The first “Match Day” for Lawrence Family Medicine Residency (LFMR) since announcing it was expanding its program proved to be extremely successful. The program filled all 12 of its resident physician slots in March through the National Resident Matching Program.

In December, LFMR announced it was awarded a grant that allows it to expand its four-year program to 48 doctors, up from the current capacity of 40. The grant is from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The 12 residents come from across the United States and have diverse backgrounds and experiences. They begin their residencies in July. Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) is the sponsor organization for LFMR.

“They are all outstanding students and people who will be excellent additions to our health center and the Lawrence community,” said Dr. Wendy Barr, Vice President of Clinical Education, and Residency Program Director at GLFHC. “They were attracted to our health center because of our mission and the education and experiences that we all provide.”

While most family medicine residency programs are three years in length, LFMR is a four-year training program that is part of a national pilot looking at training innovation. Residents spend an extra year of training to further expand their scope of practice, particularly in an area of concentration, and to develop further expertise in population health, health systems management and leadership, and integrating that care into communities. The goal of the training program is to train family physicians who provide comprehensive primary care to vulnerable populations and can improve the health and health equity of these communities.

Started in 1994, the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency is unique because it is the first in the country for which the accrediting institution is a community health center. The residency is accredited through GLFHC and is affiliated with Lawrence General Hospital. This relationship benefits both organizations and gives residents a comprehensive range of experiences, from office practice to in-hospital training. The enthusiastic support and cooperation from staff and physicians at Lawrence General Hospital contributes tremendously to the residency’s success in producing needed primary care physicians. In 2011, the residency was designated by HRSA as one of the nation’s first 11 Teaching Health Centers under the Affordable Care Act.

The Lawrence Family Medicine Residency welcomes the following 12 new resident physicians to the health center and family medicine residency program:

Camila Chile

Hometown: Rockville, MD

Undergraduate: Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Biology

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Kristin Chu

Hometown: South Bend, IN

Undergraduate: University of Minnesota – Genetics and Cell Biology

Medical School: University of Minnesota School of Medicine

Jorge De Avila

Hometown: Norwalk, CA

Undergraduate: University of Southern California – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Sheila Eghbali

Hometown: Boston, MA / Tehran, Iran

Undergraduate: University of California, Davis – Integrated Human Biology

Master of Science: University of California, Davis – Nutritional biology

Medical School: Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University

Leah Genn

Hometown: Sarasota FL / Maplewood, NJ

Undergraduate: Florida State University – Exercise Physiology

Medical School: Florida State University College of Medicine, Sarasota Campus

Julie “Ryan” Huff

Hometown: Singleton, TX

Undergraduate: University of Texas, Austin – Biology, Psychology

Medical School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Emily Laboffe

Hometown: Hartwick, NY

Undergraduate: Susquehanna University – Biology

Medical School: Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Yesenia Martino-Cortez

Hometown: Bronx, NY

Undergraduate: State University of New York (SUNY), Albany – Chemistry

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Brenda Navarro Galindo

Hometown: Fontana, CA / Tepatitlan, Mexico

Undergraduate: California State University, San Bernardino – Biology

Medical School: Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara de Medicina Guadalajara

Marissa Paz

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Undergraduate: University of Arizona – Microbiology and Physiology

Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine

Amanda Snow

Hometown: Southington, CT

Undergraduate: College of the Holy Cross – Cellular and Molecular Biology

Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine

Bronwyn Wada-Gill

Hometown: Lincoln MA / Lexington, MA

Undergraduate: Boston University – Behavioral Health

Medical School: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine