Our Alumni
Please join us in congratulating the graduates of our Family & Community Residency program. Throughout their three-year residency, these dedicated medical professionals broadened their knowledge of many diverse aspects of family medical care, both by furthering their education in a wide range of medical specialties as well as by volunteering their time and talents to serve our local community. They leave our program well prepared to make a significant difference in the field of family and community medicine and we are proud to have played a role in advancing their medical education.
Class of 2024
“We are deeply grateful for the incredible residency experience we had at Yuma Regional Medical Center. We were surrounded by such knowledgeable and supportive colleagues and physicians. The Yuma community was a home away from home for us and our time there was truly special. We leave with a profound appreciation for the exceptional training and experiences that have shaped us into the compassionate and skilled physicians we are today. Thank you for an unforgettable journey.”
– Nicole Daniel, M.D., Class of 2024
Class of 2023
“I would like to express gratitude for the support, care, and kindness extended to us throughout our residency journey. Yuma Regional Medical Center and the Yuma community has embraced us wholeheartedly, creating a robust learning environment that has shaped us into the skilled and compassionate physicians we are today. We are grateful for the extraordinary opportunities provided, opportunities that have undoubtedly set us apart as distinguished physicians and leaders within the community.”
– Michael McCullagh, M.D., Class of 2023
Class of 2022
“This program, the hospital, and Yuma community have embraced us with so much support, care and kindness. They have cultivated such a strong learning environment and helped us along our journey in becoming the physicians we are today. Thank you for this gift.”
– Silas Wiefelspuett, M.D., Class of 2022
Class of 2021
“Yuma Regional Medical Center has provided a beautifully unique and diverse platform to develop my skills as a distinguished physician and leader in the community. If I had to choose one last thing to say to my program, it is that I thank them for the extraordinary opportunities that I certainly would have not been able to achieve anywhere else.”
– Daniel A. Placik, M.D., Class of 2021
Class of 2020
“Yuma Regional Medical Center is nestled 3 hours away from its neighboring hospital. Naturally, it provides a diverse medical pathology which is fostered by mentors needed for great resident training. Uniquely, this program partners with neighboring residencies in Arizona and Mexico, promoting an understanding of global medicine. This small town cultivates long lasting relations I often rely upon to guide me through challenges I face to this day. I am forever grateful for this beautiful oasis in the desert – Yuma, Arizona!”
– Arun Varughese, M.D., Class of 2020
Class of 2019
“I progressed in residency becoming an independent learner. If I could give any advice to the residents and applicants, I would say give it your all and embrace the experience. Enjoy the good times and appreciate the difficult ones because those are the ones where you’ll grow. Yuma Regional Medical Center made me the best physician I can be under the leadership of Dr. Kristina Diaz.”
– Uchechukwu Oba, M.D., Class of 2019
Class of 2018
“I could not be more proud to have graduated from the Yuma Regional Medical Center Family and Community Medicine Residency Program. This program has equipped me with a strong knowledge base and outstanding clinical experience. Coming from an international medical school, I learned to study efficiently but with the help of the exceptional Yuma Regional Medical Center faculty I learned to apply my knowledge in order to reach an accurate diagnosis. Yuma has been a phenomenal training ground due to the diverse demographic of patients. I have enjoyed Yuma so much that I have made it my home and am now giving back to the community in which I owe so much.”
– Adil M. Baig, M.D., Class of 2018
Class of 2017
“The Yuma Regional Medical Center Family & Community Medicine Residency Program has certainly prepared me to excel after residency in diverse areas of interest including providing quality patient care in various settings, serving as medical director, and working in clinical research.”
– Ryan Casey, M.D., Class of 2017
Class of 2016
“The residency provided me the diversity of opportunities and the ability to customize my learning, to a certain degree, to the kind of medicine I wanted to practice after graduation.”
– Natalia Galarza, M.D., Class of 2016
