Lee Foundation grants aim to train, retain UB psychology and psychiatry students in Western New York

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Patrick P. Lee Foundation has given two grants totaling $494,250 to the University at Buffalo for student internships and scholarships.

The first grant will support a psychology doctoral internship program at UB, overseen by Daniel Antonius, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry. Antonius also directs the forensic psychiatry division in the Department of Psychiatry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB.

“The psychology doctoral internship provides one year of fulltime training that serves as the transition between doctoral study and professional life, and is the capstone experience in doctoral psychology training,” Antonius said.

“We believe the internship has the potential to substantially benefit Western New York, where there is a lack of mental health professionals and treatment resources,” he continued.

“The internship will provide advanced training and high-quality trainees and services here, with the goal of retaining these psychologists in the area upon graduation from the program. This, in turn, will add invaluable quality and recognition to the mental health field in Western New York.”

The second grant is a renewal of the foundation’s commitment to the Western New York Medical School Scholarship Program, which provides full scholarships to students in psychiatry who pledge to work in the eight-county region after graduation.

Steven L. Dubovsky, MD, professor and chair of the UB psychiatry department, said he is grateful for the “generous gift” from the Lee Foundation to the scholarship program, which “supports third- and fourth-year students committed to going into psychiatry and remaining in Western New York for at least five years.”

Jane Mogavero, executive director of the Lee Foundation, said the foundation is grateful for the university’s partnership and commitment to mental health issues.

“These grants are very complementary and well aligned with the Lee Foundation’s goal to promote a well-trained, experienced mental health workforce in Western New York,” Mogavero said.

“To address the considerable shortage of mental health professionals, specifically psychiatrists and psychologists, in our community, the Lee Foundation will continue to fund scholarships for medical students entering psychiatry,” she said.

She added: “And we will expand our support to develop a psychology doctoral internship. With a focus on serious mental illness, the internship will ensure students do not need to leave Western New York to complete their training.”

The Patrick P. Lee Foundation, based in Williamsville, New York, focuses its investments in mental health and education. Patrick P. Lee, who built International Motion Control, a worldwide conglomerate with manufacturing facilities, formed the foundation in 2005.

Boldly Buffalo: The Campaign for UB is the largest fundraising campaign announced by a State University of New York school and the largest in UB history. It will raise $650 million to transform student experiences, empower faculty research and discovery, and improve local and global communities.

Boldly Buffalo is a university-wide initiative, with 17 UB schools, colleges and units declaring goals and fundraising priorities. When successfully completed, the campaign will create more scholarships and student experience programs, including study abroad and internships; will renovate and build innovative new facilities where students learn, create and discover; and will bring more talented professors, researchers and teachers to campus.