The Peru Gazette

3 from the graduating class of 2021 will practice in Network affiliates

PLATTSBURGH, NY – Half of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Family Medicine Residency graduating class of 2021 will remain in the region and practice as part of the UVM Health Network.

The 2021 graduates of the 3-year residency program are Sarah Asif, MD, John Bak, MD, Joel Cherian, MD, Zachary Mashaw, MD, Tyler O’Bryan, MD and Tristen Ripley, MD.  Graduation ceremonies were held on June 19.

“We are excited to say that for the third year in a row, we are fulfilling our mission by not only training high-quality family doctors who can practice anywhere but we also attracting great physicians to our region. We are so pleased that three of the six residents graduating this year have chosen to stay and practice in our region. They will be part of our Network,” said Family Medicine Administrator Kathleen Freeman.

Dr. Asif is joining the CVPH Family Medicine Center team and Dr. Cherian is joining the Alice Hyde Medical staff. Dr. O’Bryan will relocate to Vermont and practice at Porter Hospital in Middlebury. Dr. Bak is headed to the West Coast, taking a job in Los Angeles, CA. while both Dr. Mashaw and Dr. Ripley will practice in their hometowns. Dr. Mashaw will be practicing at Ogdensburg Family Practice and Dr. Ripley will be practicing at Pen Bay Family Health in Rockport, Maine.

In congratulating the Class of 2021, Alice Hyde and CVPH President Michelle LeBeau said the Family Medicine Residency has been a success on a number of fronts. “Having residents with us, being a teaching hospital, elevates all us. We all learn and grow. It (the Residency) was created to help improve access to primary care for our region and we are doing just that.”

During the three-year training program, residents complete rotations in emergency medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, cardiology, surgery, orthopedics, geriatrics and community medicine. Additionally, they see their own patients in the CVPH Family Medicine Center at 159 Margaret St.

Established in 2013, thousands of physicians apply for just six spots in the residency each year. It has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 2015.