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March 24, 2022

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) participated in its third “Match Day” on March 17, culminating a long process which matches medical school graduates with programs offering residency and fellowship training. This year, ARHS welcomes the third annual class of medical residents to the new Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Boone Rural Family Medicine Residency Program that begins in July.

“We are so fortunate to have the family medicine residents as colleagues and caregivers in Boone,” said Dr. Beverly Womack, Service Line Director for Women and Children and Chief of Staff of Watauga Medical Center. “I see the connection they have with their patients, and the dedication they have to working and living in a rural community. Patients have enjoyed being able to see them in the office and in the hospital. Personally, working with the residents have given me a fresh outlook on what it means to be a physician, and it has brought much joy and fulfillment to call them my work family.”

Charles Baker, MD, long-time Avery County doctor and MAHEC Faculty, said, “We are excited about five new doctors starting their training in our family practice residency this year. I have been so impressed with the bright young doctors that we have in our program so far, all eight with a desire to help underserved patients in our rural communities. Most of them plan to stay in our area after completing their three year residency. Our new class of five young doctors who will start in June all have that same passion for rural primary care. Seeing the dedication of these young doctors gives me more hope for the future of family practice in the high country.”

New in 2022 is the MAHEC Boone Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, which will take place both in the high volume AppOrtho clinic and Watauga Medical Center, but also through AppOrtho providers’ relationships as medical director and team physicians of Division I Appalachian State University athletics, Watauga and Avery High Schools, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, High Country youth soccer, and semi-pro NPSL Appalachian Football Club. This fellowship program will develop physicians grounded in classical training and skill development bolstered by the newest scientific evidence, technology, and techniques.

The following residents will join the MAHEC Boone Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and Sports Medicine Fellowship this summer:

Jason Karimy, MD

Jason Karimy, MD

Rural Family Medicine Residency
Dr. Karimy received his undergraduate degree from Colorado University, his graduate degree from University of Maryland, and attended medical school at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.

Dan Moore, MD

Dan Moore, MD

Rural Family Medicine Residency
Dr. Moore received his undergraduate degree from Duke University, his graduate degree from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Carolyn Murrer, MD

Carolyn Murrer, MD

Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Murrer received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended medical school at St. George’s School of Medicine.

Anna Sparks, DO

Anna Sparks, DO

Rural Family Medicine Residency
Dr. Sparks received her undergraduate degree from Appalachian State University and attended medical school at VCOM-Carolinas.
Tiffany Warren, MD

Tiffany Warren, MD

Rural Family Medicine Residency
Dr. Warren received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and attended medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Isaac Werner, MD

Isaac Werner, MD

Rural Family Medicine Residency
Dr. Werner received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami-Coral Gables and attended medical school at Meharry Medical College

The MAHEC Boone Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship are partnerships between ARHS and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) and will also serve as clinical training for medical students from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
 
Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) worked together to obtain a $750,000 federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support the program. The program was created to train full-scope family doctors to serve in rural and underserved communities. Resident training will take three years, and ARHS and MAHEC are hopeful that many residents will choose to continue their careers in the High Country.
 
 


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