Family Medicine Residency – Residency Program at St. Joseph's Health

Family Medicine Residency

St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency is the largest family medicine residency program in the Northeast. It is an unopposed family medicine residency program, which allows for hands-on experience and expedited personal and professional growth.

Mission Statement:

St. Joseph’s Health is part of Trinity Health, a Catholic national health care system located in Livonia, Michigan. We, St Joseph’s Health and Trinity Health, serve together in the spirit of the Gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph’s Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. The role of the residency program and Medical Education is to prepare our graduates to be able to provide excellent medical care to our patients in whatever setting they choose for practice. Residents gain their expertise and career advancement while providing clinical care to a diverse population that is medically, psych-socially, and economically challenged.

Program Overview

St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency seeks to blend the primary care orientation of a community hospital with the academic and educational resources of a major medical university. Our goal is to produce strong clinicians who are capable of delivering high-quality primary care in any setting — from rural to suburban to inner-city practice locations. Residents experience an excellent balance of ambulatory and inpatient medicine, didactic and clinical experiences, and medical and biopsychosocial patient care. Strong emphasis is placed on population health and supported by a diverse community of patients.

Extensive Procedural Training
Joint injections
Arthrocentesis
Casting and splinting
Colposcopy
Endometrial biopsy
Minor skin surgery

Flexibility of a Large Program
Resident input in scheduling, sequencing rotations and vacations
Four weeks of vacation permitted each year with weekends free on both sides of the vacation week
Experience in couples match
Established maternity and paternity policies
Away electives permitted and available per ABFP guidelines
Responsiveness to residents’ personal needs

Salary & Benefits

2024-2025 Salary

PGY1: $64,869
PGY2: $69,452
PGY3: $72,495

Benefits

St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency offers competitive benefits for its residents.

Four weeks annual paid vacation per year — one-week blocks, Monday-Friday, with weekends on both sides
Professional Liability Insurance: Residents are covered by the hospital’s professional liability insurance while performing duties within the scope of their medical education.
Comprehensive insurance package with three medical plan options, two dental plan options and two vision plan options. You’ll also enjoy a lower deductible, copay and coinsurance when you use St. Joseph’s or Trinity Health facilities and aligned providers. Plus, you will be eligible for basic life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance provided by Trinity Health and voluntary (colleague paid) options for supplemental life, supplemental AD&D and dependent life.
Relocation allowance: PGY1 Residents who have matched and are beginning Residency at St. Joseph’s on July 1 are eligible for $500 in moving expenses. The resident must be relocating to the Syracuse area and must provide valid receipts. The moving expenses are a taxable expense.
CME stipend to cover expenses such as conferences, study materials, etc.
Access to the SUNY Upstate gym and fitness center
Professional Membership: AAFP Membership is provided for all Family Medicine residents

Curriculum

First Year

Your first year of residency emphasizes the inpatient experience with a wide variety of exposure, from obstetrics to pediatrics, surgery, anesthesia and more. House calls average every one in four nights. Interns spend one to two half days per week, regardless of rotation, seeing their continuity patients in the Family Medicine Center.

Medicine Teaching Service (IP)	Family Medicine Teaching Service (IP)
Night Float (IP)	Family Medicine Center
Elective x2	GYN/Women’s Health
Obstetrics (IP) x2	NICU/Nursery
Ambulatory Pediatrics	Surgery
Inpatient Pediatrics

Second Year

As you move into your second year as a resident you’ll take on more clinical responsibilities and continue to enhance your decision-making skills. Residents participate in four months of inpatient medicine. During this unique experience, you serve as the primary physician for your patients. You’ll have the opportunity to manage your own inpatient service under the supervision of an attending physician. In addition, you’ll spend another two to three half days per week in the Family Medicine Center.

Medicine Teaching Service (IP) x3	ICU
CNY Family Care	Pediatric ED
Elective	Behavioral Health
Palliative Care/Elective	Obstetrics (IP)
Emergency Department	Ambulatory – Specialists Pediatrics

Third Year

During your third year as a resident, you will have a significant role in teaching and supervising junior residents. You are directly responsibility for leading the Medicine Teaching Service and Family Medicine Inpatient Teaching Service. Office efficiency and management are also priorities. Office time increases to four half days per week; however, call is limited. During your third-year, all residents attend weekly conferences to hone job-hunting skills and prepare to transition to life after residency.

