Buffalo, NY - There is no such thing as a typical day in the life of Michael R. Dlugosz, MD. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
A primary care physician and newly named partner of Highgate Medical Group PC, Dlugosz treats all aspects of patient care, from delivering babies (including one in a hospital parking lot!) to tending to elderly patients at Gardengate Nursing Home.
“The patient-physician relationships that develop from caring for people as they transition through each stage of their lives is the key to maintaining long-term health and the reason I chose family medicine,” he says.
Dlugosz comes from a family of educators and shares their love of teaching. Still, he couldn’t dismiss his passion for medicine. He happily combines the two.
Dlugosz instructs physician assistant students at Daemen College and medical students and resident physicians from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. A teacher and mentor, Dlugosz also shares his commitment to community service with his students.
“One of the primary reasons I went into medicine was to give back,” he says.
Dlugosz spends Wednesday nights as the physician-in-charge at the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic on Jefferson Avenue, where he supervises patient care provided by UB students. Dlugosz also leads a group of physician assistant students from Daemen College on a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic each year. There, he says, his family practice background serves him well.
“We see a little bit of everything and need to be prepared for anything,” Dlugosz says. The group sets up shop in the middle of a sugar cane field to treat more than 500 people during its stay.
“Exposing students to these experiences early in training helps them realize the true privilege of providing care for those who need it most and encourages them to become more compassionate doctors.”
