Family and Community Medicine

As Program Director, one of my greatest goals is to help residents become the physicians they aspire to be. I did not initially see myself in academic medicine, but through working with medical students and residents, I discovered a passion for teaching and mentorship. The opportunity to guide learners, watch them grow, and share in their successes has become one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. Teaching challenges me to continue learning and ultimately makes me a better physician and person.

Our residency program is built on a culture of acceptance, respect, and support. We value one another, celebrate our differences, and strive to create an environment where every member of our team feels valued and heard. Learning requires vulnerability, and residents should feel comfortable asking questions, seeking help, and engaging in open discussion. We believe that the best learning occurs in an environment where curiosity is encouraged and mistakes become opportunities for growth.

When I review residency applications, I look for individuals who share these values. We seek residents who are compassionate, hardworking, and committed to serving patients and communities. Residency is demanding, and success requires both dedication and resilience. Just as important, however, is the willingness to ask questions, learn from others, and support your colleagues along the way.

My leadership style is centered on accessibility, trust, and collaboration. I maintain an open-door policy and strive to create an environment where residents feel supported while developing the confidence and independence necessary to thrive. My role is not to define your future, but to help you discover and build the career you want in Family Medicine.

Family Medicine offers endless possibilities, and our goal is for every resident to graduate prepared, confident, and excited about the impact they will have on their patients and communities. If you are passionate about caring for people, committed to lifelong learning, and looking for a residency program that values respect, teamwork, and personal growth, then this is the program for you.

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, at the OU School of Community Medicine! This is a very exciting time in family medicine, and at OU-Tulsa. Our mission is to provide the highest quality care, have the most satisfied patients, develop the most prepared residents, and create the healthiest communities.  Those are lofty goals, and our clinic and residency program have undergone massive improvements to reach them. The addition of new faculty and a renewed commitment to high quality education from our highly experienced faculty has been a key component in our success.

Using the lessons gathered by national leaders in practice transformation, we have implemented a “Clinic First” model of care and training. Outstanding primary care physicians should be equipped first and foremost to provide outstanding outpatient care, so our clinic has become the centerpiece of our residency training. Utilizing an innovative residency schedule we call the mini-block model, we have been able to improve continuity of care, build our residents’ competence and efficiency in the ambulatory setting from day one of residency, and enhance our residents’ sense of wellbeing.

At the same time, we are fully committed to providing great education in the many aspects of family medicine outside of the clinic, including adult and pediatric inpatient care, obstetrics/newborn care, rural medicine, emergency medicine, geriatrics, and subspecialty care. We have an associated sports medicine fellowship, allowing for fantastic opportunities to learn musculoskeletal medicine. We also have comprehensively trained family medicine OB doctors, who will teach surgical obstetrics to interested residents.

Communities in this region come in many shapes and sizes, and we are committed to training physicians who can fit any of them. We continue a relationship with rural physicians in Bartlesville, Kansas, and Grove, OK, in order to help residents learn the nuances of working in smaller communities. All residents spend a mini-block in a rural community, with the opportunity to do more if that fits the resident’s learning needs.

Our main goal is to be forward thinking, and prepare you to be the family medicine doctor who will lead your community, urban/suburban or rural, into future health. We would love to speak with applicants who are looking for a program committed to continuous quality improvement.

I do hope that you will come take a closer look.