Majed: Launching a Family Medicine Residency Program is just the start for STHS’s GME Consortium

A Family Medicine Residency Program slated to launch this summer will be the first of many specialized programs planned across South Texas Health System’s acute care facilities.

So says Dr. Youssef Majed, MD, chief academic officer of STHS’s Graduate Medical Education Consortium.

In an exclusive, in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Majed said STHS wanted to expand its GME program to help train the next generation of physicians to work in the medically underserved Rio Grande Valley.

He noted that the new program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), a not-for-profit organization that sets and monitors voluntary professional educational standards essential in preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans. 

Majed said that with initial accreditation by ACGME, the STHS GME Consortium, in partnership with Texas A&M University, can move forward with the launch of its family residency program this summer.

“This achievement is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional medical education and healthcare services to the underserved communities in South Texas,” Majed said.

“The South Texas Health System GME Consortium Family Medicine Residency Program is proud to embark on this new chapter with the support of the ACGME. We look forward to continuing our mission of serving the healthcare needs of our community and producing outstanding family medicine practitioners.”

In the interview, Majed spoke about a shortage of physicians in Texas and the Valley. According to the Texas Medical Association, Texas’ ratio of 204.6 patient care physicians per 100,000 people is well below the national average, which stands at 247.5.

The Valley is projected to have the highest absolute need, Majed said. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the shortage of full-time equivalent primary care physicians in the Valley is expected to grow from 423 to 722 by 2030.

Which is why STHS’s Graduate Medical Education Consortium work is so important, Majed said.

Here is the video interview:

Editor’s Note: The above video interview is the first in a two-part series based upon the Guardian’s interview with Dr. Majed. Part Two will run later this week.

The post Majed: Launching a Family Medicine Residency Program is just the start for STHS’s GME Consortium appeared first on Rio Grande Guardian.