Texas Health announces new internal medicine residency program

black and gray stethoscope
Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash

Texas Health is introducing two new internal medicine residency programs at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and a combined program at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford.

The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education granted approval for the internal medicine residency programs, Texas Health said in an announcement.

“This is an exciting opportunity that plays a big role in the future of medicine in North Texas and nationwide,” said Andrew Masica, M.D., MSCI, Texas Health’s senior vice president and chief medical officer of Reliable Health.

The three-year programs, which start accepting residents in 2022, are intended to give physicians academic training and hands-on experience as they start their careers.

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Twenty residents will be selected each year for the combined program at Texas Health Denton and Texas Health HEB, with 10 residents chosen each year at Texas Health Fort Worth.

“We’re excited to welcome the best and the brightest young internal medical talent to the Texas Health team,” said Hilary Ryder, M.D., program director, internal medicine, Texas Health Fort Worth.

“In a region growing as fast as North Texas, building and training a pipeline of medical talent is imperative to caring for the communities we serve,” said Enrique Rincon, M.D., program director, internal medicine, Texas Health HEB and Denton.

The Texas Health Resources graduate medical education programs currently available include three internal medicine residencies, a primary care specialty identified as an area of physician workforce need, and general surgery. Future residencies in obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and an additional internal medicine program are in the planning stages.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges has projected that the United States could see an estimated shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including shortfalls in both primary and specialty care.

Graduate medical education helps address the shortage of physicians and increases access to care for North Texans, Masica said.

Physicians often enter practice in the area where they serve their residency.

Texas Health has a longstanding commitment to graduate medical education, a news release said. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas established its internal medicine residency program in the late 1970s, and more recently, Texas Health Fort Worth began its general surgery residency program in 2021.

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“Training new physicians will help us continue our mission to improve health in the communities we serve,” Masica said.