For the third year in its three-year history, the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Mary's Health Care System has filled all openings for its new class of medical residents.

The AU/UGA Medical Partnership Internal Medicine Residency Program is the first new graduate medical education program in Northeast Georgia in recent years and has received full accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education.

The new residents will begin practicing at St. Mary's on July 1 under the supervision of advanced resident physicians and physician faculty. They join the first class of 10 who came onboard in 2015 and the class of 11 who started in 2016.

“We are very pleased to achieve a full house,” said Don McKenna, St. Mary’s President and CEO. “It's remarkable that our brand-new program has filled all openings in three consecutive years with truly fine young physicians. To me, this speaks volumes about the attractiveness of our program. We are proud to be an integral part of this effort to bring more medical doctors to Georgia and to the Athens region in particular.”

“We are proud to have filled our match quota and are honored that so many applicants aspired to train with us,” said Pete Yunyongying, M.D., Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. “All of the faculty, physicians, and staff, as well as the hospital, have made this a sought-after program in Northeast Georgia.”

The Internal Medicine Residency Program Class of 2020 and the schools at which they completed their education are:

• John Crawley, MD. Bachelor's degree in biology from Georgia Institute of Technology; medical degree from University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts.

• Joshua Estep, MD. Bachelor's degree in history from the University of Colorado, Denver; medical degree from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts.

• Jane Fon-Ndikum, MD. Bachelor's degree in clinical laboratory science from Stony Brook University; master's degree in health care administration from Plymouth State University; medical degree from the American University of Antigua College of Medicine.

• Amit Koduri, MD. Bachelor's degree in biophysics from the University of California-Los Angeles; medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern.

• Jacob Kopp, MD. Bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California-Los Angeles; master's degree in epidemiology from Columbia University; medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine.

• Robyn-Ann Lee Hing, MD. Bachelor's degree in biology and bioethics with a minor in cultural anthropology from the University of Toronto; medical degree from the American University of Antigua College of Medicine.

• Xaimarie Santiago Gonzalez, MD. Bachelor's degree in science from the University of Puerto-Rico; medical degree from the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts.

• Meet Shah, M.B.Ch.B. Bachelor's degree and medical degree from the University of Manchester School of Medicine, Great Britain, United Kingdom.

• Amir Shirazi, MD. Bachelor's degree in biology from Emory University; medical degree from Emory University.

• Yousef Treki, M.B.B.Ch. Bachelor's degree and medical degree from the University of Tripoli Faculty of Medicine.

• Sarah Nuzzo, MD. Bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Georgia; medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

• Sarah Singh, MD. Bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology; medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Like the first two classes, the third class of residents has strong connections to Georgia. Two are natives of Georgia while six have educational ties to our state, including one who earned her bachelor's degree from UGA and two who are graduates of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. The class is 58 percent male and 42 percent female, with numerous members who are interested in research, community service and rural healthcare.

"We are impressed with all that they have accomplished in their early careers, and look forward to their contribution to the medical community in Athens." said Dr. Yunyongying.

The Internal Medicine Residency Program is a joint effort by the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s, the IMRP's Major Participating Site. Its goal is to address the physician shortage in Georgia. Residents are graduates of medical school who are completing the last stage of their medical education, a three-year, hands-on program that ends in certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

The IMRP received 2,478 applications for this year's 10 openings. A committee made up of Internal Medicine Residency Program faculty, several local physicians, and leaders from St. Mary’s and the Medical Partnership, interviewed selected applicants. Candidates typically interview with multiple programs. Afterwards, the candidates and the programs rank their preferences, then the National Residency Matching Program determines placements. Residents learn which program they have been matched with on Match Day, held on the third Friday of March every year.

“The addition of this Internal Medicine Residency Program is part of the Governor’s initiative to expand residency positions in Georgia by 400 slots," said AU/UGA Medical Partnership Campus Dean Michelle Nuss, M.D. "The plan was unveiled in FY13 and administered by the Board of Regents to help avert the growing physician shortage that faces our state and nation. Our hope is that these newly trained physicians will stay and practice in Georgia upon completion of this program.”

In addition to the care they provide at St. Mary's Hospital, the residents also work hand-in-hand with physician faculty at Community Internal Medicine of Athens in the Resource Medical Center at 1500 Oglethorpe Ave, Athens. This full-fledged outpatient practice provides primary wellness care, sick care and chronic disease management for adults, and accepts most major forms of insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and self-pay, with financial assistance available to those who qualify.

“Being the site of the first medical residency program in Northeast Georgia continues to be a tremendous honor for St. Mary’s,” said Bruce Middendorf, M.D., St. Mary’s Chief Medical Officer. “Residents bring new energy and enthusiasm into our clinical areas. At the same time, working with these new physicians is exciting for our medical staff. We are looking forward to welcoming our third class of residents and to working with them to further raise the bar for clinical excellence at St. Mary’s and across Northeast Georgia. This is a great day for our community.”