Thirty-four doctors are set to graduate Friday evening from the residency program at Piedmont Macon Medical Center.

Piedmont Macon’s Graduate Medical Education program began in 2017 with 10 internal medicine residents and four psychiatry residents. The program has grown to include residency spots in four areas of medicine: emergency medicine, internal medicine, transitional year and psychiatry.

Dr. Gary Bernstein, the chief medical officer for Piedmont Macon and Piedmont Macon North, is responsible to the hospital administration for GME activities and programs.

“We are deeply grateful that they’ve entrusted their time and energy in Piedmont Macon Medical for their respective specialty education,” Bernstein said of this year’s graduates.

The Piedmont residency program, which offers tracks of one to four years, has increased the number of doctors who serve Macon and the midstate by retaining many of the doctors who complete their medical training here. Some decide to become attending physicians with Piedmont Macon and Piedmont Macon North, and others have advanced to prestigious fellowships in a variety of specialties.

“As we celebrate another step in developing the next generation of physicians, Piedmont is proud to have been a part of the journey,” said Dr. Marcia Hutchinson, the designated institutional official for the GME program at Piedmont Macon, which is affiliated with Mercer University’s School of Medicine.

Although a large 310-bed hospital, Piedmont Macon still allows residents to get one-on-one time with attending physicians and specialty coordinators. Piedmont Macon attending physicians typically take only one resident per rotation, giving residents the best opportunity to learn and grow as a physician. Piedmont Macon also has a full-time scholarly activity coordinator who works one-on-one with residents on research and publication.

This year’s graduation begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Edgar H. Wilson Convention Center, 240 Coliseum Drive.

Emergency Medicine graduates:

Patrick Gates Barry, DO

Myoung Mike Kwak, MD

Shirley Mao, MD

Massud Atta, MD

Adelina Buganu, MD

Christopher Hogan, MD

Obioma Ekeledo, MD

Woo Lee, MD

Kristopher Davis, DO

Emergency Medicine awards:

Resident of the Year -- Adelina Buganu, MD

Excellence in Leadership Award -- Christopher Hogan, MD

Internal Medicine graduates:

Adham Abdulamir, MD

Aderinsola Ademiluyi, MD

Perounsack Moon, DO

Neal Gupta, MD

Ashish Sharma, MD

Irene Tchuente, MD

Bilal Madari, MD

Brah Harneel, MD

Mohamed Owesh Contractor, MD

Internal Medicine awards:

Faculty of the Year: Marcus Simmons, MD

Intern of the Year: J. Seth Psomiadis, MD

PGY2 of the Year: Maryam Kundi, MD

Senior Resident of the Year: Mohamed Owesh Contractor, MD

Nightingale Award: Whitnee Otto, MD

Psychiatry graduates:

Brielle Marks Cartwright, MD

Sarah Graff, MD

Jacob Hanna, MD

Psychiatry awards:

Intern of the Year:  Sue Diamond Stazetski, MD

Resident of the Year:  Jacob R. Hanna, MD

Faculty of the Year:  Walker Grady Carter, III, MD

The Donald Manning, MD Memorial Award: Jennifer Boatwright, MD

Transitional Year graduates:

William Tobener, DO

Vanessa Dania, MD

Aimee Minko, MD

Aniket Pandya, MD

Thomas Boeding, DO

Toai Bui, DO

Fred Loor Jacho, MD

Colin Uthe, DO

John McElwee, DO

Venkata Paruchuri, MD

Brittan Carter Gruber, DO

Paul Vance, DO

Brandon Hou, MD

Transitional Year awards:

Resident of the Year: Brittan Gruber, DO

Faculty of the Year: Marcus Simmons, MD