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 22, 2020. The new residents include:
- Dr. Francesca Blazekovic from Port Charlotte, FL
- Dr. Jenna De Francesco from Naples, FL
- Dr. Thomas Flynn from Sarasota, FL
- Dr. Shane Geffe from Cape Coral, FL
- Dr. Joseph Guernsey from Ave Maria, FL
- Dr. Gerard Mulles from Fort Myers, FL
- Dr. Dakin White from Bradenton, FL
- Dr. Luke Wren from Carmel, IN
The FSU COM Global Health Fellowship Program also welcomes two new fellows:
- Dr. Bradley Green, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Cleveland, OH
- Dr. Alice Shallcross, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Milwaukee, WI
“We received more than 1,500 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, 18 of the 32 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.