New Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program Announces Inaugural Class
The new Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program has successfully “matched” its inaugural class of six medical residents who will begin their three-year residency training on July 1, 2023. The residency is a collaboration with Albany Medical Center and Hudson Headwaters Health Network. Six residents will be added to the residency each year, totaling 18 residents by 2025.
Match results were announced by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) on Friday, March 17. The family medicine residents, class of 2026 are:
- Alina Bazarian, M.D.— Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, NJ
- Awais Chaudary, M.D.— Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
- Carolyn Corcoran, D.O.— Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, PA
- Anna Kaoutskaia, M.D.— St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine, Grand Cayman
- Elena Mejery, M.D.— Medical University of the Americas, Nevis
- Zeynep Ovacik, M.D.— Istanbul University, Turkey
“We are pleased to welcome our talented inaugural class to our community to take part in this innovative residency program,” said Ephraim Back, M.D., Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program director and chief of clinical initiatives at Hudson Headwaters Health Network. “The six residents were chosen from more than 1,500 applicants based on their strong academic credentials and commitment to the mission of the hospital and residency program. Our faculty look forward to collaborating with this class to develop a model for 21st-century family medicine education.”
The inaugural program is designed to provide excellent clinical training in both hospital and ambulatory medicine, with a special emphasis on behavioral health, addiction treatment, population and community health, rural health, and state-of-the-art technology. Residents will gain experience at Saratoga Hospital’s main campus and the Saratoga Community Health Center, along with the Backstretch Clinic at the Saratoga Race Course. They will also train at Hudson Headwaters Ticonderoga Health Center and the new Glens Falls Family Health Center scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.
“This is a special place to live and practice medicine,” said Richard Falivena, D.O., vice president and chief medical and physician integration officer at Saratoga Hospital. “We’re confident this inaugural group of residents will lay the foundation for an innovative, enriching training program that will have a positive impact throughout our communities. We are thrilled to welcome these talented young people and look forward to working them.”
Residency leadership includes Rich Falivena, D.O., designated institutional official; Deidre Cirillo, RN, executive director of medical education; Ephraim Back, M.D., program director; Colleen Quinn, M.D., associate program director; Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, M.D., medical director, community health center and director of community medicine; and Tim Reed, M.D., director of residency inpatient medicine. Cindy Pratt, MSEd is the program coordinator.