Laredo Medical Center Resident Physician Programs Achieve Milestone with Fourth Graduating Class

6/21/2024

LAREDO, Texas, JUNE 21, 2024 – A major milestone for the future of healthcare in Laredo was celebrated as 16 resident physicians of the Laredo Medical Center and Texas Institute for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and Research Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency Programs were conferred diplomas during a commencement ceremony on Friday, June 14.

The ceremony, held at The Barn at Los Patios, recognized the programs’ fourth graduating class, including 8 in the family medicine program and 8 in the internal medicine program. The gala affair, which included a formal dinner, was attended by residency program partners Laredo Medical Center, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) and Gateway Community Health Center, as well as physicians who serve as faculty and preceptors. Family and special guests of the residents also attended.

Jorge Leal, FACHE, CEO of Laredo Medical Center, expressed his enthusiasm and pride for this monumental achievement.

“We are thrilled and proud to recognize the fourth graduating class from the city’s only Graduate Medical Education programs at Laredo Medical Center. We cannot overemphasize the residents’ sincere desire to improve themselves to better serve and care for their patients,” said Leal.

“Laredo Medical Center looks forward to welcoming Dr. Mario Flores and Dr. Luis Guevara (from the Class of 2023) this summer to its medical group, Laredo Physician Associates, where three other graduates of the LMC residency programs are already making a profound impact in our community delivering quality care and compassion to the patients we serve. Other resident graduates are on board with LMC as part of our hospitalist group,” said Leal. “Overall, 10 physicians from the residency programs are part of the LMC family, and another seven resident physicians are working at other local medical facilities. We are also proud of all others resident graduates who are making a difference in places around the country or continuing their education through fellowships. We sincerely thank our educational and training partners and all those who made this possible, as well as the residents’ families for trusting us to teach the next generation of physicians.”

Laredo Medical Center has welcomed subsequent groups of resident physicians annually with its seventh cohort of 16 residents set to come aboard on July 1. The new residents will join the current residents for the 2024-2025 year with a total of 47 residents being enrolled in the local GME programs.

In 2018, Laredo Medical Center became the first clinical campus for UIWSOM and the Texas Institute for GME and Research. The resident physicians participate in a three-year-long residency at LMC and its outpatient training site, Gateway Community Health Center.

Residencies are where medical school graduates hone their skills to become independent physicians in a hospital or outpatient office setting. In order to practice, medical school graduates must complete residency training in a specific specialty.

“Residency programs have a direct impact on a community’s number of doctors and citizens’ access to healthcare. As well as learning from the doctors here, the resident physicians also provide additional care to the community,” said Leal.

Graduating from the 2024 internal medicine residency program are Ngozi Ajoku, D.O.; Joseph Belanger, D.O.; Lizbeth Fraticelli Rentero, M.D.; Victor Li Mandri, D.O.; Antony Mancheril, M.D.; Marco Passeri, M.D.; Rashid Qureshi, M.D.; and Margarita Valdez Cuadra, M.D. The program director is Hector Santos, M.D., and the associate program director is Amando Garza, IV, M.D.

Graduating from the 2024 family medicine residency program are Emerson Fillippa, D.O.; Mario Cesar Flores, M.D.; Mercedez Amy Hernandez, M.D.; Murtuza Khan, D.O.; Pablo Martinez, M.D.; Hannah Morales, D.O.; Katelyn Smith, D.O.; and Adrian Villarreal, D.O. Maria A. Garcia, M.D., is the program director, and Esha Mahmood is a member of the core faculty.

For more information about LMC’s residency programs, visit https://tigmer.com/laredo-family-medicine or https://tigmer.com/laredo-internal-medicine.

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