Inaugural Graduate Medical Education Class Celebrates Graduation of First 10 Family Medicine Residents
Graduates and faculty from the inaugural graduating class of the Family Medicine residency program.
The first 10 primary care physicians to graduate from The Valley Health System’s Family Medicine residency program are ready to enter the medical workforce, having honed their skills in outpatient physician clinics, telehealth visits and hospital clinical rotations, diagnosing and treating patients with acute and chronic medical conditions amidst the fast-moving COVID-19 pandemic.
All 10 earned their family medicine board certification prior to graduation. Five physicians will join local practices, one was accepted into a one-year sports medicine fellowship in California with plans to return to Southern Nevada, and four are relocating out of state. A graduation luncheon and ceremony was held on Saturday, June 11, 2022.
The VHS Graduate Medical Education Consortium
“We’re very proud of the accomplishments of our residents, staff and leadership, and we’re excited the majority of the graduating class has chosen to continue their medical career by serving our Southern Nevada community,” said Andrew Eisen, MD, FAAP, Chief Academic Officer and GME Designated Institutional Official of The Valley Health System GME Consortium. “Primary care is the foundation of providing medical care for our community, and these are the individuals who will help keep our family, friends and neighbors healthy for years to come.”
“Our first graduating class has achieved several incredible accomplishments over the past three years,” said Christine Quartuccio-Carran, Program Director for the Family Medicine residency program. “This class faced the unprecedented challenge of living, working and training in a pandemic. While adapting to a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, our residents spearheaded the adoption of telemedicine in our clinics, staffed testing sites and vaccination clinics, and cared for our most vulnerable and sick patients across multiple inpatient and outpatient settings. They served in areas of greatest need and experienced firsthand the importance of coordinated, accessible and compassionate care.
“They also helped to shape the culture of our program, one rooted in scholarship and service, all while keeping the patient at the center of everything we do,” said Quartuccio-Carran. “It is with great honor that we help launch these individuals with the foundational tenets of providing comprehensive, high quality, coordinated primary care for our patients, our community and beyond.”
“As a native of Las Vegas, the opportunity to help shape this program for future classes has been an invaluable experience,” said Adam Trujillo, MD, and Co-Chief Resident of the Family Medicine program. “Residency is challenging in the best of times, but this particular class has shown the ability to adapt and innovate in a time where the field of medicine was pushed into chaos. I have no doubt that it has prepared us to become a generation of strong, resilient family medicine practitioners. I look forward to helping this residency program serve the Las Vegas community for years to come.”
“We’ve learned invaluable lessons over the years and will take them with us as we transition into new horizons,” added Stephanie Cao, MD, Co-Chief Resident.
“Graduating 10 board-certified family medicine physicians is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from not only these young physicians but from many individuals, groups and organizations in our community who recognized the need for more high-quality primary care in Nevada,” said Tom Hunt, MD, who served as Family Medicine Program Director overseeing all facets of the program before his retirement in May.
“They are pioneers and leaders in their own right,” agreed Neil Gokal, MD, FAAFP the Associate Program Director for The Valley Health System Family Medicine residency program and the Medical Director of Clinical Education for Southwest Medical. “I am so proud of them and have utmost respect knowing that they will indeed become pillars of their communities. It has been such a privilege to be a part of their training from the very beginning and has instilled my faith in the future of our healthcare system.”
About the VHS GME Family Medicine Program
The Family Medicine program is a three-year program with 10 residents accepted annually. The first class began their residency on July 1, 2019, splitting their time between hospital rotations and time spent in primary care clinics caring for patients of all ages.
Additional VHS graduate medical education programs include Emergency Medicine and General Surgery residencies.