Kaweah Health announces match day results, welcomes next class of residents

VISALIA – Kaweah Health has selected its next class of residents for its six residency programs, which will join the organization’s 133 resident physicians in serving the community this summer. The 49 new residents learned of their match on Friday, March 15, also known as Match Day, a day when medical school graduates from around the world learn which residency program they will train in for the next three to seven years.

From September through February, Kaweah Health received over 5,000 applications and interviewed over 750 candidates for the residency programs.

“It’s always an exciting day and a rite of passage for physicians. For us it’s another chance to celebrate the work we are doing to bring more physicians to our area so that we can improve access to physicians in the Central Valley,” said Dr. Lori Winston, Kaweah Health’s Chief Medical Education Officer. “We want these physicians to know we are a community that welcomes them with open arms. We hope they will fall in love with the area and decide to practice medicine here.”

The incoming residents and fellows will now start making plans to relocate to Visalia, where this summer, they will begin a two-week orientation before starting their rotations at Kaweah Health. Kaweah Health’s Graduate Medical Education Program began in 2013 and to date, has graduated 179 resident physicians, 42 percent of whom have remained in the Central Valley to practice medicine.

This is the third year for Kaweah Health’s new Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship, a fellowship program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Its mission is to train child and adolescent psychiatrists that will positively impact the health of youth and their families in the Central Valley. The program’s next three fellows are Drs. Tracy Johnson, Christopher Jaime, and Richa Gautami.

Anesthesiology

• Logan Harris, Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Cortland Hutchison, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Timothy Phamton, Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Nathan Zapata-Perdew, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Emergency Medicine

• Delaney Aguilar, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Nathania Baptiste, St. George’s University
• Justine A, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Toni Davis, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Andrea Farias Gonzalez, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Laura Gutierrez-Rivera, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Dominique Harris, Meharry Medical College
• Maryam Khan, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Jacqualine Ng, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Karrin Rutledge, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

• Andrea Torres Perez, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Jacqueline Yeager, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine

Family Medicine

• Anu Benny, Ross University School of Medicine
• Sofya Kats, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Dustin Koobatian, Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Hanisha Sran, American University of Antigua College of Medicine
• Edgar Zachary Tupaz, California Northstate University College of Medicine
• Khama Wheatley, St. George’s University
• Yin Zhou, Ross University School of Medicine

Psychiatry

• Vineeth Alluri, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – New York
• Olivia Erickson, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

• Saloni Patel, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Jeffrey Rilveria, University of California Davis School of Medicine

• Matin Salehzai, California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine

• Arushi Saluja, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Kamal Sandhu, California Northstate University College of Medicine
• Kimia Yeganegi, Ross University School of Medicine

Surgery

• Jessie Chu, University of Iowa Roy J and Lucille A Carver College of Medicine
• Hannah Kim, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Julianne Nootenboom, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Felipe Guillen,  Drexel University College of Medicine
• Sophie Van,  California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine

Transitional Year

• Abdullah Alazzawi, Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Aissa Do, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Nima Ghorashi, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Jihoon Lim, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
• Curtis Mar, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Lynh McCloskey, University of California Davis School of Medicine
• Eli Palaganas, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
• Katherine Plampton, University of Minnesota Medical School
• Joseph Seuferling, University of Washington School of Medicine
• Anne Tran, Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine –California
• Andreea Vorobchevici, California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine
• Sterling Wong, University of California Davis School of Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions about resident physicians

Q. What are resident physicians? A. Resident physicians (or residents) have earned medical (M.D. or D.O.) degrees after 4 years in medical school. They are then in “residency,” training for an additional 3 to 5 years to complete their education in the art and science of medicine and become specialists in their chosen field.

Q. Do residents ever work alone? A. No. Residents are always supervised by our seasoned staff physicians.

Q. Will residents work in all the parts of the hospital? A. Yes. Residents will “rotate” throughout the entire hospital.

Q. How will I know residents are part of my healthcare team? A. Residents are instructed to introduce themselves as residents, resident physicians, or doctors-in-training and their name badges will state that they are resident physicians.

Q. How do I benefit by having resident physicians at Kaweah Health? A. Having graduates of some of the finest medical schools at Kaweah Health with their bright young minds, caring hearts and skillful hands will raise the bar for medical care you’ll receive. Additionally, studies have shown that when resident physicians work in hospitals the quality of care improves and patients are more satisfied.