Marshall rural internal medicine residency earns accreditation

A new collaborative, rural internal medicine residency program between the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and Holzer Health System in Gallipolis, Ohio, has received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This program is the first of its kind in West Virginia and third in the United States.

The rural internal medicine program is sponsored by the Marshall Community Health Consortium, which includes the School of Medicine, Cabell Huntington Hospital, and Valley Health Systems, in collaboration with Holzer Health System and Logan Regional Medical Center. ACGME has approved the three-year training program for four trainees per year, with a full complement of 12 residents once the program is fully implemented. While the program will recruit trainees to begin as early as September 2024, it will participate in the nationwide matching program for medical student applicants to start training in July 2025.

“We are excited to continue to educate young physicians in the unique structure of a rural residency,” said Paulette S. Wehner, M.D., vice dean for education at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “The very strict accreditation criteria are met as well as additional, stringent requirements to qualify as a separately accredited Rural Internal Medicine Residency. We are proud to lead the nation in this type of residency training to support the needs of our local communities.”

Stephen A. Roy, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and a primary care physician at Marshall Health, is director of the new rural residency program, and Jennifer Calafato, D.O., of Holzer Health System, will serve as associate program director.

"Our rural internal medicine residency offers a truly unique experience, immersing residents in the diverse challenges and rewards of practicing in underserved areas,” Roy said. “The program equips residents with a robust foundation in primary care, chronic disease management and preventive medicine, while also honing their skills in procedural care and acute intervention. Through direct patient care and hands-on training in resource-limited environments, residents will learn to adapt and excel, gaining valuable insight into the complexities of rural health care delivery."

“We are proud to announce this addition to our services at Holzer. This marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing high-quality medical education and addressing the healthcare needs of the rural communities we serve,” said Calafato, who also serves as a primary care provider at Holzer Health System.

The Marshall program is the third separately accredited rural track program in internal medicine in the nation. As part of the rural accreditation requirements, the internal medicine residents will conduct at least 50% of their training at a rural site. This program includes training at the rural site of Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis. The remainder of the residents’ training will occur in Huntington at Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and VA Medical Center.

The Consortium received a $750,000 grant in April 2023 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA 23-015) to support the planning and development of the training program.

The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the Consortium now host a combined 28 residency and fellowship programs, including two other rural residencies in psychiatry and surgery and fellowship programs in various specialties. To learn more about the rural internal medicine residency, visit jcesom.marshall.edu/rural-internal-medicine.