Match Day is here and Memorial Health System Graduate Medical Education welcomed its 2023 family medicine and internal medicine resident physicians.

Match Day marks the day when eagerly awaiting medical graduates find out which residency program they have matched with to begin their post-graduate training.

Memorials’ graduate medical education program provides progressive training and invaluable experience.

At the Match Day, Memorial welcomed ten family medicine residents and six internal medicine residents. Family Medicine Program Director Dr. Dimitrios Dimitriades said, “The residents come to us for three years. So, after they finish medical school, we get to educate them and help them grow for three years. So, this completes our full complement of residents. This will be our third class. So, we are pretty excited.”

The residents will officially make their way to Memorial in June to start the residency program.

Dr. Shazzanne Pennant and Dr. Jonathan Hamilton represented Memorial GME Family Medicine during the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) Primary Care Day at the Mississippi State Capitol on February 7, 2023.

Family physicians and pediatricians from all over the state participated in a morning of activities highlighting primary care on Tuesday, February 7.  Primary Care Day at the Capitol had a total of 55 attendees, including 16 residents from 6 family medicine residency programs.

Family physicians from throughout the state participated in a morning of activities, meeting with legislators to increase awareness of issues affecting family medicine. After being introduced in the House and Senate galleries, MAFP members then gathered for lunch to hear Senator Hob Bryan of Amory speak and hear updates on state issues.

Dr. Shazzanne Pennant, Memorial GME Family Medicine resident, shares, “It is important to build and maintain relationships with legislators because physicians are the advocates of their patients. As physicians, we are representatives for people in our communities and state. We all can play an essential part when it comes to laws and policies that will affect the community and public health by listening to our patients and being informed on legislation. It is vital to keep this line of communication open so that lawmakers can see how policies impact their constituents.”

Memorial GME residents prioritize community outreach and have a strong presence in the community. “Community outreach is a way of providing access to health care and resources to members of the community. It is a unique opportunity to get involved and interact with a variety of people. Participating in community outreach creates the opportunity for physicians to build relations and strong bonds in the community. For me, giving back to my community renews my sense of purpose as to why I chose to be a physician in the first place,” Dr. Pennant shares.

Thank you both for representing Memorial!

Gulfport, Miss.-based Memorial Health System was granted initial accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to establish its graduate medical education program in internal medicine, according to a Sept. 20 news release.

The internal medicine program aims to build healthier communities by improving care for vulnerable populations. 

“A good physician will treat the disease, but the better physician will treat the whole patient who has the disease. The Memorial Health System internal medicine residency will train our future community physicians to look at the whole patient,” said internal medicine program director Wayne Latack, MD. 

The program answers a growing call to increase residency programs in states with poor health outcomes. Mississippi currently has 40 accredited programs and 759 residents. According to the  Association of American Medical Colleges State Physician Workforce Data Report, there is a physician shortage in Mississippi. The state ranks 49th among U.S. states, with 65.9 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people.

Memorial Health System has received initial accreditation to establish its graduate medical education program in internal medicine.

GME begins after students graduate from medical school with a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine.

The program answers a growing call to increase residency programs in Mississippi. Right now, the state ranks 49^th for having 65.9 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people.

Applications for the program will be available online through a medical school program and Memorial will begin interviewing candidates in the coming weeks. Internal Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. Wayne Latack said, “We want to improve our community health. It’s really hard to do that when you don’t have the physicians to do that. So, this is to bring the pipeline. This is to bring in these new young minds and young doctors to train them in internal medicine.”

Residents will begin rotations on July 1^st, 2023.

Memorial Health System has attained initial accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to establish its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program in Internal Medicine. This program will be available in addition to the Memorial GME Family Medicine Program, which was established last year.

GME begins after students graduate from medical school with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). Residents then match into existing residency programs around the United States. Successfully completing the residency training leads to the physician sitting for their specialty’s board exam to become board-certified and an independently practicing physician with a full medical license.

The mission of the Memorial Health System Internal Medicine program is to build healthier communities by improving care for the region’s most vulnerable populations. The residency will accomplish this goal through training and graduating well-balanced, compassionate physicians who are willing and dedicated to practicing the highest level of medicine.

There is a significant economic impact to sponsoring a residency program, including job creation, stronger hospitals and research. Memorial will have a direct impact on residency education and training especially, as this program answers a growing call to increase residency programs in states with poor health outcomes, such as Mississippi, which currently has 40 accredited programs and 759 residents. According to the 2019 State Physician Workforce Data Report, there is a physician shortage in Mississippi. The state ranks 49^th for having 65.9 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people.

Memorial Health System has been the premier medical center for the Mississippi Gulf Coast for more than 75 years, with over 300 physicians on its medical staff. Specialty providers offer comprehensive, progressive services and care to a thriving community. Memorial was named the best regional hospital in Coastal Region for 2022-23 in the annual ranking of hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Applications for the program will be available through ERAS, and Memorial Hospital will begin interviewing candidates in the coming weeks. Residents will begin rotations on July 1, 2023. For more information, visit www.gme.wearememorial.com.