Residency at UPMC McKeesport Internal Medicine program provides unique opportunities that one might not experience at other programs. Being a small community hospital, UPMC McKeesport allowed me to develop close collegial relationships with co-residents, attending, specialists, and house staff. The program is split between UPMC McKeesport and UPMC East. This allowed me to see different conditions and experience and learn from different specialists that greatly enhanced my learning. The program provides a good mixture of supervision and progressive independence. Being the rapid response team captain, the ICU senior and the HOC resident during second and third year of residency provided me a great deal of confidence and helped me think critically and quickly during tough situations. I chose a career as a PCP after residency, and I do inpatient, outpatient, and nursing homes. While the inpatient part was great, the program also provided a variety of outpatient opportunities. The flexibility in allowing me to tailor my third-year electives to the way I planned to practice after residency, greatly helped me be ready to practice independently right out of residency.
Jad Sallit, MD
Graduate 2022
UPMC McKeesport is an incredible program to train and grow as a physician. I have always been impressed with the teaching skills and approachability of the attendings. Our teaching faculties are extremely knowledgeable. Residency is challenging, but the faculty at UPMC McKeesport are dedicated to helping residents thrive. We often have one-on-one learning with attendings. Resident autonomy at all levels is actively supported by faculty, at the same time with excellent supervision. At UPMC McKeesport, we have the amazing opportunity to care for underserved patients and this challenges me to think critically and learn how to care for complex patients.
Cultural diversity is highly respected at UPMC McKeesport, and we have great camaraderie among residents. From day one, faculty, staff, and residents have created a family environment that makes me feel comfortable coming to work no matter how stressful the day would be. Here, I feel inspired and driven to dive into the practice of medicine. I am grateful to have the opportunity to train here and I really can’t imagine being anywhere else.
Chen Rong Phang, MD
Graduate 2021
Before choosing a residency program, it is important to realize that the institution you train at will largely influence decades of your life to come. A collegial friendly environment that gives you space to grow is pivotal to help you focus on your future goals. UPMC McKeesport offers that and more; for one it prepares you very well for the Boards of Internal Medicine and offers excellent teaching didactics. It also allows its residents to build autonomy via several mechanisms that include leading rapid response teams and floor teams, robust outpatient experience and resident-driven academic activities that continue to grow. It is a program that is large enough to allow for a reasonable schedule and great work-life balance, yet small enough to allow you to foster great friendships along the way. Those interested in pursuing fellowships are provided with ample support (dedicated research time, close affiliation to the university, outstanding teaching specialists, to name a few). Going into fellowship, you will feel very well trained and confident in your clinical judgement. Residency is essentially what you make of it and UPMC McKeesport helps you maximize that.
Amir M. Philobos, MD
Graduate 2020
As I started my interview season, my main goal was to find a program that could support my career as a geriatrician. UPMC McKeesport program provided me both support and opportunities to pursue my fellowship goal.
What I love the most about the program is the excellent faculty support. The faculty here want to help residents to pursue their career goals. Whenever you have concerns or questions about anything, the program director's door or other core faculty doors are wide open.
I had more than enough opportunities for research and QI projects. During my residency I did not know how fortunate I was. Since this program is closely connected with the UPMC Department of Medicine, you have opportunity to learn from the very best.
Looking back, I feel very privileged to be trained at UPMC McKeesport program, it offered me excellent mentorship and guidance and prepared me for my fellowship
It was a fun three years. I miss my colleagues and faculty. In the future, I hope to contribute to the education of UPMC McKeesport Residents, as a graduate who cares deeply about my residency program.
Changgi Jung, MD
Graduate 2020
Residency is a life-changing experience which defines not only one’s career but also helps in shaping one’s personality. I am happy that I got to train at UPMC McKeesport and spend some of the best years of my life here. The most important thing I enjoyed during training was the autonomy. During senior residency, we were completely in charge of our patients, especially in the ICU. The resident-driven rapid response teams and having ample opportunities for procedures gave us immense confidence. This is a great place to train because we got hands-on experience, without competing with fellows. The specialists here are approachable and residents get their undivided attention during rotations. We got to work closely with the nurses, staff, and coordinators. The family like feel makes the program unique.
I am currently doing a fellowship in endocrinology at UPMC Presbyterian. This would not have been possible without the support of core faculty and our endocrinologists. Residents who were interested in fellowships were provided the opportunity to do research at the university, which helped in building a strong CV. I enjoyed my time at UPMC McKeesport and formed some lifelong friendships here.
Divya Sistla, MD
Graduate 2019
The internal medicine residency program at UPMC McKeesport provides excellent training and learning opportunities. The thing I liked the most during my residency was the close bonding everyone had with each other. It’s more like a family, where we care for each other and try to help in all possible ways. Also, the faculty is very approachable and appreciative of the work you do. Both core as well as subspecialty rotations give you an excellent opportunity to learn and grow. I, along with three of my other residency colleagues are working as attendings in the same hospital, which shows the strong bonding and trust we have in the program. If given a choice, I would choose the same residency program all over again.
Sulman Hashmi, MD
Graduate 2018
After years of medical school, one would like to find the best match for their residency. It is natural for everyone to wish for an Ivy League program, but that might not be the, “perfect match,” because as it suggests, a program could be a perfect niche for a resident without being an Ivy League university program. I reflect upon the UPMC McKeesport Internal Medicine Residency Program as such for me.
This community-based program allows residents to excel in their self-guided learning with close and direct supervision from the attending, without any added layer in communication. The independent ICU nights and leading the rapid response team provided me with ample opportunities to master my vital procedure skills and critical thinking. Our continuity clinic allowed us to take care of a diverse population with complex medical problems, which gave me the confidence to take care of patients with any background. Undoubtedly, the affiliation to UPMC is a portal for diverse scholarly activity and unbound research opportunities.
Being on the other side of the picture as an attending physician after my graduation, I could critique better than when I was a resident. Choosing this program for my residency training is one of the most important and best choices I’ve ever made. Training here with wonderful colleagues and attendings has been an enriching life experience. The network of dedicated and extremely motivated faculty, the collegiality among residents, and supportive staff, provides invaluable resources for any aspiring physician. If you are looking for a program that allows and supports both your personal and professional growth, then I think the UPMC McKeesport Internal Medicine Residency Program is the best option.;
Shubash Adhikari, MD
Graduate 2017
I was very fortunate to do my internal medicine residency and serve as a chief resident at UPMC McKeesport. When I think about our program, things that I cherish were the approachable faculty, great work-life balance, and family-like atmosphere. Our program promotes autonomy with patient care in both inpatient and outpatient settings and hands-on experience with the procedures, which made me a confident physician. Our program emphasizes the importance of scholarly activities and provides support to the residents. It was inspiring to interact with exceptional human beings and outstanding attendings (long list of names to mention). If I was given a choice, I would choose our program again as a top choice. Thank you UPMC McKeesport, for giving me an excellent learning experience, and an opportunity to meet the wonderful people, faculty and extended family. I will be always indebted to you.
Srinivas Vunnam, MD
Graduate 2016
