On Friday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – aspiring physicians across the country got news they had been waiting and hoping for, including 25 future residents who matched into the Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency and the UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency.

Both programs fully matched. The Cahaba-UAB program, a 20-20-20 program, added residents to each of its four tracks: Urban, Rural, Frontier – serving counties in the Alabama Black Belt – and Highlands –based in Birmingham out of UAB Hospital – Highlands. 

The Selma program fully matched with five future residents, who will join current residents, faculty and staff at Vaughan Regional Medical Center and the UAB Selma Family Medicine clinic.

The UAB Heersink School of Medicine posted a 100% match rate. Of those, 19 students matched into family medicine, including two who joined the Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency, Khawla Suhaila and Betty Trushaw. Overall, 56 Heersink students matched into primary care, representing 34.1% of the graduating class.

Nationwide, the specialty of family medicine welcomed its largest class ever, filling 4,530 positions according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, 60 more than last year’s class and 47 more than the class in 2021.

The new resident classes for the Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency and the UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency include:

Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency – Highlands Track

• Cristel Flores, M.D. – University of the East/Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center
• Ying Ge, M.D. – Tianjin Medical University
• Olaitan Okungbowa, M.D. – University of Benin School of Medicine
• Khawla Suhaila, M.D. – UAB Heersink School of Medicine

Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency – Urban Track

• Sarah Bertand, M.D. – LSU School of Medicine – Shreveport
• Erick Diaz, M.D. – Universidad Internacional del Ecuador Facultad de Ciencias Medicas y de la Salud
• Bekah Kurtaneck, D.O. – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Auburn
• Haley Roberts, M.D. – UAB Heersink School of Medicine
• Matt Spence, M.D. – University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
• Betty Trushaw, M.D. – UAB Heersink School of Medicine
• Lauren Wilson, D.O.  – Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Auburn

Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency – Rural Track

• Eric Stringfield, M.D. – University of Kansas School of Medicine
• Kristen Harvey, M.D. – University of Mississippi School of Medicine
• Melissa Saganich, D.O. - Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Auburn
• Andrew Bird, M.D. – Trinity School of Medicine
• Elizabeth Taylor, D.O. – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine

Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency – Frontier Track

• Reese Land, M.D. – Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
• Garrett Jackson, M.D. – University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth – Texas COM
• Osama Ali, M.D. – Dow International Medical College – Pakistan
• Souleiman Salameh, D.O. – Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico University

UAB Selma Family Medicine Residency

• Usman Aamir, M.B., B.S.
• Confidence Atemnkeng, M.D.
• Sahil Bawa, M.B., B.S.
• Ayodele Gbadamosi, M.D.
• Ashenafi Getachew, M.D.