Articles
Sixth Class of 12 Internal Medicine Resident Physicians Named
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The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, proudly announces its next 12 Resident Physicians who will enter as the sixth class of resident physicians in the program. They will join the current 24 rising second-year and third-year resident physicians. Dhruvil Desai, MDMedical School: Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College (Ahmedabad, India) Barbara Jacobs Rodrigues, MDMedical School: Universidad Catolica Boliviana San Pablo (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) Samit Lamichhane, MDMedical School: Chitwan Medical College (Bharatpur, Nepal) Mohamed Nour, MDMedical School: BAU International University Batumi (Batumi, Georgia) Manav Patel, MDMedical School: Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College (Ahmedabad, India) Muhammad Raif, MDMedical School: King Edward Medical University (Lahore, Pakistan) Nikita Talpallikar, MDMedical School: D.Y. Patil Medical College (Kolhapur, India) Pakeeza Tarar, MDMedical School: Allama Iqbal Medical College (Lahore, Pakistan) Sami Ullah, MDMedical School: King Edward Medical University (Lahore, Pakistan) Mayobhav Vasistha, MDMedical School: Dr. D. Y Patil Medical College, Hospital, and Research Center (Pune, India) Lorena Vazquez Badillo, MDMedical School: Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Escuela de Ciencias de la Salud (Ensenada, Mexico) Irfa Zaheer, MDMedical School: King Edward Medical University (Lahore, Pakistan) The group will begin their three years of training in July 2026 as interns following a two-week orientation period that begins on Monday, June 22. These clinicians matched with BMH-NM on the first day of the National Resident Matching Program’s Main Residency Match after a rigorous recruitment, interview, and ranking process. The program received over 3,100 applications, and conducted over 180 interviews. Many applicants were able to travel to Oxford, MS, to see the community, hospital, and program in person. They were warmly welcomed by resident and faculty physicians, hospital administration and staff, and community members alike. The program’s mission remains to train clinically and procedurally competent physicians in the specialty of Internal Medicine who will provide high quality, safe, cost-effective, and patient/family-centered care for adults in North Mississippi, upholding the greater Baptist Memorial Health Care mission of “Healing, Preaching and Teaching.” |
Next Two Chief Resident Physicians Selected for 2026-2027 Academic Year
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Ahmad Jalil, MD Brooke Willans, DO |
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PGY2 resident physicians Ahmad Jaill, MD, and Brooke Willans, DO, were selected as Chief Residents and will serve in the leadership roles in the upcoming academic year. They were selected for the positions by Program Director Estefania Lara Garcia, MD, after a resident nomination process and subsequent interviews with program core faculty and administration. "The level of professionalism, preparation, and genuine commitment to the program shown by all applicants made this a particularly difficult and meaningful selection,” Dr. Lara Garcia said. "I am confident Dr. Jalil and Dr. Willans will represent their peers with integrity, thoughtfulness, and dedication to the continued growth of our residency program.” Drs. Jalil and Willans will be involved in administrative operations of the program, coordinating residents’ clinical and didactic schedules, and serving as leaders in the training of resident physicians and medical students, among other duties. In preparation for assuming the roles in July 2026, they will soon begin making plans for the upcoming academic year and working with outgoing Chief Residents Gabrielle Brewer, DO, and Foster West, DO, who are slated to graduate from the program in June 2026. Dr. Jalil is a native of Lahore, Pakistan, and earned his medical degree from King Edward Medical University in 2020. He is passionate about community outreach and preventive care, with a particular interest in helping patients address modifiable risk factors and adopt healthier lifestyles. Dr. Jalil values meaningful connections with patients and co-residents and strives to provide thoughtful, compassionate care. He also enjoys participating in clinical research and contributing to projects aimed at improving patient care. Dr. Willans hails from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. She went on to complete her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2024. She strives to be a trusted leader, colleague, and highly skilled clinician as she leans into new experiences with eagerness and humility. Both joined the program in the summer of 2024 as part of the fourth class of resident physicians at Baptist Memorial Hospital - North Mississippi. |
Two Chief Resident Physicians Selected for Upcoming Academic Year
