Internal Medicine
Residency Program

MISSION:

to educate, mentor, and develop the next generation of Internal Medicine physicians fully qualified to deliver outstanding, efficient medical care with compassion, integrity, and respect.

Located in the largest city on Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa and home to one of the busiest emergency departments in the United States, the Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) Internal Medicine Residency Program provides its trainees with robust exposure in a diverse multinational population resulting in a uniquely well-rounded training experience.

This ACGME-accredited program is designed to provide trainees with a wide array of clinical experiences and leadership skills aimed to develop tomorrow’s leaders in academic medicine. The residency program is tailored to a versatile balance of clinical excellence, academic pursuit, and resident well-being.

Why Train at LRH?

At 892 beds, Lakeland Regional Health is among the largest hospitals in Florida and boasts as one of the busiest stand-alone Emergency Departments in the nation. With a diverse rural population, the pathology and patient variety is unmatched. The program is uniquely designed to offer enriching experiences such as a Medical Spanish elective and a tailored curriculum that includes Point-of-Care Ultrasonography with Artificial Intelligence. A dedicated Research Team is also on site to support residents’ research endeavors.

The Internal Medicine Residency Program, recognized for its continuous connection with one of the nation’s most bustling emergency departments, distinctively integrates an Emergency Department-Hospital Medicine Admitting Rotation into its three-year residency training curriculum. This one-of-a-kind integration will offer residents a rare opportunity to gain hands-on experience and exposure to Level II Trauma acuity within the realms of both the emergency department and hospital medicine, thereby enhancing their skills and understanding in these critical areas. Moreover, our curriculum has an innovative Mentorship Program in place, which aims to prepare residents for success across various medical fields. Whether choosing to pursue a career in ambulatory care, hospital medicine, or opt for fellowship training, this program equips residents with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their chosen path.

Commitment to Excellence: Residents will train in an organization that continuously serves as an international leader in patient safety and quality improvement. Lakeland Regional Health’s long-standing reputation has earned Most Wired Advanced and Most Wired status seven times since 2013 and has since earned workplace awards from Forbes, Gallup, and Becker’s Hospital Review.

Residents will complete a focused and intense clinical and didactic curriculum, mentored by ABIM/AOBIM board-certified faculty members with a variety of backgrounds and expertise, and centered around excellent patient care and bedside learning. Our graduates will be well-prepared to become board-certified leaders in medicine and pursue careers within academia, community, or fellowship training.

Lakeland Regional Health is one of Forbes Best-in-State Employers for 2022. We aim to remain thriving workplace for everyone on our team.

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Curriculum

Internal Medicine Residents will participate in a robust and novel educational program with many opportunities to teach peer residents, medical students, and staff. All didactic activities are time protected from clinical duties. Residents are expected to participate in hospital committees and research activities.

Additional Details:

Weekly Didactic Curriculum

The Internal Medicine Residency Program offers a comprehensive and dynamic curriculum designed to provide a well-rounded education in each subspecialty, with each month dedicated to an internal medicine subspecialty focus.
The program uniquely incorporates Thursday academic half-days, during which residents are free from clinical responsibilities and receive extensive educational opportunities (clinical conferences and simulations) from specialty attendings and experts in the field.
- Protected academic half-day sessions with coverage of clinical duties allows residents to immerse themselves in the learning environment without outside distractions.
Monthly recurring sessions include but not limited to:
- ACP Board Prep Curriculum
- Simulation Center: Procedures and Communication
- Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
- Journal Club
- Multi-disciplinary Conference
- Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Conference
- Diversity and Equity Inclusion Conference
- Leadership Skills and Resident-as-Teacher
- Step 3 Prep & Board Review
- …and more!

Academically Driven

From Quality Improvement (QI) projects to bench research, LRH’s dedicated research team and Institutional Review Board (IRB) supports residents throughout all stages of the research process.
Partnering with our institutional Department of Research and Sponsored Studies, we actively identify, distribute, and facilitate research and scholarly opportunities to internal medicine residents. Every year, our residents are supported and encouraged to present scholarly projects at regional and national conferences.
Upon completion of the program, our residents complete an original scientific paper of publishable quality and/or quality improvement project.

Ambulatory Clinic

Diverse panel population ranging from uninsured/undocumented patients to commercial insurance payors, fostering the confidence to enter independent practice in any kind of setting.
Each resident will have ownership of their own primary care patient panel, fostering continuity and relationship building between physician and patient.
Block scheduling allows immersive ambulatory experiences without distractions from inpatient rotations. Similarly, practicing in a ‘Pod’ of providers with co-residents, ensures patients receive timely care while PCP is on other rotations.
Rotate through subspecialty clinics, and learn from subspecialists 1-on-1, to expand the knowledge base and confidence to care for primary patient panel.
Longitudinal mentoring relationship with Clinic Preceptors from internship to residency graduation.

Wellness and Personal Development

LRH is committed to each individuals’ needs for success.
No 24-Hour Call
Generous meal stipend & vacation
Mentorship Program with an IM Wellness Committee
Resident-only State-of-the-Art GME Lounge
- Includes a Fitness Center!

