News from The Lynchburg Family Medicine Residency

The Lynchburg Family Medicine Residency held its 31st commencement ceremony on Friday, June 29 at the James River Conference Center to honor five graduates. Sharon Diamond-Myrsten, MD, Joel Hodges, MD, Tate Woodward, DO who all accepted a position as hospitalists at Lynchburg General Hospitalist, Abla Husseini, MD who is joining a private practice in Richmond, and Jennifer Omaster Burgart, MD who accepted a faculty position at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.

The graduation ceremony was an opportunity for residents to honor their teachers and present several awards.The Spirit of Family Practice Award was presented to Dr. David Gregory. Dr. Janet Hickman received the Teachers of the Year Award; Dr. Brenda Stokes was honored with the Preceptor’s Award; Dr. Chad Hoyt with the Senior Residents’ Award and Mrs. Barbara Vaughter (nurse) & Mrs. Gerfa Lunnman, lab tech, both received the Staff of the Year award.Dr. Jennifer Omaster Burgart was presented the Society of Teachers in Family Medicine Resident Teaching award.Two Director’s Merit Awards were presented:to Mr. Tom Jividen, Senior Vice-President at Centra Health & Dr. Chal Nunn, chair of the residency Graduate Medical Education Committee.

As the senior class completed its three year training in the specialty of Family Medicine, six interns were welcome into the residency: They are Mayumi Chatani-Hinze, MD, a graduate of Yamaguchi University School of Medicine in Japan, J. Patrick Favero, DO, from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Joseph D. Hostetler, MD, from the University of Miami School of Medicine, Lisa Larkin, MD from the American University of the Caribbean, Stephanie Witt, DO from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and Robert Florea, MD from Ross University. These resident physicians will be spending the next three years in training in preparation for their board certification in Family Medicine.

Also joining the residency with advance training is Eugene Kim, MD a graduate of Case Western University who transferred in May from a residency in Anesthesiology to specialty training in Family Medicine in Lynchburg.