Sauret to direct Family Practice Residency Program

Dr. Elliott Dr. Gebhard Dr. Sauret

Three area physicians have assumed new leadership roles at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s Family Practice Residency Program, Niagara County’s only academically based, hands-on training curriculum for physicians.

John M. Sauret, M.D., F.A.A.F.P., assistant professor and former residency program director in the Department of Family Medicine at The State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is the new director of the program.

Dr. Sauret received his medical degree from the Catholic University of Navarra, Spain, and completed a family practice residency at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where he also served as chief resident. Dr. Sauret is board certified in family medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. For the past nine years, his bilingual skills and family medicine training have allowed him to effectively serve the predominantly Hispanic community on Buffalo's West Side. In addition, he is a published author in several medical journals and has been training and teaching family medicine residents and medical students at the University at Buffalo for several years.

“I am delighted to return to my alma mater to serve the medical community at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and direct its family medicine residency program,” Dr. Sauret said.

Serving as associate director of the program is Dr. F. Michael Elliott, a 2005 graduate of Memorial’s Family Practice Residency Program. Dr. Elliott, a UB Medical School graduate who served the first two years of his medical residency in the Department of Pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine, will supervise and mentor student physicians at Memorial, attending patient rounds and responding to night call-ins with them as well as attending and delivering lectures.

Also joining the Family Practice Residency faculty is Dr. Roberta Gebhard, an assistant clinical professor in the University at Buffalo Department of Family Medicine and a house physician at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Kenmore Mercy Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga. A graduate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Gebhard also chairs the membership and program committees of the National American Medical Women’s Association.

Dr. Sauret, Dr. Elliott and Dr. Gebhard are also accepting new patients at the Hamilton B. Mizer Primary Care Clinic on 10th Street at Ferry Avenue.

Dr. Melvin B. Dyster, the founder of the Family Practice Residency Program, will remain with the program as a mentor to its 12 student physicians, a move that will allow him to devote more time to his private practice.

“Dr. Dyster has done a tremendous job of growing the Family Practice Residency Program and shepherding it into the 21st century,” said Joseph A. Ruffolo, Memorial’s president and CEO. “Thanks to him, we have been able to recruit, train and retain many highly qualified family practice physicians. His continued association with the program will allow him to continue to sharing his knowledge and wisdom with young physicians who are following in his footsteps.”

Four new first year residents – Dr. Timothy Donovan, Dr. Irina Volkova, Dr. Amy Burke and Dr. Matthew Bennett – began their residency training at Memorial on June 20. Dr. Arin Bunchien joined the program July 1 as a second year resident. Also enrolled in the three-year program are Drs. Aleksandr Krivonovskiy, Svetlana Kovtunova, Shelli Kogan, Sameera Raza, Tokzhan Clay, Haftu Gebrehiwot and Yi Wang.