Our Leadership Team

Messages of Welcome from our Team

Welcome to the University of Rochester Family Medicine Rural Residency! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We are very excited to be expanding our program with the launch of our rural training track in 2027.

The creation of our rural track is rooted in our spirit of service to the community which has been the heart of our mission for over 50 years. Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a commodity. Family medicine is the most effective way to provide outstanding care to the entire population. This is often especially true in smaller communities. Our program's long history of care of the underserved now has the chance to grow further by addressing the needs of the many rural communities in the western New York area surrounding Rochester.

Helping to launch this track is also personal for me. My first job after graduating residency was as one of two physicians in a rural practice at a 30-bed hospital in northern New Hampshire. The nearby university medical center was an hour away. There were no OB-GYNs — all deliveries were done by family physicians, most of whom had surgical fellowship training.

There were no hospitalists — family physicians and internists managed all of the hospitalized patients, including in the ICU as there were no intensivists, cardiologists, or pulmonologists. Office procedures, house calls, nursing home rounds, and even first assisting in the OR were part of my practice every week.

Healthcare has changed a lot over the past 30 years, but many small communities still depend on their family physicians for a huge range of care needs.

Why would someone choose a new rural training track over a more established one? It certainly requires a degree of "pioneer spirit," including the opportunity to truly help build each training experience. However, we do feel that our program has a very strong foundation:

• Opportunities to rotate at three rural hospitals in communities outside of Rochester.
• Our partnership with Tri-County Family Medicine for the residency continuity clinic.
• Construction of a new $10 million clinic building to house the Family Medicine Residency.
• Access to both rural training experiences and the educational opportunities of an academic medical center.
• The quality of life and recreational opportunities available throughout Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.

Please explore our website and visit our social media sites to learn more about our program and see how good of a fit we may be for you.

Sincerely,

Dave
David C. Holub, MD
Program Director

Welcome from the Associate Program Director

Hello!

I am so glad you are interested in our new rural track at the URMC Family Medicine program! It is truly an honor to start as the Associate Program Director for a program that is rooted in a community that means so much to me personally.

I grew up here in Livingston County. After eight years out of state, I returned to Western New York for my clinical training during medical school. During those years, I primarily rotated in rural hospitals and offices, including a family medicine elective at Tri-County in Dansville, where I discovered the joys of family medicine and decided it was the right path for me.

I was thrilled to match at URMC for my family medicine residency. As you can see from the other testimonials on our website, the URMC Family Medicine program already excels in broad-spectrum and psychosocial training, thereby providing its graduates with the skills required to thrive in rural communities across the country.

Starting this rural track is the next step in furthering the University's commitment to Rochester's surrounding underserved communities and helping alleviate the physician shortage across Western New York.

I am so happy to be back living and working in the county I grew up in. It really is a beautiful area — close to the Finger Lakes, several state parks, wineries and breweries, festivals, farm-to-table restaurants, and so many family-friendly activities.

Our Rural Training Track is built on the belief that excellent healthcare starts with strong relationships — between physicians and patients, healthcare teams and communities, and learners and mentors.

We are committed to training residents who are not only clinically excellent, but also adaptable, resilient, and deeply connected to their community. Our program is designed to support you in developing the skills, confidence, and sense of purpose needed to thrive in this unique and rewarding setting.

Please check out our website to learn more about our rural track.

I look forward to meeting you soon!

Allison McKeown, DO
Associate Program Director