Lakeside Medical Center Graduates 7th Class of Family Medicine Residents
Strength, courage, character, confidence and dignity. Those were the words of encouragement and guidance given to three new physician graduates of Lakeside Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program.
“You have a tremendous opportunity to make a big impact on society,” said Duclos Dessalines, M.D., the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony, which also welcomed five new residents to the medical program.
Dr. Dessalines, Pediatric Services Director of the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, told graduating residents that during their residency they demonstrated, “hard work, sacrifice, dedication and commitment.”
Nearly 90 family members and guests attended the June 17th event at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Among the attendees were South Bay Mayor Joe Kyles and Dan Liftman, Staff Assistant to U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings.
Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade is an acute care facility and is Palm Beach County's only rural teaching hospital. The residency program was established in 2011 and is now one of the few of its kind to focus on the health care needs of rural, underserved areas.
The three graduates, Roy Barski, D.O., Kimala Harris, D.O. and Ron Mathews, D.O., completed a rigorous three-year curriculum that included rotations in emergency medicine, women’s health care, pediatrics, psychiatry, general surgery, internal medicine, community and sports medicine, cardiology, dermatology, women’s health, radiology, orthopedics, ENT, urology, ophthalmology and critical care.
“We see high-acuity patients with seven or nine diagnoses, which you wouldn’t normally see in other residency programs,” said Dr. Barski, Chief Resident who plans to practice in South Florida. “It’s a more nurturing learning environment and you become part of the community.”
“One of the best parts is the bond I’ve formed with my co-residents,” said Dr. Harris, who plans to work in an outpatient setting in South Florida. “I’ve unofficially adopted both to form a family for life.”
“We treat a lot of complex cases,” said Dr. Mathew, whose nickname is “Dr. IT” because of his skill in Clinical Informatics. “Just like an onion, you’re peeling away many layers of conditions that our patients face to get to the bottom of it.”
“Never stop learning,” said Jennifer Dorcé-Medard, D.O., Family Medicine Residency Program Director at Lakeside Medical Center.
Dr. Dorcé-Medard also urged the graduates not to forget that having a “positive and welcoming attitude is medication one can offer every patient.”
Following the ceremony, the three graduates took part in coating the program’s five incoming residents: Thy Bui, D.O., William Draper, D.O., Jesse Grieb, D.O., Benjamin Kosubevsky, D.O. and Anna McClain, D.O.
Karen Harris, the Health Care District’s Vice President of Field Operations, hosted the 7th annual graduation. Harris introduced James T. Howell, MD, MPH, Assistant Dean of Professional Relations and Professor Public Health at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine who helped establish the residency program at the hospital.
Dr. Howell, urged the residents not to forget the “soul part” of medicine. Patients, he said, “are more than just a medical chart.”
The Family Medicine Residency Program is funded by a grant from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. The program’s academic and community partners include Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Florida Department of Health for Palm Beach County.
For more information about Lakeside Medical Center, which is owned by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, visit www.lakesidemedical.org or call 561-996-6571.