The Internal Medicine Residency Program is an unopposed community-based program allowing for ample teaching and hands-on experience without competition from other residents.
As a program, our mission is two-fold. We aim to positively impact the physician shortage in Georgia and to improve access to healthcare for the communities we serve, especially those in the rural areas and underserved populations. We strive to improve the health of adults in Georgia by training and graduating caring, compassionate, and competent physicians who will provide the highest level of medical care for their patients. As our residents care for patients from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, we provide clinical learning experiences which expose our residents to the environments and communities of the patients they serve.
Why choose us?
- Residents build a strong core internal medicine foundation during the first year of training.
- You have the opportunity to customize and choose electives as a PGY II and PGY III resident based on your individual interests and career path.
- We follow a team-based approach to medicine – residents are an integral part of the healthcare team.
- Our residents have direct access to attendings and subspecialists as we are an unopposed residency program.
- Improvements and program changes are made based on resident feedback.
- Residents see a diverse patient pathology and population from 12 counties surrounding Athens-Clarke.
- We have a dedicated inpatient teaching faculty.
- Our program prepares graduates for the real world and actual practice.
Our Graduates
Of our graduates, some have pursued fellowship training including Endocrinology, Pulmonary Critical Care, Sports Medicine, Hematology / Oncology, and Cardiology. Most have chosen to enter into general medicine careers as primary care physicians or hospitalists, or a combination of the two. While we are always excited to have our residents stay and serve the communities of Georgia, our residents have been competitive for positions across the nation after graduation. We are very proud of our graduates and the careers they have chosen.
Program Leadership
The Internal Medicine Residency Program is led by Dr. Lela Ward. Together, the residency leaders ensure that residents receive the training and mentorship they need to become successful in their clinical and academic pursuits.
