(Fort Myers, Fla. – July 20, 2021) --- The Florida State University College of Medicine (FSUCOM) Family Medical Residency Program at Lee Health welcomes eight new resident physicians, who started their training on June 21, 2021. The new residents include:
- Dr. Sandy Bolis from Spring Hill, FL
- Dr. Jessica Byas from Clinton, MA
- Dr. Danielle Ferra from Brunswick, GA
- Dr. Laura Hart from Deerfield, WI
- Dr. Deliabell Hernandez from Hialeah, FL
- Dr. Nicole Jimenez from Clermont, FL
- Dr. Stacy Stephen from Kottayam, India
- Dr. Audrey Wagner from Columbia, MO
The FSU COM Global Health Fellowship Program also welcomes two new fellows:
- Dr. Kristin Randa, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Milwaukee, WI
- Dr. Elizabeth Trout, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Cornelius, NC
“We received more than 1,800 applications from U.S. medical students and physicians from all around the world,” says Alfred Gitu, M.D., Program Director of the residency program at Lee Health. “Our program continues to grow and expand with residents who are passionate, compassionate and academically strong. The new class of residents scored in the top 20% in the nation on the United States Medical Licensing Examination, and they are dedicated to caring for the underserved.”
Based at Lee Memorial Hospital with The Florida State University College of Medicine as its institutional sponsor, the residency program was created to abate the shortage of primary care physicians anticipated nationally, an issue that is compounded locally by rapid population growth in Southwest Florida. Medical school graduates are required to complete residency training in their chosen specialty to become independently practicing physicians.
Statistically, about 60% of residents will practice medicine in the same area in which they are trained. Since 2014, when the program started, 22 of the 39 graduates (56%) of The Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health have stayed in Southwest Florida following graduation from the program. Four graduates of the residency program were accepted into fellowship programs with one planning to return to the area to practice medicine following her fellowship training.