LEWISTON — The Central Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency recognized seven third-year family medicine residents at a recent graduation program.

Honored at commencement exercises were family physicians Stephanie Aung, M.D., Harpreet Ghotra, M.D., Swapna Gummadi, M.D., Petrona Manasseh, M.D., Huy Nguyen, M.D., Annamarie Pond, D.O., and Ravi Sathya, M.D. Residency Program Director Donald Woolever, M.D., and residency faculty members presented the graduates their diplomas.

The graduation ceremony was attended by CMMC Family Medicine Residency faculty, residents, staff at the residency and Oscar Treat Turner Family Medicine Center, CMMC Medical Staff representatives, and families and special invited guests. Alan Verrill, M.D., gave the commencement address, “May I See the Menu Please.” CMMC President Laird Covey also congratulated the graduates with a message on behalf of the medical center.

Several awards were made during the ceremony. The Dr. Bruce Johnson Residency Teacher of the Year Award was given to John Dickens, M.D. This award honors the physician who, as voted by the graduating senior residents, made the most outstanding contribution to their family medicine residency education. The Family Medicine Hospitalist Fellow Diploma was presented by Claudia Geyer, M.D., to William Peternel, D.O.

Other awards presented at the ceremony included:

Lewiston Campus

* Preceptor of the Year, Trisha Gushue, D.O.

* Faculty of the Year, Gary Rivard, D.O.

* Exemplar of Family Medicine Award, Edmund Claxton, M.D.

* Best Pediatric Teacher, nurse practitioner Heidi Toews

* Patron of Food for Thought and Comfort, Robin Soucy, CMMC Food Service

* Best Residency Mom, Michelle Tower, recruiting coordinator

* Best Vigilant Maintenance Engineer Award, Bob Breton, Environmental Services

Swift River Health Care

* Support of the Rural Track, Dieter Kreckel, M.D., rural track director

* Commitment to the Education of Rural Track Family Medicine Residents, Al Riel, M.D., and the Rumford Emergency Department

* Best Obstetrical Teacher Award, Siad Daoud, M.D.

* Foundational Rock of the Rural Track, Sharon Rickards, rural track coordinator

Awards presented at the residency program’s graduation dinner were:

* Nurse of the Year Award, Karen Becker, R.N.

* Best Systems Based Practice Award, Jen Fish, licensed social worker Saviour of Time Award, Kim Elliott, scheduler

* Best Clinic Multitasker Award, Roxanne Couillard, referrals specialist

Program graduate Aung is planning to practice in Vancouver, Canada; Ghotra has joined Danforth Medical Centre, Toronto; Gummadi will join Central Maine Medical Center as a hospitalist fellow; Mannaseh is planning to practice in Toronto; Nguyen is planning to practice in Vancouver, Canada; Pond will join Naples Family Practice in Naples; and Sathya has joined Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic in Hudson, N.H.

CMMC created the Family Medicine Residency program in 1978 to support the training of family physicians in order to provide skilled family doctors to the Lewiston-Auburn area, as well as to other areas of Maine. Graduates of the CMMC Family Medicine Residency Program practicing locally include Peter Beckel, M.D., Tom Bosma, M.D., Charles Burns, M.D., Denise Cogle, D.O., Steve Fairchild, M.D., Manju Hilary, M.D., Shannon Kenney, D.O., Cortney Linville, D.O., Margaret Matthews, M.D., Lisa McAllister, D.O., Shauna McElrath, D.O., Steven Molnar-Gabor, M.D., Kurt Oswald, M.D., Nathan Raby, D.O., Gary Rivard, D.O., Sarah Skelton, M.D., Terry Ann Scriven, M.D., Ray Tardif, M.D., Fred Van Mourik, M.D., and Stephanie Youd, M.D.

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