Published on June 21, 2022

UNC Health Southeastern celebrates Class of 2022 resident graduation

Resident Graduation 2022 Emergency MedicineEmergency Medicine Graduating Residents 

Resident Graduation 2022 Family MedicineFamily Medicine Graduating Residents 

Resident Graduation 2022 Internal MedicineInternal Medicine Graduating Residents 

On Friday, June 17, UNC Health Southeastern celebrated the graduation of 22 residents across three residency programs: Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine. These residents marked the 5th graduating class of the health system's medical education program.

UNC Healthcare System's Inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Audrea Caesar, PhD, delivered the commencement address.

"You have been uniquely prepared to combat health inequities in your practice," stated Caesar. "You’ve trained in a rural hospital, during a global pandemic, a social justice movement, an insurrection amidst a global mental health crisis.  Even with all of this going on, you all served your patients and the community with grace. You’ve got stamina and resilience."

Emergency Medicine graduates were: Amna Masood Farshori, DO; Gabriel Gomez, DO; Kristin Erika Hrabowy, DO; James Philip Pursglove, DO; Krista Lynn Pursglove, DO; Curtiss J. Smith, MD; and Shane Xiong, DO.

Family Medicine graduates: Daniel Evan Boykin, DO; Uma Bhargavi Pendem, MD; Mashud Rana, MD; Kishore Sathiraju, DO; and Karun K. Singla, MD.

Internal Medicine graduates included:  Moyosola Olamide Abdul, MD; Jean-Paul Alishahi, DO; Michelè Alexis Brandon, DO, MS; Hau Phuc Bui, MD; Jason Thomas Hance, DO; Stephen Joseph Hribar, DO; Kalyan Kancherla, MD; Mustafa Kamal Kareem, MD; Jason Yung Lo, MD; and Farai Mutongwizo, DO.   

"Each of us has the responsibility of becoming self-aware,” added Caesar. “We should try hard to understand our biases and learn about groups that are different than our own.  Humanizing people from all walks of life is essential to providing culturally sensitive and respectful care. Patients want to be seen, heard, and they want to be well. It is the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities that could save the American health care system billions of dollars annually. Be proud that you trained at UNC Health Southeastern.  The vast majority of residency programs in our state and country are not as diverse as this one."

Residency Awards

Some of the program’s residents, attending physicians, and nurses with which they worked, were also recognized with special awards during the graduation ceremony. The awards were given as follows:

  • Emergency Medicine Resident of the Year: Shane Xiong, DO
  • Family Medicine Resident of the Year: Uma Bhargavi Pendem, MD
  • Internal Medicine Resident of the Year: Moyosola Olamide Abdul, MD and Jason Yung Lo, MD
  • Emergency Medicine Attending of the Year: Brianna Crosby, MD
  • Family Medicine Attending of the Year: Kevin Martin, DO
  • Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Attending of the Year: Juliet Ekatan, MD
  • Emergency Medicine Nurse of the Year: Selina Locklear, RN
  • Family Medicine Nurse of the Year: Regina Scott, RN
  • Internal Medicine Nurse of the Year: DJ Strickland, RN

Medical Education Program Background

UNC Health Southeastern and its affiliates have been a major clinical campus for Campbell University’s Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine since 2015. 

In February 2013, then Southeastern Health, formalized a commitment with Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine to train medical students at then Southeastern Regional Medical Center (SRMC) and other affiliates of the health system. The first 40 Campbell medical students arrived on the health system campus the week of July 27, 2015, to begin their third-year rotations and continued their medical training through the completion of medical school.

Funded by $1.6 million in grants, Southeastern Health unveiled a newly-renovated, 10,000-square-foot space for the Medical Education department during an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony held July 28, 2015, in the cafeteria at Southeastern Regional Medical Center. The space, located on the 4th floor of the administrative wing of the medical center, is now the education hub for UNC Health Southeastern, offering student lockers, a 100-seat classroom, a small classroom, an electronic medical library, a resident/student lounge and meeting room, as well as administrative offices for the Medical Education department.

The education wing was made possible through funding by the following grantors: The Duke Endowment, The Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and The Cannon Foundation. 

In July 2018, 25 newly-minted physicians from various universities throughout the country who selected Southeastern Health as their residency training ground, entered three residency programs (training programs where physicians train before they enter practice), in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine and emergency medicine.