Medicine Teaching Service (IP)	Family Medicine Teaching Service (IP)
Night Float (IP)	Cross Coverage (IP)
Elective x3	Family Medicine Center
Geriatrics	Dermatology
Community Medicine	Orthopedics
Surgical Subspecialties (Urology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics)

Educational Tracks

At St. Joseph’s Health Hospital, we offer educational tracks. These tracks allow residents to hone their skills in a number of different environments, ranging from Global Health to Obstetrics, preparing them to pursue careers in specific areas of medicine.

The mentorship of experienced professionals coupled with hands-on patient care and additional elective coursework allows residents to gain the knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in their respective fields.

Sports Medicine Track

The Sports Medicine Track follows American Medical Society of Sports Medicine guidance. For further information, please visit: amssm.org

GOALS: To prepare residents with an interest in sports medicine for future career or fellowship. In addition to becoming a well-rounded primary care physician, interested residents will develop an understanding of primary care sports medicine. By completing the sports medicine track, residents will exceed core requirements in orthopedics and sports medicine during residency, develop a strong foundation in sports medicine in preparation for their future careers or fellowship, and be able to provide a portfolio demonstrating competencies in Sports Medicine. Below curriculum is in addition to CORE Family Medicine curriculum and rotations. Residents must be in good standing.

Hospitalist Track

The Hospitalist Track lays the foundation to create an outstanding hospitalist, it also challenges participants to take leadership in projects that improve quality, patient safety, patient experience, high-value care, and hospital efficiency. The experience includes:

Three months of inpatient medicine in the first year, four months in the second year, and three months in the third year
Additional electives in palliative care, ICU medicine, and various internal medicine specialties
Specific seminars for residents in the Hospitalist Track with discussion topics relevant to a practicing hospitalist
Obstetrics/Women’s Health Track Obstetrics

Women’s Health Track

Residents interested in learning or enhancing their women’s health skills may complete the Women’s Health Track. Curriculum and coursework include:

A selection of additional electives:
- Colposcopy experience: Become proficient in colposcopy, culminating in readiness to take the colposcopy exam and become certified
- Experience with an attending physician, Stephen Hoag, MD, and the residency faculty working in an office with GYN-consult patients to further enhance skills in women’s health issues
Proficiency in performing LEEP independently
- A longitudinal LEEP experience can be pursued by interested residents and includes one-on-one training in LEEP with multiple sessions scheduled for hands-on practice with patients
Opportunities for teaching GYN skills and lectures, as well as opportunities for writing during the year
Flexibility to pursue individual interests

Opportunities

In addition to the benefits of being in a community hospital, St. Joseph’s residents and faculty are also affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. This relationship allows ample opportunity to serve as clinical faculty for second-, third-, and fourth-year medical students, as well as participate in active research.

Acting Internship in Family Medicine

This elective is open to all fourth-year medical students, from SUNY Upstate, Ross University, St. George’s University and other medical schools. The goal is to experience what Family Medicine Residency is all about by participating as a team member of the Family Medicine Inpatient Teaching Service. The acting intern functions as a PGY1.

Practice of Medicine

This is the first- and second-year medical student course at SUNY Upstate that provides the foundation for history taking, physical exam and differential diagnosis skills. Third-year family medicine residents have the opportunity to hone their teaching ability by working with faculty to instruct medical students in this setting.

Family Medicine Student Organization (FMSO)

Faculty serve as advisors to the FMSO at SUNY Upstate, and family medicine residents organize and run medical student workshops (e.g., casting clinic, joint injection clinic, GYN procedures clinic).

International Rotations for Medical School

Effective July 2009, we implemented Global Health Tracks, which provides international rotation opportunities for medical students.

I chose the St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency for its array of unopposed experiences. You do not have to fight the OB residents for deliveries or the emergency medicine residents for codes, procedures or acute care experience. After three years of residency, you are a confident physician. The learning environment at St. Joseph’s is positive and constructive. Attendings are invested in the development of their resident both professionally and personally. It is a testament to the program that many of the faculty was trained at St. Joseph’s and stayed there to practice.