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PGY2 resident physicians Gabrielle Brewer, DO, and Foster West, DO, were selected as Chief Residents and will serve in the leadership roles in the upcoming academic year. They were selected for the positions by Program Director Estefania Lara Garcia, MD, after a resident nomination process and subsequent interviews with program core faculty and administration. "Both have demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication to their peers, and a commitment to advancing the mission of our program," Dr. Lara Garcia said. "We are confident that they will lead with integrity, inspire their peers, and represent our program with distinction." Drs. Brewer and West will be involved in administrative operations of the program, coordinating residents’ clinical and didactic schedules, and serving as leaders in the training of resident physicians and medical students, among other duties. In preparation for assuming the roles in July 2025, they will soon begin making plans for the upcoming academic year and working with outgoing Chief Residents Kelley Bellia, DO, and Zachary Ellis, DO, who are slated to graduate from the program in June 2025. In preparation for their new roles, both Dr. Brewer and Dr. West will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, in April to attend the annual Chief Residents Meeting hosted by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine. Dr. Brewer hails from Katy, Texas, and received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biological Engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine in San Antonio, Texas, in 2023. Dr. West is a native of Leesville, South Carolina, and attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, where he earned a bachelor’s degrees in Exercise Science. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine in Buies Creek, North Carolina, in 2023. Both joined the program in the summer of 2023 as part of the third class of resident physicians at Baptist North Mississippi, which brought the program to its full complement. |
Recruitment wraps up for Class of 2028
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Another recruitment season nears completion as hopeful residency candidates and programs finalize their rank lists with sights set on a successful Match Day 2025. The deadline for both applicants and programs to submit their preferences in the National Residency Matching Program’s Main Residency Match is March 5, 2025. At that point, the NRMP’s matching algorithm is administered and provides the exciting results on Match Day – Friday, March 21, 2025. Interviews concluded on January 30, 2025, with 109 candidates hosted for in-person visits to the hospital and Oxford, Mississippi, and another 51 candidates who interviewed and participated in informational events virtually. Each of these aspiring resident physicians shared their inspiring stories with faculty, residents, and administration. They hail from communities across the globe and share a passion for medicine and making a difference in their patients’ lives. Program leadership focused on learning about the whole candidate, with the most important criteria remaining as “mission fit.” This has always included applicants who are natives of the Mid-South, were educated in the area, have a strong connection to loved ones in Mississippi or the Mid-South, and those who have a strong desire to live in and serve the state and region after training. The group will begin their three years of training in July 2025 following an extensive orientation period in June, and a full class announcement will be forthcoming later this Spring. |
Next Class of 12 Internal Medicine Resident Physicians Named
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The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, proudly announces its next 12 Resident Physicians who will join the current 24 rising second-year and third-year resident physicians in the program. Mohammad Alkofahi, MDMedical School: Jordan University of Science and Technology (Irbid, Jordan) Spencer Arnaud, DOMedical School: Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Smith, AR) Punith Chirumamilla, MDMedical School: Guntur Medical College (Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India) Steven Douville, DOMedical School: Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (Buies Creek, NC, USA) Ahmad Jalil, MDMedical School: King Edward Medical University (Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) Stephanie Koplitz, DOMedical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine- Louisiana Campus (Monroe, LA) Mehnaz Nadeem, MDMedical School: Changsha Medical University (Changsha, Hunan, China) Dhairya Shah, MDMedical School: Gujarat medical education and research Society, Gotri (Vadodara, Gujarat, India) Zoya Tahir, MDMedical School: Sharif Medical & Dental College (Lahore, Pakistan) Bhavya Talwar, MDMedical School: Dr. D. Y Patil Medical College, Hospital, and Research Center (Pune, Maharashtra, India) Bryant Graham Watson, DOMedical School: William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Hattiesburg, MS) Brooke Willans, DOMedical School: Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (Harrogate, TN) Undergraduate: High Point University (High Point, NC) The group will begin their three years of training in July 2024 as interns following a two-week orientation period that begins on Monday, June 17. They will enter the program as the founding class of 12 resident physicians who began their training in 2021 are graduating, marking the first such transition of the program. These clinicians matched with BMH-NM on the first day of the National Resident Matching Program’s Main Residency Match after a rigorous recruitment, interview, and ranking process. The program received over 3,100 applications, and conducted over 150 interviews. Most applicants were able to travel to Oxford, MS, to see the community, hospital, and program in person. They were warmly welcomed by resident and faculty physicians, hospital administration and staff, and community members alike. The program’s mission remains to train clinically and procedurally competent physicians in the specialty of Internal Medicine who will provide high quality, safe, cost-effective, and patient/family-centered care for adults in North Mississippi, upholding the greater Baptist Memorial Health Care mission of “Healing, Preaching and Teaching.” |
