Phoebe Family Medicine Residency Honors Class of 2022

By Press release submission

Jun 29, 2022

Following a weekend graduation ceremony, the Phoebe Family Medicine Residency (PFMR) has now graduated 149 physician residents since it began in 1993. The eight members of the Class of 2025 were honored at a brunch celebration Saturday after completing their 3-year residency program at Phoebe.

“The annual graduation ceremony is always a fun and exciting time as we thank these young physicians for their service to Phoebe and southwest Georgia over the last three years, congratulate them on their accomplishments and wish them well as they take the important next steps in their careers,” said Dianna Grant, MD, Phoebe Putney Health System Chief Medical Officer.

Four of the graduates will remain in Georgia to begin their professional practice. Two have been accepted into fellowship programs where they will complete more specialized training. One is going to work in Florida, and one is still weighing options.

The 2022 graduates and their new work destinations are:

Robert Beveridge, MD – ER Fellowship; Fort Wayne, IN
John Christopher Carter, MD – TBD
Christina Hall, MD – Sharpsburg, GA
Ajay Jani, MD – Albany, GA
Sorna Kamara, MD – Savannah, GA
Patrick Kobler, MD – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Miguel Maceda, MD – Palliative Medicine Fellowship; Columbia, SC
Aaron Zervos, DO – Swainsboro, GA

Dr. Ajay Jani, who served as co-chief resident for the class, will remain a member of the Phoebe Family, serving as a hospitalist at Phoebe’s main hospital. “From the very beginning as an intern, I have always felt very supported by everyone in the Phoebe Family. The education and core values that I have received throughout my three years here have made me a compassionate and confident physician,” Dr. Jani said.

He believes the PFMR prepared him and his fellow graduates to serve patients well. “I know I can provide my patients the care they deserve. I speak on behalf of my colleagues when I say that we could not be more thankful for our faculty and nurses, as well as our patients, who have made our residency experience the strong foundation for the rest of our careers,” he said.

At the graduation ceremony, Dr. Christina Hall was honored as Resident of the Year. Dr. Michelle Wilson, who just finished her first year in the residency program, was named Intern of the Year.

The residents chose several providers to honor with teaching awards, including:

Aakar Thaker, MD – Residency Teacher of the Year
Maureen Lawlor, MD – Community Faculty of the Year
Tiera Barron, MD – Inpatient Faculty of the Year
Ginger Bennett, WHNP – Advanced Practice Prover of the Year
Aaron Zervos – Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Resident Teacher of the Year

“We are extremely fortunate at Phoebe to have outstanding faculty who truly are dedicated to the education and training of residents. We also have independent physicians and other providers within our health system who take our residents under their wings and teach them what it takes to provide quality, compassionate, patient-centered care,” said William Fricks, MD, PFMR Program Director. “It’s very meaningful to those providers when the residents choose to honor them.”

Last week, Phoebe welcomed eight new physicians to its residency program. They will spend the next three years training, studying and treating patients in Albany.