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 80 resident physicians in serving the community this summer. The 49 new residents learned of their match on Friday, March 17, 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 4,200 applications and interviewed over 700 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 148 resident physicians, 40 percent of whom have remained in the Central Valley to practice medicine.

This is the second 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 Navneet Khroud, American University of Antigua College of Medicine; Karanbir Randhawa, Government Medical College Amritsar; and Michael Salib, American University of Integrative Sciences.

Anesthesiology

• Evelyn Abrami, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
• Melody Bedrossian, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Alonso Rodriguez, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
• Nasir Saed, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine

Emergency Medicine

• Sergio Arreguin, Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
• Abimbola Bankole, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
• John Betz, AT Still University Kirksville College Osteopathic Medicine
• Sonia Dave, St. George's University
• Julia Heaton, Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Stephin Jose, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Ostepathic Medicine
• Shadi Kiaei, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Tyler Kirkland, University of Nebraska College of Medicine
• Eduardo Martinez, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
• Joshua Obamedo, Howard University College of Medicine
• Saba Saleem, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Iman Shull, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Jason Welles, Albany Medical College

Family Medicine

• Martin Granados, Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Manpreet Kaur, Ross University School of Medicine
• Cristina Lee, Universidad de Buenos Aires Facultad de Medicina
• Rina Patel, China Medical University
• Kimberly Rivera, American University of Antigua College of Medicine
• Ulysses Sanchez, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara
• Brandy Truong, Ross University School of Medicine

Psychiatry

• Sheena Ghalla, University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Nicole Haggerty, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
• Liz Jahng, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Taranpreet Kaur, St. George's University
• Mohammad Khatami, Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine
• Rahul Maini, Medical University of Lublin
• Ryan Shota, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Pegah Yakhchalian, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Surgery

• Brandon Hennessy, Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Ryan Lad, Albany Medical College
• Veronika Lobova, Washington State University Elson S Floyd College of Medicine
• Brandi Hull, Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Victoria Ngo, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Transitional Year

• Bruno Alonso, New York Medical College
• Audelia Arasheben, Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
• Jeremy Brown, AT Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
• Stanley Chu, Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
• Arturo Hernandez, University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson
• Steven Lacombe, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Ashley Lau, AT Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
• Shant Malkasian, Wayne State University School of Medicine
• April Ngo, AT Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
• Ellie Ok, Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Thomas Shomaker, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

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.