CFM Graduates…Prepared to make a difference!

In over 30 years as a family practice residency program there have been 168 graduates. These former residents are now practicing in 26 states across the United States. 109 have set up practices in the state of Ohio, and 87 of that number are in northeast Ohio.

A large majority of our graduates join, or set up their own, primary care practices after graduation. Our alumni practice as solo family doctors, join groups (large and small, independent or hospital-sponsored) and work in urgent care or emergency room settings. Many serve as medical directors of their group practices and/or take leadership roles in their community. Some are experimenting with alternative ways to deliver health care. A recent graduate has pioneered a concierge-type family practice in a local suburb. Two other residents developed their business plan for a “micropractice” (a very low overhead practice model) while residents here, and are successfully conducting this innovative type of practice in another local community.

Other former residents have ventured into less traditional practices: A graduate of our program is the medical director of the North Coast Health Ministry in Lakewood, Ohio (Dr. Phil Tomsik), providing health care for those without health care insurance. Two of our alumni work in clinics serving American Indians in the western part of the country. Several work among with the Amish community in rural central Ohio, one of whom was selected as “Family Physician of the Year-2000” by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (Dr. William Schultz). One of our first graduates is now the president of Huron Road Hospital in East Cleveland, Ohio, and was recently named “2007 Physician Executive of the Year” by Medical Group Management Association and the American College of Medical Practice Executives (Dr. Gus Kious). Another grad went on to become board-certified in Emergency Medicine, and now serves as the vice chair of a large local Emergency Medicine Department (Dr. Grant Comnick).

Fellowships:
Our graduates are accepted into competitive fellowships in a variety of areas of concentration. A sampling of our recent graduating residents:
   • Sports Medicine: The class of 2006 had three of its residents accepted into sports medicine fellowships: one at Duke University, one at University of South Carolina, and one at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
   • Community Health: A 2005 graduate completed a fellowship in Community Health/ Family Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill and has taken a position with the CDC in Washington, DC. Another member of this class completed her masters in Public Health at Case Western Reserve.
   • Geriatrics: A graduate of our program completed her post-residency fellowship in geriatrics at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and now serves on the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine/Geriatrics there. A class of 2009 grad will be doing a geriatric fellowship in Little Rock, Arkansas.
   • Women’s Health: A class of 2005 graduate completed a fellowship in Women’s Health at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
   • Adolescent Medicine: A member of the classes of 2005 and 2007 were accepted into adolescent medicine fellowships, one at the University of California, San Francisco, and the other at MetroHealth Medical Center/Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

Teaching
Eleven of our alumni hold full-time teaching positions at residency programs or medical schools (Four have returned to teach at our residency program, including the most recent addition of Sandy Snyder, DO, as Director of Osteopathic Medicine!). One of our early graduates from the class of 1983 (Dr. Margaret McCahill) is the founding director of the combined Psychiatry and Family Medicine Residency, UC-San Diego and recently won the 2008 Physician Humanitarian Award from the Medical Board of California. Many others hold clinical teaching positions or precept at residency programs.

Research:
The intellectual curiosity and networking of our graduates continues after they graduate. Some of our former residents participate in research and have published their work. Five of our graduates, who practice locally, have joined together to start a practice-based research network developing practical clinical research projects in their primary care settings. 

Community & International Health / Community Service
A number of our graduates volunteer their time for humanitarian work locally, nationally, and internationally. Four of our residency faculty volunteer at a local free clinic on a monthly basis. One of our faculty (who is also a graduate of this program) spends several weeks a year volunteering at remote medical clinics in Central America. After Hurricane Katrina, two of our alumni volunteered to provide medical care for refugees in the Houston Astrodome. Many others conduct health talks and screenings for local community groups and schools.