Jacobs School student gets to work with the Buffalo Bills’ medical team this summer

BUFFALO, N.Y. –Mohamed Bah, a rising third-year student at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, is looking forward to working with the widely lauded Buffalo Bills medical team in a clinical rotation in August.

Bah is one of just 19 medical students in the U.S. chosen to be part of the National Football League Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative.

A joint program of the NFL Physicians Society and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society, the initiative is aimed at increasing and diversifying the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine, with the ultimate goal of diversifying NFL club medical staff.

“As an outstanding student and successful athlete with a strong interest in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, Mohamed was a perfect match for this extraordinary opportunity,” says Nicholas J. Silvestri, MD, professor of neurology in the Jacobs School and associate dean for student and academic affairs. “We are so proud that he will be representing the Jacobs School, working alongside the members of the Buffalo Bills’ world-class medical team.” Silvestri is a physican with UBMD Neurology.

Growing up in Staten Island, Bah played soccer and basketball, and ran track and field at Curtis High School. He continued to participate in these sports as an undergraduate at Howard University. But while he loved athletics, his favorite subjects in school were always science and math, so medicine always seemed like a possible career path, especially since his mother is a nurse. When his younger brother was diagnosed with autism, he gained insight into the challenges of living with a medical condition, solidifying his interest in medical school.

A graduate of Howard University, Bah chose the Jacobs School for its strong academic reputation. As a student from an underserved area, he may return to his hometown to practice. “Once I graduate, I plan to go back and help my community,” he says.

In the meantime, he’s been having fun preparing for his rotation with the Bills in August, adding, “It will be great to work with one of the most prominent teams, not just in Buffalo, but in the country.”

Among the members of the Bills medical staff that Bah will be working with are Jacobs School faculty members and UBMD Orthopedics and Sports Medicine physicians Leslie J. Bisson, MD, the June A. and Eugene R. Mindell, MD, Professor and Chair of Orthopedics , and Marc S. Fineberg, MD, clinical associate professor in the department, both of whom recently received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2023 ESPY Awards.