Merit Health Wesley Celebrates Graduate Medical Education
8/21/2023
28 Residents Graduate; 29 New Residents Arrive in Hattiesburg
HATTIESBURG - Merit Health Wesley’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) residency program, which has seen great success since its inception in July 2015, recently held graduation for 28 resident physicians. At the same time, the GME program welcomed a new class of 29 first-year residents. The program now includes 23 emergency medicine, 29 internal medicine and 12 transitional year residents.
The program started with two areas of focus, Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. The Transitional Year Program was added in 2018, growing the program’s size and scope. In 2019, the residencies earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and began accepting Doctors of Medicine, in addition to Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine.
These residencies are led by internal medicine physician Kurt Bruckmeier, M.D., who was named the Chairman of the Graduate Medical Education Committee in 2022 and also acts as the Program Director for the internal medicine residency program. The emergency medicine residency is led by Program Director Derek Hunt, D.O., and the transitional year residency is led by Program Director Gagandeep Grewal, M.D.
“It’s always exciting to see the growth that occurs from the time each resident arrives as an intern to when they complete their residency,” says Dr. Kurt Bruckmeier. “To see them enter the next chapters of their career, knowing that they are prepared to care for their patients and make a difference wherever they go is truly a joy.”
This year's graduates will continue their medical careers across the nation, including appointments as military physicians, beginning their practices in hospitals and emergency rooms, and continuing their education through fellowships in addiction medicine and endocrinology. Two of the graduates will remain in Hattiesburg. Talyr Hall, M.D. and Hora Rezvani, M.D., will join Merit Health Medical Group's team of hospitalist physicians, providing inpatient medicine at Merit Health Wesley.
“As attendings, we are here to serve these residents in their education,” says Bruckmeier, “but throughout their training, they are also serving the members of our community, bringing the Pine Belt more access to healthcare - and that is always the ultimate goal.”
About Merit Health Wesley’s Residency Programs
Residents spend three years in the internal medicine program at Merit Health Wesley. The program focuses on general internal medicine, which is a specialty that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. The program’s goal is to provide a well-rounded experience for physician residents who want to pursue a career as a community-based internist or those who intend to pursue a subspecialty field such as cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology (kidney disease), or other specialties. The emergency medicine program is a four-year program focusing on quality emergency medical training. The curriculum includes education in obstetrics, surgery, trauma, pediatrics, critical care, and other skills. The transitional year residency is a 1 year program which provides graduating interns with the skills and knowledge to continue with the post graduate medical education of their choosing. Intern residents rotate through OB/GYN, surgery, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, ICU, and cardiology to provide them a broad spectrum, well rounded foundation of post graduate medical education. To learn more about graduate medical education at Merit Health Wesley, visit www.merithealthwesley.com/medical-education-and-residency.
Photo caption: 2023 Resident and Attending Physicians, Merit Health Wesley Graduate Medical Education Department
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