The Peru Gazette

Residency continues to improve access to primary care in region

PLATTSBURGH, NY (03/28/2025) – Six new physicians will begin their 3-year Family Medicine training program here in July. The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Family Medicine Residency introduced its incoming class of residents during a Match Day ceremony held at the hospital Friday, March 21.

Match Day is the day in which the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) releases results to applicants seeking residency positions. A requirement of obtaining a medical license and board certification, residency is a stage of medical training in which graduates of medical schools practice medicine under the supervision of an attending physician.

Members of the CVPH Family Medicine Residency Class of 2028 are:

• Lia Farrell, MD of West Virginia, is a West Virginia University School of Medicine graduate from Morgantown, West Virginia.
• Irzam Khan, MD and Cristina Prudencio-Brunello, MD are both from Ontario, Canada and graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada.
• Normeen Siddiqui, MD, is an Indiana native and a graduate of Ross University School of Medicine in Bridgetown, Barbado.
• Muhammad Sidiqui, MD is a graduate of American University of Antiqua College of Medicine. His hometown is Rochester, NY.
• Rishabh Taneja, MD of India is a graduate of Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, College of Punjab, India.

Residency Program Director Marianna Worczak, MD said Match Day is an exciting time for the residency. “Each new resident brings a fresh perspective and energy to our program, this organization, and our community.  Today is a celebration of those who have worked so hard to get here and for our program and the impact we continue to have on primary care in this region.”  In welcoming the Class of 2028, she offered that each doctor has a demonstrated interest in rural health care.

The CVPH Family Residency received more than 888 applications for the six spots in the Class of 2028 and conducted 110 virtual interviews after reviewing each application. Several open houses were held to provide prospective residents an opportunity to meet instructors and experience the North Country. The class was established after residents and the program’s team ranked their preferences and the NRMP creates the “match.”

Established in 2014 to improve access to primary care in the region, an average of 60% of graduates have opted to stay in Northern New York or Vermont to practice medicine. Worczak attributed that success to the community’s support, the dedication of the faculty, strong clinical experiences, a dedicated program administration, and support from CVPH and UVMHN senior leadership.

The CVPH Family Medicine Residency was created in a partnership with the University of Vermont’s Robert Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont Health Network. It offers a robust three-year program that includes rotations in emergency medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, cardiology, surgery, orthopedics, geriatrics and community medicine. Family Medicine Residents see their own patients in the CVPH Family Medicine Center at 159 Margaret Street and at the Hudson Headwaters Champlain Family Medicine Center.