The Department of Family Medicine at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will launch a new street medicine concentration for family medicine residents, supported by a $2.5 million award from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). UB is one of 24 institutions nationwide and the only one in New York State to receive this Primary Care Training and Enhancement – Residency Training in Street Medicine grant.
Program Structure and Training
Residents interested in the street medicine concentration will be able to apply starting in June. The program will offer two rotation options: an urban rotation through Erie County Medical Center or a rural rotation in Olean through the Universal Primary Care Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center. Rather than operating solely from clinics, residents will provide care in community settings including shelters, transit depots, and streets—a fundamental aspect of street medicine delivery.
The curriculum will include hands-on training in mobile health care delivery, harm reduction, behavioral health integration, and trauma-informed care. Residents will also participate in UB’s Department of Family Medicine peer mentor program, which incorporates individuals with lived experience of homelessness, substance use, behavioral health challenges, and housing insecurity. According to Linda S. Kahn, PhD, research professor of family medicine and co-principal investigator, “Few programs nationwide can offer their residents the experience of being able to work with peer mentors.”
Community Partnerships and Impact
Multiple academic and community partners will contribute to curriculum development and implementation. The Erie County Department of Health will provide harm-reduction training through its Peer Navigator Street Outreach Team. The UB Department of Emergency Medicine will train residents in street-based infection management, wound care, and urgent psychiatric stabilization. Additional partners include UB HEALS, a student-run street medicine initiative, and Healthy Outcomes Partnership & Education (HOPE) of Erie County, which will offer training in justice-involved care and medical-legal partnerships.
According to Frederick Elliott, MD, clinical assistant professor of family medicine, the program aims to change clinical practice long-term. “Long term, these residents will be transforming the way that practices operate,” Elliott said. Recent estimates indicate more than 1,500 unhoused individuals in Western New York, reflecting a growing population nationwide that faces critical gaps in health care access.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2026/02/Family-medicine-residency-street-residency-Buffalo.html