Didactics and Education

The didactic portion of the Lakeland Regional Health’s Internal Medicine Residency Program includes:

Core Curriculum Conferences
ACP Board Preparation Curriculum
Internal Medicine Grand Rounds
Morbidity and Mortality Conferences
Primary Care Didactics
Updates in Medicine and Journal Club
Medical Student Afternoon Report
Point-of-Care Ultrasonography
Quality Improvement Conferences

Educational Resources

Decker Weekly Curriculum in Medicine
Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) 19
ACP Board Prep Curriculum
Physician Education and Assessment Center
- “Johns Hopkins” IM Ambulatory Care Curriculum
UpToDate Anywhere through affiliation with Lakeland Regional Health

Program Leadership

Luis Daniel
Lugo, MD, MBA

Program
Director

Anas
Bizanti, MD

Associate Program Director (Inpatient)

Keisha
Ellis, MD

Associate Program Director (Outpatient)

Melissa
Rusli, MD

Associate Program Director (Outpatient)

Core Faculty

Christina Chen,
DO

Morhaf Alsamman
MD

Lauren Martinez,
DO

Adeeb Mustafa,
MD

Felix Carrillo,
MD

Andrew Michalsky,
MD

Arch Amon,
MD

Faculty

Mohammad Ansari,
MD

Arch Amon,
MD

Rene Cajuste,
MD

Francisco Chebly,
MD

Mariana Fernandez,
MD

Alexis
Ferguson, MD

Sarah Gaugler,
DO

Muhammad Ghabra,
MD

Fahmida Keya,
MD

Vivian Loveday-Laghi, MD

Odette Mercado-Chebly,
MD

Pranavkumar Patel,
MD

Soniya Patel,
MD

Sai Wan,
MD

Program Benefits and Highlights

Lakeland Regional Health offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to view the benefits package provided to LRH team members.

Beyond our standard tuition reimbursement program, retirement plans, paid time off and a comprehensive health and benefit plan, we also offer the following extended benefits for residents of our Graduate Medical Education Program:

Meal subsidy for on-call residents
Educational stipend for professional development
LRH GME Fitness Center
Expenses of USMLE Step 3/COMLEX 3 fees covered

Life in Internal Medicine

About Lakeland

Lakeland, the largest city in Polk County, has kept its small-town personality over the years and yet continues to become a vibrant and growing city. Conveniently located between Tampa and Orlando, Lakelanders have many ways to celebrate the climate, culture and opportunities available both in the local area and throughout Central Florida. World-class shopping, major sports franchises and entertainment venues in Tampa and Orlando and beaches on both the east and west coasts of Florida are all a quick drive away.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit a complete application via ERAS. Residents will be chosen through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

NRMP Number: 2323140C0

Required Supporting Documents:

Curriculum vitae
Medical School Transcript
Personal Statement
Three Letters of Recommendation
USMLE/COMLEX Scores

We are excited to welcome all candidates to apply for our Graduate Medical Education programs. However, please note that applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas at this time. Thank you for understanding.

Contact Us

Brittany Harris

Internal Medicine Program Manager

863-687-1100 Ext. 3669

Therisa Humphries

Internal Medicine Program Administrator

863-687-1100 Ext. 1326

Email us:

Connect with us on Social Media

Internal Medicine Residency Program

MISSION:

to educate, mentor, and develop the next generation of Internal Medicine physicians fully qualified to deliver outstanding, efficient medical care with compassion, integrity, and respect.

Why Train at LRH?

Curriculum

Additional Details:

Didactics and Education

Program Leadership

Luis Daniel Lugo, MD, MBA

Anas Bizanti, MD

Keisha Ellis, MD

Melissa Rusli, MD

Core Faculty

Christina Chen, DO

Morhaf Alsamman MD

Lauren Martinez, DO

Adeeb Mustafa, MD

Felix Carrillo, MD

Andrew Michalsky, MD

Arch Amon, MD

Faculty

Mohammad Ansari, MD

Arch Amon, MD

Rene Cajuste, MD

Francisco Chebly, MD

Mariana Fernandez, MD

Alexis Ferguson, MD

Sarah Gaugler, DO

Muhammad Ghabra, MD

Fahmida Keya, MD

Vivian Loveday-Laghi, MD

Odette Mercado-Chebly, MD

Pranavkumar Patel, MD

Soniya Patel, MD

Sai Wan, MD

Program Benefits and Highlights

Life in Internal Medicine

About Lakeland

How to Apply

Contact Us

Quick Links

Contact Us

GME Office

Internal Medicine
Residency Program

Luis Daniel
Lugo, MD, MBA

Anas
Bizanti, MD

Keisha
Ellis, MD

Melissa
Rusli, MD

Christina Chen,
DO

Morhaf Alsamman
MD

Lauren Martinez,
DO

Adeeb Mustafa,
MD

Felix Carrillo,
MD

Andrew Michalsky,
MD

Arch Amon,
MD

Mohammad Ansari,
MD

Arch Amon,
MD

Rene Cajuste,
MD

Francisco Chebly,
MD

Mariana Fernandez,
MD

Alexis
Ferguson, MD

Sarah Gaugler,
DO

Muhammad Ghabra,
MD

Fahmida Keya,
MD

Odette Mercado-Chebly,
MD

Pranavkumar Patel,
MD

Soniya Patel,
MD

Sai Wan,
MD