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PGY2 resident physicians Kelley Bellia, DO, and Zachary Ellis, DO, were selected as Chief Residents and will serve in the leadership roles in the upcoming academic year. To support the expansion of the program and full complement of 36 resident physicians, the position was opened to two trainees this year.  

They were selected for the positions by Program Director Estefania Lara Garcia, MD, after a nomination and feedback process that included input from faculty and resident physicians, as well as program administration. 

Drs. Bellia and Ellis 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. They have begun making plans for the upcoming academic year and have been working with current Chief Resident Garrett Hadley, DO, on transition planning as he graduates the program in June 2024. 

In preparation for their new roles, both Dr. Bellia and Dr. Ellis will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to attend the annual Chief Residents Meeting hosted by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine in April. 

Dr. Bellia hails from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and received Bachelor’s of Arts degrees in both Neuroscience and Psychology from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Biology from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2022. 

Dr. Ellis is a native of San Clemente, California, and attended Chapman University in Orange, California, where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Environmental Science. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 2022. 

Both joined the program in the summer of 2022 as part of the second class of resident physicians at Baptist North Mississippi.