— Vanessa Lalley-Demong, D.O., Class of 2013

Family Medicine Center

More than 4,000 families in Syracuse and surrounding communities receive their health care — pediatrics to geriatrics and much of what comes between — from the residents at the Family Medicine Center. Through the Family Medicine Center experience, our program is committed to the dual mission of providing patients with professional, high-quality care and as well as our house staff with an exceptional learning experience. Each resident is assigned a panel of patients to follow throughout the three years, providing continuity of care to these individuals and families.

The Family Medicine Center is located on the St. Joseph’s Health Hospital campus — a convenient location for residents. It is an elite Level 3 NCQA patient-centered medical home that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into a patient-centered experience.

At St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Center, a large emphasis is placed on the importance of population health. With a geographically diverse, refugee-rich community, residents are exposed to a number of different health outcomes, as well as a calculated approach to care that aims to address and influence these outcomes from a biopsychosocial perspective.

Multidisciplinary Approach

The FMC has multiple different disciplines providing patient care and resident education
Full-time social worker to help with non-medical needs
Full-time faculty member who provides both education and behavioral health services
Two additional therapists and counseling staff
Full-time Pharmacists available for medication reviews and consultations for residents

Osteopathic Medicine

The OMT Clinic allows osteopathic physicians to build on their training from medical school, and exposes allopathically trained (MD) physicians to this type of treatment
Two Osteopathic physicians on faculty
The OMT clinic is conveniently located within the Family Medicine Center

Technology

The Family Medicine Center is constantly streamlining its care through the use and implementation of technology.
EMR: St. Joseph’s Health uses EPIC Electronic Medical Records to streamline care, reduce errors and better communicate patient information between ambulatory and inpatient facilities.

Faculty

The St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency program offers a diverse and well-trained faculty. All faculty members hold academic appointments in the Department of Family Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. In addition, all members have private practices, 10 of which practice obstetrics.

Because each member of the family medicine residency has an area of expertise, the family medicine residency is able to create a robust training environment for its residents. Adjunct faculty members from both the community and Upstate Medical University further strengthen that environment by lending their time and experience to precepting residents in the Family Medicine Center.

All faculty members are board certified in family medicine, and many serve on hospital committees and/or participate in state and national family medicine professional associations.

Stephen Hoag, M.D.

Residency Program Director
Medical School: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Residency: Naval Hospital Jacksonville
Special Interests: Full scope, office procedures

Melissa Arthur, Ph.D., LMFT

Director of Behavioral Science
Graduate Education: Syracuse University, Ph.D., M.S.W and M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy
Special Interests: Integration of biopsychosocial model

Dawn Brink-Cymerman, M.D.

Associate Program Director

Medical School: Ross University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Rural medicine, developmental pediatrics

Anthony Ciricillo, M.D.

Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Residency: Hackensack University Medical Center

DeAnn Cummings, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Hospitalist medicine, patient education

Gerry Edwards, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Integrative medicine, preventive medicine, orthopedics, patient education, information technology in health care

Gregory Faughnan, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center

Sara-Ann Fox, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency

Mary Geiss, D.O.

Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: OMM, Integrative Medicine, Women’s Health

Roshan Ghimire, M.D.

Medical school: Institute of Medicine at Tribhuvan University in Nepal
Residency: Altru Family Medicine

Madison Healey, M.D.

Medical school: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency

Nathaniel Kaufman, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center

Lynne Humphrey, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical Center
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Full scope, adolescent medicine, preventive medicine

Michael Kernan, M.D.

Associate Residency Director
Medical School: Universidad de Navarra (Pamplona, Spain)
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Sports medicine, adolescent medicine

Brian Kline, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Resident education, inpatient medicine

Chris LaBounty, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: University of Rochester
Special Interests: Teaching internal medicine

Vanessa Lalley-Demong, D.O.

Medical School: Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Osteopathic manipulation and sports medicine

Gerald McMahon, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: University of Michigan Hospitals (Ann Arbor, MI)
Special Interests: Hospitalist medicine

Kristen McNamara, M.D.

Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Women’s health, adolescent medicine

Elizabeth McNany, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Full scope, residency education

John O’Brien, M.D.

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Preventive medicine and adolescent medicine

Matthew Picone, M.D.

Transitional Year Program Director
Medical School: New York Medical College
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Graduate medical education, medical student clinical skills development

Ryan Planer, M.D.

Medical School: Drexel University
Residency: St. Joseph’s Health Family Medicine Residency
Special Interests: Full scope, office procedures, healthcare administration

Bobby Pohar, M.D.

