Brown University Internal Medicine Residency Home - Brown University Internal Medicine Residency

Welcome to the Brown University Internal Medicine Programs in Providence, RI

Our programs are headquartered at Rhode Island Hospital with core hospital rotations also at The Miriam Hospital and the Providence VA Medical Center. Our programs include Categorical, Primary Care (GIM), and Preliminary, and offer residency training across a broad variety of clinical disciplines. Our residents benefit from a variety of clinical locations across the three hospitals, and from a large cohort of teaching faculty within the Warren Alpert Medical School.

Our Mission Statement

The Brown University Internal Medicine Program seeks to promote the development of the consummate internist – doctors who practice with a high level of compassion, knowledge, skills, and professionalism. Our residents and faculty reflect a broad diversity of backgrounds and experiences unified by a dedication to our profession. We aim to give residents the opportunities, tools, and guidance to practice patient-centered care in a variety of environments. Our graduates will hold the care of their patients as their primary goal, accomplished through lifelong learning, scholarship, and education. We achieve this goal through mentorship, experiential learning, and by upholding high ethical standards. Our graduates are prepared for future growth as generalists and subspecialists, practitioners, and investigators, held together by the common bond of dedication to their patients and to the community of medicine. Collaboration, team-work, and devotion to self and others are our core values.

What's New!

Department of Medicine Participates in Bias Reduction Program
Beginning in June 2018, the Department of Medicine joined with 20 other academic departments throughout the country in a faculty development program called “Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine” (BRIM). This is a two year program in which each division participates in a three hour workshop addressing identification of implicit bias and mitigation techniques. Such techniques will be used by our faculty to assure and more inclusive and welcoming environment for clinical education and research. Faculty from the University of Wisconsin, where the study is headquartered, have led the initial workshops. Simultaneously, ten Alpert Medical School faculty have been trained as workshop leaders and will present the workshops to our faculty, residents and students once the faculty portion of the program has been completed. This faculty development program will provide faculty with skills to address implicit bias while simultaneously providing our department with skilled educators in this domain. Participation in the project is an important element in our department's efforts to maintain and enhance a most inclusive and welcoming learning environment.
New PGY1 Quality Improvement Rotation
A new outpatient/quality improvement PG1 rotation was begun at the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year. All interns in the Categorical and GIM programs will participate in the 2-week PG1 Quality Improvement/Continuity Clinic (QICC) this year. Intern ward rotations will be reduced by 2 weeks to accommodate this rotation. Modeled on the one month long PG2 rotation of the same name, this rotation includes a mixture of continuity clinic rotations and Quality Improvement experiences. The rotation enables interns to develop an in-depth familiarity with clinic operations and outpatient medicine early on in their training while the quality improvement experiences provides skills in patient safety, clinical operations and practice management.
Residency Research Track
The Brown Internal Medicine Residency programs have several interest tracks conducted during the PG2 and PG3 years. These have included the Clinician Educator Track, International Health Track (BRIGHT - Brown Residency International and Global Health Track) and the Women’s Health Track. The Resident Research Track was added to this list during Academic Year 19-20. This program includes elements of protected research time, mentored scholarship, curriculum and presentation opportunities. This program is led by Residency Research Director Philip Chan, MD and benefits from the activities of the BRIAR (Brown Residents Interested in Advancing Research) group, a peer-mentoring grassroots “club” in which residents exchange ideas and suggestions to help each other navigate and promote research activities. Graduates will be awarded a certificate of completion at the end of their residency.
Intern Counseling Project
The Brown Internal Medicine Residency began a pilot project during AY 2018-2019 in which all interns were scheduled for a one hour counselling session with a clinical psychologist. While all interns were offered this as an “opt out” program, almost all interns participated and returned very positive feedback. We plan to continue this program for the coming academic year 2019-2020. We are very excited to announce the expansion of this program to all three years of our residents during this coming year.
New Inpatient Curriculum
Director of RIH Inpatient Service (Med B) has worked with residents, chief residents, fellows, and faculty to develop a 120 module inpatient t curriculum which will be presented as part of the ward experiences, first at RIH and subsequently at Miriam and the VA during the AY 19-20. These sessions will be delivered on a team-based schedule based in part on the clinical conditions and patients for whom the team is caring.
New Chief Residents AY 2020-2021 Named
Brown IM Program Leaders announced the new Chief Residents selected for the Academic Year 2019-2020:

Rachel LeBlanc, MD
UMASS
Aditya Eturi, MD
Geisinger Commonwealth
Robert Matera, MD
Tufts University
Sarah Rhoads, MD
Alpert Medical School
Angie Seo, MD
Boston University
Direct Observation Project
Led by Associate Program Director Jessica Murphy, MD a new Direction Observation program is beginning in the Continuity Clinics this year. This program involves specific faculty observation of resident-patient interactions with immediate feedback on communication skills, data gathering, synthesis and management.
Hahnemann University Hospital Residents
As a result of the closure of Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, several hundred residents and fellows have been displaced and have sought training opportunities at other programs around the country. This event has been disruptive for each of these trainees, among them several dozen Internal Medicine interns and residents. At Brown, we were fortunately able to bring 4 of those residents to Providence and into our Internal Medicine Residency. We are planning some welcoming activities to assist in their acclimation to a new city, new program, etc.

