Lee Health recently celebrated the graduation of the class of 2017 of The Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program. The residency program is based at Lee Memorial Hospital and was created to combat an expected national shortage of primary care physicians—an issue that is compounded locally by a rapidly growing aging population.

 
This year’s graduates include:
Dr. Chelsey Scheiner, who is practicing urgent care in Fort Myers
Dr. Lee Coghill, who is staying in the area to serve as a global health fellow
Dr. Liz Midney-Martinez, who will practice family medicine with Lee Physician Group in LaBelle
Dr. Carl Nyberg, who will work as a hospitalist in Fort Myers
Dr. Alyson Sanchious, who plans to practice in Fort Myers
Dr. Eileen Callaway, who will practice with Lee Physician Group in Bonita Springs
Dr. Olevia Metry, who will be moving back to her hometown and will practice in the Tampa/Clearwater area
 
Medical school graduates are required to complete residency training in their chosen specialty in order to become independently practicing physicians. The class of 2017 physicians at Lee Health was the first group recruited to the program through the National Residency Matching Program.
 
The Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health takes residents through 36 months of training, which is divided into four-week blocks. These rotations are completed at Lee Memorial Hospital, HealthPark Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The program began with its inaugural class in July 2014.
 
In December 2016, the residency program was approved for expansion from 18 residents to 24, and received Continued Accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for the next 10 years.