Medical School: Government Medical College, India
Residency: St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Youngstown, Ohio)
Special Interests: Care of the adult patient, reducing medical errors, communication skills

James B. Tucker, M.D.

Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Residency: Wright-Patterson Air Force Hospital
Special Interests: Sports medicine

Current Family Medicine Residents

Our current residents are listed below or view our current resident photo sheet.

PGY – 3

Meghna Cheruvatath, MD

Ross University of Medicine

Cassandra Cheung, MD**

St. George's University

Gina Correll, DO

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, NY)

Cassandra Farrell, DO

University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

Ishanee Garg, MD

State University of New York Upstate Medical University

Miranda Gonzalez, MD

State University of New York Upstate Medical University

Maryam Hemmat-Hamrah, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Sarah Khan, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Saskia Levine, MD

Lekarska Fakulta, Univerzity Karlovy Universitas Carolina

Atta Kutin-Boateng, MD

SUNY Upstate

Miklos McMaster, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Lindsay Ponto, MD

Trinity School of Medicine

Ahlam Rashed, MBBS

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Valerie Roberts, DO

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-New York

Mahreen Sohail, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Sami Zahid, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

PGY – 2

Olamide Adefashola, MD

Lagos State University College of Medicine

Kyle Alpha, MD

SUNY Upstate

Patricia Buzangu, MD

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Dillon Costantini, MD

St. George's University

Bethany Crowley, MD

SUNY Upstate

Maitri Dhruva, MD

St. George's University

Brendan Donovan, MD

SUNY Upstate

Shilpa Gupta, MD

Medical University of Lublin

Joshua Johnson, DO

University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine

Johanna Ledley, MD

St. George's University

Caila McMaster, MD

Saba University

Molly O’Brien, MD

SUNY Upstate

CHRISTOPHER PAIVA, MD

ST. GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY

Mary Pinkes, MD

SUNY Upstate

Awais Rahman, DO

Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine

PGY – 1

Himika Ali, MD

Ross University School of Medicine

$Ahmed Almafrachi, MD$

Ahmed Almafrachi, MD

St. George's University School of Medicine

Krity Basnet, MD

Kathmandu Medical College

Olivia Bielak, DO

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Hannah Burr, MD

State University of New York Upstate

Foluke Egbeniran, MD

St. George's University School of Medicine

Imali Gamage, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Ashley Jackson, DO

Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University

Megan Lafferty, MD

State University of New York Upstate

Suraj Parajuli, MD

Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences

Bibek Shah, MD

Chitwan Medical College

Adeel Shoaib, MD

American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Taisa Vasilkova, DO

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Hao Sheng Zhang, MD

Saba University School of Medicine

Scott Zickefoose, MD

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

** Chief Residents

Apply Today

Every year, St. Joseph’s Health choses family medicine residents based on the applicant’s commitment to the practice of medicine, their interests and life experiences and the strengths of their academic records.

FAQs

Q: Where are most of your graduates located and what type of practices are they going into from residency?
A: St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency is an unopposed family medicine residency program, so all of our graduates are family medicine physicians. Our graduates work in diverse practice environments. Most graduates are part of a group or solo practice, primarily in Central New York. Several of the St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency faculty are alumni of the program itself.

Q: Are some rotations done at other hospitals?
A: Yes. Residents complete an inpatient pediatrics rotation during their intern year at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The residents also work in the pediatric emergency room at Upstate Medical University for one month during their second year. Elective rotations are available at both locations as well.

Q: Are any other residency programs in-house?
A: No. The St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency is an unopposed residency. However, the hospital currently has Transitional and General Dentistry and Pharmacy residencies.

Q: How frequently and in what way is feedback provided to residents?
A: Residents receive formal monthly feedback sessions with their supervising fellow residents and faculty members on all rotations. Constructive feedback is a strong component of the resident educational process and is encouraged at all times.

If you are interested in Applying for an Audition or Elective Opportunity:

You can find us in the VSLO Catalog

St. Joseph’s Health – VSLO #13061
Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) | Students & Residents (aamc.org)

Medical Student Contact:

Deborah Rosatelli
Coordinator, Undergraduate Education Medical Education Department
St. Joseph’s Health
Deborah.rosatelli@sjhsyr.org