Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Graduates 11 Physicians; Six Will Practice Locally

WHAV News Staff By |

The 11 graduates of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s Lawrence Family Medicine Residency are, from left, Drs. Alaina Aristide, Angela Sterling, Tina Tran, Bev Williams, Patrick Salemme, Miguel Joaquin, Patrick O’Neil, Rebecca Weiner, Denise Lobo, Corinne Gibbons and Kathleen Sausen. (Courtesy photograph.)

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Resiliency, commitment, character and grit are among the words used to describe this year’s graduates of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center-sponsored Lawrence Family Medicine Residency.

The 11 who graduated June 23 spent most of their four years working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Six graduates are staying with Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, which operates primary care clinics in Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill.

“You have been put through some tough times that no one would volunteer for, and you have come through on the other end shining,” said Dr. Guy L. Fish, president and CEO of Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. “You have resiliency; you have character … I call that grit, so hats off to you.”

The Lawrence Family Medicine Residency program is the first in the country to be hosted by a federally-qualified community health center. Started in 1994, the residency is accredited through GLFHC and affiliated with Lawrence General Hospital. While most family medicine residency programs are three years in length, this is a four-year training program that is part of a national pilot looking at training innovation. In 2021 the program was awarded a grant to expand to 48 physicians, up from 40.

“Our residents make us feel at ease, and comfortable, at that point that we are not just a bed number,” said Greater Lawrence Family Health Center Board Chair Rosa Pina, who is also a patient of the health center. “I think that one of the most important factors in all of this experience is that you actually listen. Please, do not stop listening to your patients.”

Those graduating and working as physicians at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center are Alaina Aristide, Denise Lobo, Patrick Salemme, Kathleen Sausen, Angela Sterling and Rebecca Weiner. Other graduates and their destinations are Corinne Gibbons, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester; Miguel Joaquin, Piedmont (North Carolina) Community Health Center; Patrick O’Neil, Merrimack Family Medicine in Lowell; Tina Tran, Hope Clinic in Houston, Texas; and Bev Williams, Lovelace Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

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