For Indrani Sinha, MD ’96, and Christopher Mascia, MD ’96, the University at Buffalo isn’t just where they attended medical school—it’s where their story began. It’s where they found their calling, their community and, ultimately, each other.

Sinha and Mascia met during their first year at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, graduating together in 1996 before heading to residencies in other states. Today, the couple are both practicing pediatricians in Buffalo, caring for the next generation while giving back to the university that helped shape so much of who they are.

For Sinha, UB was a family tradition as well as a professional foundation. Her father, Dilip Sinha, was an adjunct professor of physiology at UB and director of graduate studies at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Those were some of the best years of my education,” she says. “We were encouraged to be intellectually curious and open. I have amazing friendships from that time…and our professors and mentors were incredible role models. We were very lucky to grow up in that environment.”

Mascia agrees. “I think the passion and the interest that those professors showed to first- and second-year medical students, when I realized later the detail of research and the levels they had achieved in their fields…it was somewhat humbling to think about.”

The couple fondly remembers a number of physician faculty who shaped their experience, including Teresa Quattrin and Charles Severin, MD ’97; and the late Clas E.G. Lundgren; Harold Brody, MD ’61; Basab Mookerjee; Gerald Daigler, MD ’68; and Steven Noyes. Their lessons stayed with them long after graduation.

“I always thought it was very interesting, even as an intern at the University of Florida, people always commented on my bedside manner,” Sinha says. “That was just natural for all of us. We were trained so well.”

“The acknowledgement among faculty and senior residents was that the UB students who came to the Medical College of Virginia for a residency were always going to be excellent physicians and residents,” Mascia adds.

Their gratitude for that training runs deep—and it’s what inspires their ongoing support for the school. What began as a contribution to a fund for building and developing the new medical school in downtown Buffalo has grown into steady, heartfelt giving to both the Jonathan D. Daniels, MD ’98 & Family Memorial Scholarship and the Dean’s Innovation Fund, two initiatives that hold special meaning for them.

Jessica Flores, the inaugural recipient of the Daniels scholarship, said, “As the first recipient of the Jonathan D. Daniels, MD '98 & Family Memorial Scholarship, I am thrilled to be able to extend my education here in Buffalo and work with the amazing physicians that have greatly helped me get to where I am today. Like Dr. Daniels, I understand the importance of being a role model for my patients and inspiring students who are underrepresented in health care.”

Their gifts help current medical students pursue their dreams with a little less financial worry and a little more confidence, knowing that alumni like Sinha and Mascia are in their corner.

“I hope our donations can help minimize the financial burden,” Sinha says, “and that students feel supported by alumni…we’re all cheering for them.”

They remain actively engaged with UB, attending alumni events and supporting programs like DoctHERS, a network that empowers women in health care. They also are passionate about UB’s arts community, recognizing how creativity and compassion intersect in the healing professions.

For Sinha and Mascia, their steady support is about continuing a legacy of excellence and compassion. “If the end point is trying to build a community of compassionate, informed, quality physicians in this area, then…it is our hope that our contributions toward medical education are helping to support this important goal,” Mascia adds.

Together, they embody the spirit of annual giving—the idea that generosity, multiplied over time and shared by many, becomes something truly powerful. Their story is a reminder that when alumni give what they can, year after year, they help sustain the excellence that defines UB.