Greater Lawrence Family Health Center President and Chief Executive Officer John M. Silva.
Nine medical students have become resident physicians at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center as part of the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency (LFMR).
The students were selected as part of Friday’s annual “Match Day” through the National Resident Matching Program. This marks the fourth LFMR class that will be entering the residency program as part of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)’s four-year length of training national demonstration project which begins this July.
“We are very proud to have successfully matched nine premier medical students for our innovative four-year curriculum,” said Dr. Wendy Barr, Lawrence Family Medicine Residency director. “The mission of the LFMR is to offer resident physicians the knowledge and ability to provide medical care and leadership in the ever-changing healthcare landscape, specifically in underserved communities. The continued advancement of a fourth year of residency provides the opportunity to train physicians in key aspects of health care, including Patient Centered Medical Home, advanced experience in core clinical aspects of family medicine, as well as expanded community experiences that can serve as a stronger platform for residents throughout their careers,” Barr added.
GLFHC President and Chief Executive Officer John M. Silva said the program received 700 applications and interviewed nearly 120 candidates between October and January.
“I’m proud to welcome the class of 2020 and my first class of resident physicians to LFMR and GLFHC. Our patients and the entire community benefit from advanced and compassionate care from these physicians. The physicians that are joining LFMR bring a fresh approach to community based health care. That is reflected in the care they provide and the accomplishments they experience at GLFHC, Lawrence General Hospital and in the communities we serve in the Merrimack Valley.”
The nine students are Alison Case, Elmhurst, Ill., MI State University College of Human Medicine; Sarah Cassel, Duke University School of Medicine; Jesus Iniguez, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Laura Kaufman, Mt. Kisco, N.Y., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Alex Laventure, Concord, N.H., Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center; Shira Lerner, Winnipeg, Canada, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Rachel Martin, Spartanburg, S.C., University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine; Natalie Stahl, Ridgewood, N.J., Emory University School of Medicine; Michelle Vargas, Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences; and Morgan Younkin, St. Louis, Mo., Tufts University School of Medicine.
Along with the nine resident physicians matched today, Dr. Michelle Vargas, of Puerto Rico, will also join the class as part of a transfer program from the Carney Family Medicine Residency program in Boston as a result of that program closing in June, 2016.
Started in 1994, the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency is the first in the country for which the accredited institution is a community health center. The residency is accredited through GLFHC and is affiliated with Lawrence General Hospital. In 2011, LFMR was designated by the Health Resource Service Administration (HRSA) as one of the nation’s first 11 Teaching Health Centers under the Affordable Care Act. The program has received recognition from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the program’s impact on the health of the Lawrence community and underserved communities throughout the country.