23 Faculty Members Join 10 Medical School Departments

By Dirk Hoffman

Harbind S. Brar, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

He is a board-certificated internal medicine physician whose clinical practice focuses on comprehensive adult primary care, with an emphasis on preventive medicine, chronic disease management, and the delivery of evidence-based care to diverse patient populations.

Brar competed his residency training at the Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland.

He earned his medical degree from the Ross University School of Medicine.

Haiying Chen, MD, is a clinical associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences.

A pediatric pathologist, his academic interests include pediatric tumors, molecular pathology, Hirschsprung disease and digital pathology.

Chen completed fellowships in pediatric pathology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and in oncological surgery pathology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Care.

He completed a combined residency in anatomic pathology and clinical pathology at Tufts Medical Center.

Cheng received his medical degree from Inner Mongolia Medical College.

Patricia J. Danaher, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of family medicine.

She provides comprehensive, relationship-centered care for older children, adolescents, adults and elderly adults, with clinical interests in preventive care, chronic disease management, women’s health, and whole-person well-being.

Danaher completed her family medicine residency training, including serving as chief resident, at The Washington Hospital in Washington, Pennsylvania.

She earned her medical degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Michael J. Farrell, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

He completed a gastroenterology fellowship at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.

Farrell completed his internal medicine residency training at the Albany Medical College, where he also earned his medical degree.

Karen M. Frank, MD, PhD, is the Peter A. Nickerson, PhD, Professor and chair of pathology and anatomical sciences.

She joins UB from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, where she served as chief of the Department of Laboratory Medicine, senior clinician, and principal investigator, leading clinical laboratory testing essential to first-in-human studies at the nation’s premier research hospital. 

An exceptional leader and scientist, Frank’s career has shaped the fields of clinical pathology and microbiology.

Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including NIH Director’s and Clinical Center Director’s Awards for Ebola and COVID-19 responses, mentoring, and sterile product safety; the Gerald T. Evans Award for outstanding leadership and service; and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Award for Meritorious Service.

Frank’s groundbreaking research on antimicrobial resistance and horizontal gene transfer among Gram-negative bacteria has advanced infectious disease science and informed strategies to combat global health threats.

She completed her clinical pathology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and pursued postdoctoral research in immunology at Boston Children’s Hospital in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute laboratory of Frederick W. Alt, PhD, a renowned scientist recognized for his pioneering work on the mechanisms of genomic stability and immune system diversity in mammalian cells.

Frank earned her medical degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.

Chandra Grabill, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry.

A clinical psychologist, she focuses on biological, psychological, and social influences on people’s mental health and well-being.

Prior to joining the University at Buffalo, Grabill worked in teaching hospitals in the United Kingdom to support patients with serious and long-term health conditions, including those who were going through stem cell transplants, as well as patients with cystic fibrosis.

Her professional work is shared between Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) and the UBMD Center for Advanced Psychiatry. 

At ECMC, Grabill is a member of the psychology training program and is exploring ways that consultation liaison psychology can help patients and medical teams in the hospital.

At UBMD, she uses cognitive-behavioral therapy and other evidence-based psychological interventions to improve the lives of adults and adolescents who are experiencing a range of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.

Grabill completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in clinical psychology from Kent State University.

Maria S. Morgan, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

She is an obstetrician and gynecologist, who also specializes in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. 

Morgan has done research in risk stratification algorithms for pelvic masses in pediatric patients and medical student familiarity with long-acting reversible contraception. 

She completed a pediatric and adolescent gynecology fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto.

Morgan did her obstetrics and gynecology residency training at New York Medical College.

She received her medical degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Joshua Owczarczak, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

He completed an internal medicine-pediatrics residency at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Owczarczak earned his medical degree from the Jacobs School.

Kathleen M. Pierce, DO, is a clinical assistant professor of family medicine.

She completed a family medicine residency at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Pierce received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Ashley Rogers, MD, is a clinical associate professor of surgery.

She is a pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon whose scholarly work focuses on advancing surgical outcomes, surgical education, and career development within craniofacial surgery.

Her research centers on cleft and craniofacial differences, congenital facial anomalies, pediatric facial trauma, and complex reconstructive challenges.

Rogers received her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia.

Anupama Sundaram, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics.

She completed her fellowship and residency training at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.

Sundaram earned her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Arthur F. Weissman, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of family medicine.

His research focuses on addictions, and he serves as program director of the addiction medicine fellowship at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Weissman completed a general surgery residency at the Jacobs School, where he also received his medical degree.

Troy D. Woodard, MD, is professor and chair of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

He is a rhinologist, skull base surgeon, and academic leader whose work is focused on improving the care of patients with complex sinus and skull base disorders while advancing the field of otolaryngology through research, education and mentorship.

Woodard’s scholarly interests include the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, sinonasal inflammation, and complex rhinologic conditions, with particular attention to improving surgical outcomes and developing innovative, minimally invasive approaches to care. 

His research and clinical scholarship have contributed to the growing body of literature guiding modern endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery and improving patient safety and quality of care.

In addition to his research efforts, Woodard has been deeply involved in national leadership within the specialty.

He served as President of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, representing more than 14,000 physicians worldwide, and has held leadership roles in several national organizations dedicated to advancing education, mentorship, and collaboration in otolaryngology.

Woodard completed a sinus and skull base fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia.

He completed an otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at Loyola University Medical School.

Woodard received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The biographical information in the faculty profiles of the following new hires was incomplete at the time of publication:

Manmeet Pal Singh Bhalla, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Susan Burnett, PhD, is a research assistant professor of emergency medicine.

Azam Ghafoor, MD, is a clinical associate professor of medicine.

Rebecca Gold, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Ahsan Gulzar, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

Hussam A. Khan, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

Christian J. Montes, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of medicine.

Samuel H. Moore, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of family medicine.

Maria F. Nunez De La Vega, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of surgery.

Vikranth Raja Raja, MD, is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics.