VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) — South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) welcomed 32 new resident physicians who will begin clinical training as part of the organization’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program.

The incoming class is the largest to date, with seven residents in Family Medicine, 15 in Internal Medicine, and 10 in the Transitional Year program. SGMC Health said the addition brings its total to 55 resident physicians training across its programs.

The GME program was developed in partnership with Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM). SGMC Health said the program is designed to expand access to care across South Georgia while creating training opportunities for new physicians.

“This is an exciting moment for our organization as we continue to grow and evolve our Graduate Medical Education program,” said Pankaj Agrawal, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at SGMC Health. “Welcoming our first full class of Family Medicine residents is a meaningful advancement in our efforts to build a strong, community-focused physician workforce. We are honored to support these residents as they begin their careers in medicine.”

Family Medicine program launches first matched class

SGMC Health said this year marks its first matched class of Family Medicine residents.

Madison Hill, DO, leads the Family Medicine Residency Program, with Pankaj Agrawal, MD, and Erin Parker, DO, serving as associate program directors. SGMC Health said the program provides full-spectrum primary care training across inpatient, outpatient and community settings, including obstetrics, pediatrics and adult medicine, with an emphasis on serving rural and underserved communities.

Internal Medicine and Transitional Year programs

SGMC Health also welcomed residents into its Internal Medicine and Transitional Year programs.

• The Internal Medicine Residency Program focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and management of complex adult medical conditions, preparing residents for careers in primary care, hospital medicine or subspecialty practice.
• The Transitional Year Program is a one-year rotating experience across multiple specialties and serves as a foundational year for physicians pursuing advanced training in areas that require a preliminary year, including radiology, anesthesiology and dermatology.

Competitive selection process

SGMC Health said this year’s residency classes were selected through a competitive process, with more than 2,600 applications reviewed and more than 400 interviews conducted by GME leadership.

Resident physicians receive mentorship from experienced faculty and access to MUSM academic resources, SGMC Health said, with rotations across multiple disciplines.

As a clinical campus of MUSM, SGMC Health also plays a role in training third- and fourth-year medical students, supporting what the organization described as a pipeline of future physicians for South Georgia and beyond.

The continued growth of SGMC Health’s GME program reflects an ongoing investment in physician education and workforce development, the organization said, aimed at improving access to high-quality care close to home.

Internal Medicine residents

• Ogechukwu Ariwodo, DO
• Ndiya Emeaba, MD
• John Erhabor, MD
• Obeng Fordjour, MD
• Haley Elliott, DO
• Roberto Ortiz, DO
• Jay Patel, DO
• Priyank Patel, MD
• William Pruitt, MD
• Karamvir Randhawa, MD
• Paul Reese, MD
• Henna Singh, MD
• Nick Taylor, MD
• Sharon Ann Thomas, MD
• Yaw Bader, MD

Family Medicine residents

• Mashaal Bakhtiar, MD
• Alexander Cohen, DO
• Rohail Jameel, MD
• Teighlor Ashburn, DO
• Umesh Mudireddy, MD
• Cynthia Okoro, MD
• Rommel Ramesh, MD

Transitional Year residents

• Adebola Afolayan, MD
• Musa Ayyad, MD
• Mirza Baig, MD
• Katherine Bannykh, MD
• Jennifer Damolekun, MD
• Xianzhen Deng, DO
• Brendan Mahoney, MD
• Indu Meena, MD
• Umar Shaikh, MD
• Andrea Viruet Pantoja, MD

For more information about SGMC Health’s Graduate Medical Education programs, visit sgmc.org.

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.