The Family Medicine Residency Program at Marian Regional Medical Center graduated the inaugural class of primary care physicians in 2017.  Jennifer Roberts-Kelly, DO, Farnaz Pirayesh, DO, PhD, Benham Vahdati Nia, DO, Terry Chen, DO, MPH, and Jenna Martini, DO.

Training the next generation of physicians

Marian cultivates a new generation of primary care and OBGYN physicians

Those attempting to visit a primary care physician might have noticed difficulty in scheduling an appointment.  Not only is it difficult to develop long-term care with a primary care physician based upon the high demand, but it has also been predicted to get only worse with a shortage of more than 45,000 family care physicians by 2020.

That is why the leadership at Marian Regional Medical Center responded to this great need with the formation of the Family Medicine Residency Program in 2014.  The program affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Western University cultivates young, primary care physicians that are incredibly needed in the area.  In July of 2017, Marian graduated the first class of five from the Residency Program, with three exhaustive years of training and preparation culminating in this historic commencement.  

“As we grow to meet the rapidly expanding needs of the community, these programs will serve residents of the Central Coast with high quality physicians,” affirms David Oates, M.D., Medical Director, Medical Education.  “With the Family Medicine Residency and Obstetrics and Gynecological Residency Programs, Marian will help provide excellent teaching for the next generation of physicians for years to come.

The tremendous success of the Family Medicine Residency Program has bred the creation of yet another residency program at Marian.  In 2017, Marian Regional Medical Center earned accreditation to begin an Obstetrics and Gynecological Residency Program.  With the first class slated to begin the four-year residency cycle in July of 2018, a tremendous sense of excitement has permeated the corridors of our teaching hospital.  

“The new Obstetrics and Gynecological Residency Program will further our ability to care for our community.  There will be an estimated shortage of 6,000 to 8,000 OBGYN physicians by the year 2020, and the OB-GYN residency program will provide training and ultimately new women’s health specialist as part of our part of the solution of ensuring needs of the Central Coast are met,” said Laurence Shield, M.D., Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine.

With the shortage of providers in health care, the dedication of the physicians and administration at Marian has given birth to these programs, forming a culture of teaching and research here in Santa Maria.