Resident Voices

On my interview day, the morning report here won me over. Beyond a sense of camaraderie, the atmosphere amongst the residents and faculty was beautiful in its honesty and remarkable in its simplicity. I recognized that I found a place in which I could train while continuing to develop and cultivate my self and and my personality. Here I'm able to find progress personally and academically, and even when I was tired, hungry, or hangry, the experience has been rewarding.
Athreya Tata, MD (PGY2 - Primary Care),
When I was looking at residency programs, Brown stood on its own in terms of philosophy and values. There is a culture of learning and support that extends from the leadership and percolates through the program that I think is uncommon to find at other places. I have grown so much as a person and healthcare professional, in no small part because of the mentors and teachers made available to me here.
Daniel Yee, MD (PGY2 - Primary Care),
Learning to practice medicine at Brown has been a privilege. The atmosphere here is one of professionalism, collaboration, and mutual respect. Interns and residents are given autonomy but also tremendous support and backup, and I’ve never once felt like I couldn’t ask for help. There are many internal medicine programs with great patient diversity and fellowship match, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a place where people treat each other with such benevolence.
Brian Osler, MD (PGY2 - Categorical),
When I applied to residency, I made a checklist that highlighted aspects of a program that were most important to me. For example, available research opportunities and working in a community hospital were two of these items. Brown not only met all of these requirements, but has surpassed them. The program exuded a feeling of warmth and collegiality that I knew was special. The supportive and intellectually stimulating environment at Brown is what truly sets this program apart.
Brianna Bakow, MD (PGY3 - Categorical),
From the moment I interviewed here, it was obvious that Brown was just the sort of caring, supportive program I was looking for. I've learned and practiced medicine here alongside friends, with attendings devoted to resident education, and with mentors by my side to support my personal and professional goals. We help each other up when we're low and celebrate each other's highs. I couldn't have asked for a better residency family.
Jozal Waroich, MD (PGY3 - Categorical),
When I learned that I matched at this program, I was thrilled but mixed with plenty of uneasiness and self-doubt about starting residency. My fears were promptly dissipated as early as orientation week. I have experienced a strong culture of inclusiveness, support, and encouragement since beginning my training here. Fellow residents, attendings and program leadership have created such a positive working environment for patient care and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.
Mahawa Sam, MD (PGY3 - Categorical),
Residency is hard work, so it is important to surround yourself with people who genuinely care about one another and bring a positive attitude to work everyday. My passion for General Internal Medicine has only grown since starting here, and I attribute this to being surrounded by countless incredible role models who make medicine fun! I truly feel that I will leave Brown with all the tools necessary to become an exceptional general internist.
Jaclyn McKenna, MD (PGY2 - Primary Care),
Residency so far has been a phenomenal experience I would never change. The family I have created with my fellow residents and my work as a physician has filled me with such joy. Residency has its hardships but you're never alone, always supported, and trained incredibly well here at Brown.
Grant Cagle, MD (PGY2 - Categorical),
Imagining myself anywhere but Brown for my internal medicine training seems impossible. As I have been challenged both emotionally and intellectually, I have felt supported by co-residents, senior residents, preceptors and program directors, alike. The faculty are genuinely interested in resident well-being and co-residents share exactly the type of camaraderie I had hoped form in which residents find balance between their professional and personal lives. The GIM track puts me ahead of the curve for a career in primary care and my experience for treating vulnerable populations has been boosted by my second-site clinic, which has switched from a suboxone to immunology clinic during my second year.
Rachel Cooper, MD (PGY3 - Primary Care),
The residents at Brown are some of the most energetic, kind, and knowledgeable people I have ever met. I am constantly impressed by the second and third year residents, who know more than I ever thought imaginable at this point in their careers.

Pooja Pandit, MD - Categorical
In choosing a residency program, I also looked for a diversity of experience including opportunities to work abroad. The Moi Program at Brown is a well-established exchange program with a hospital in Kenya where Brown residents can rotate during their research months. Even at home in Providence, residents rotate through three very different hospitals, each with their own unique patient population.

Nicholas Nassikas, MD - Categorical