June 27, 2019

Wayne State welcomes 44 new medical residents to GME programs

The Wayne State University School of Medicine welcomed 44 new residents to its Graduate Medical Education programs with a daylong orientation June 24 in the Margherio Family Conference Center in Detroit.

The new physicians earned medical degrees from University of Michigan Medical School, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Medical College of Wisconsin, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and others in the United States, Russia, Iran, India, Cuba and the Caribbean.

New residents learn about available benefits like the alumni association and financial aid from the School of Medicine at a resource fair.

While Detroit is a new city of residence for most, six of the new residents are graduates of the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Four of the new residents will participate in a transitional year at Wayne State before moving to another program.

“I very much enjoyed meeting the incoming class of new residents. They were engaged and inquisitive. Our GME team understands that joining a residency program is a big transition not only for the residents but for their families also. We wanted to make sure they are prepared and have access to available resources to facilitate this transition,” said Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education Tsveti Markova, M.D., F.A.A.C.P., who also is professor and endowed chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences.

Drs. Bora Agabigum (a Wayne Class of 2019 alumnus), Benjamin Johnson, Kathryn Deeds (a Wayne Class of 2019 alumna) and Linh Dang will begin their Otolaryngology residencies.

Orientation was organized to explain the intricacies of a residency at Wayne State while also providing a central location for all new residents to meet each other and GME faculty and staff.

Activities included a “GME Jeopardy” game quizzing contestants on GME topics and policies using categories such as “We are the Warriors,” “GME-ese” and “The Survey Says;” a patient communication exercise; an introduction to the Shiffman Medical Library and its electronic resources; an overview of GME basics and benefits; a welcome from the Resident Council president; and a resource fair featuring School of Medicine vendors and offices.

The physicians also attended smaller orientations specific to their hospitals and programs on additional days.

This month, the physicians will formally begin residency training in Wayne State’s Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Otolaryngology and Urology programs at Wayne State’s affiliated hospitals.

A welcome dinner at the Traffic Jam and Snug restaurant in Detroit capped the day’s activities.