Reaching a major milestone, the Family Medicine Residency program at Owensboro Health has graduated its first class of six resident physicians. The program, which officially launched in July 2020, is a result of a partnership between Owensboro Health and the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Owensboro Health Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francis DuFrayne, who was instrumental in bringing the Family Medicine Residency program to OH, said the program has positively impacted the community.
“One of the goals of the residency program is to provide more access to primary care, which has increased patient satisfaction and decreased emergency room visits due to better preventive care,” he said. “We are pleased that two of our graduating residents are remaining in Owensboro. They are great additions to the Owensboro Health primary care team.“
Dr. Jon Sivoravong helped launch the new program and was its director for the first 2 years. Dr. Darby Cole, a family medicine physician who has been a faculty member since the program’s inception, has now taken the helm as director.
“This class was unique from the beginning,” says Dr. Cole. “Not only were they willing to take a leap of faith and join a new program, their entire 3 years of training took place while the global medical community was figuring out how to operate in a worldwide viral pandemic.”
The graduating class includes Jerry Bradley, Hamed Haghnazar, Hayat Itani, M. Damon Kolok, Suheung (Steven) Lee, and Daniel Meis. Cole said they came from diverse backgrounds and took a chance by joining the first class of the program.
“Many took a non-traditional route to their residency training, bringing with them a wealth of real-world experiences. They knew they would be asked to contribute to the building and structure of this brand-new program, and they certainly rose to that challenge,” Cole said.
To learn more about the Family Medicine Residency, visit OwensboroHealth.org/FMR.
