MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center's Family Medicine Residency Program Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Training the next generation of physicians brings new clinical pathways, ideas, and collaboration to shape the future of healthcare in the greater Long Beach community.

LONG BEACH, Calif., June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Family Medicine Residency Program at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach is celebrating its 50^th anniversary of bringing the next generation of physicians and clinical program growth to the Long Beach Community. For the past 50 years, the Family Resident faculty and specialists have been educating and training physicians to provide excellent care regardless of the practice they will eventually join.

Each year, the incoming residents are eager to serve the extremely diverse population of Long Beach. This year, the program celebrates enrolling their 50^th class by highlighting what their program has to offer and the achievements of previous graduates.

"It is truly a privilege to be the program director of a family medicine residency program that places so much emphasis on health equity and training socially conscious residents who go on to provide such outstanding care in our underserved communities," says Abigail Fletcher, M.D., program director, MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program. "I am very proud that we are celebrating our 50^th anniversary – it is a great accomplishment."

Due to the nature of the family medicine specialty, residents undergo extensive training to provide the best possible care across all ages. In the Family Medicine Residency Program, residents are trained by board-certified family medicine specialists who closely supervise their training in a wide range of fields. Residents have continually shown their passion for specific specialties, such as LGBTQ+ medicine or women's health, so they choose to take initiative and train in those specialties on top of their residency.

Some of the funding for these programs came recently from the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Act, which is awarded to programs that recruit providers that will stay and serve underserved areas and make change for the community they serve. The MemorialCare Medical Group clinic at which the physicians of the Family Medicine Residency Program practice is committed to serving the underserved population, seeing MediCal patients as well as those with HMO and PPO insurance.

Many residents have gone on to carry out the program's mission in their own ways, such as Anissa Davis, M.D., who currently serves as the City Health Officer for Long Beach and was instrumental in the city's COVID response, and Jay Lee, M.D., who was recently elected to the board of the American Academy of Family Medicine. These physicians are only a few examples of the work the Family Medicine Residency program has done to build strong, knowledgeable, and driven doctors, as there are 50 years of graduates who are committed to their communities, providing diverse care all around the world.

MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center has been providing the community with compassionate, quality health care for more than 100 years. While leading in specialized care, research and education, Long Beach Medical Center uses the most advanced health care technologies – it is the only hospital in L.A. County with the innovative ExactechGPS^® and ExcelsiusGPS^® surgical systems. Long Beach Medical Center is ranked no. 7 in the Los Angeles Metro Area by U.S. News & World Report and has earned Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. With leading centers for cancer, heart, rehabilitation, orthopedics, neurology and trauma, physicians and surrounding hospitals continually refer to its accredited programs. For more information, visit memorialcare.org/LongBeach.

SOURCE MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center