuity whatsoever.