Northern Westchester Launches New Internal Medicine Residency Program

MOUNT KISCO, NY — Northern Westchester Hospital is putting an ambitious plan into action that will not just expand the hospital's talent pool to the benefit of local patients, but could help increase its influence on a global stage.

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) just launched its internal medicine residency program,which the institution says marks a transformative milestone in its evolution as a premier medical facility. The program is expected to strengthen "the hospital’s role as a center for quality medical education, enhancing its delivery of advanced, evidenced-based care for patients and the community."

In its first year, the new program will enroll 16 residents from around the country, divided equally between categorical and preliminary trainees.

Categorical residents will spend three years at NWH preparing for careers in primary care or hospital medicine, or they may go on to pursue fellowships in internal medicine sub-specialties such as pulmonology, cardiology and gastroenterology.

Preliminary residents will complete a one-year term at NWH before specializing in fields like ophthalmology, dermatology, radiology, radiation oncology, or physical medicine and rehabilitation. The initial year provides a foundation in general medicine before moving on to a specialization.

"We are excited to introduce the hospital’s inaugural internal medicine residency program, a significant step forward in our growth as a leading medical institution," Sherri Sandel, DO, FACP, medical director at NWH, said. "This initiative strengthens our commitment to providing cutting-edge, evidence-based care to our community for generations to come."

The program is led by Gary Stallings, II, MD, MPH, FACP, internal medicine residency program director and medical education director at NWH. Dr. Stallings has dedicated his career to medical education, previously serving at New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center, where he held multiple leadership roles and earned over 35 teaching awards. He is recognized both regionally and nationally for his contributions to medical education.

"Over the past few years, we’ve built a curriculum and program that I’m thrilled to lead at Northern Westchester Hospital," Dr. Stallings said. "I’ve received amazing support from Northwell and my colleagues here at NWH, and I look forward to helping these young doctors grow and shape the foundation of their careers to be excellent clinicians and leaders in the medical profession."

NWH has created a new dedicated space for resident training, which includes four fully equipped on-call rooms, two bathrooms, a nourishment station/kitchenette, an office space with lockers, eight workstations, a television for teleconferences and educational sessions, a training room for multi-modal teaching and 20 handheld point-of-care ultrasound devices.

The program will also include training at NWH’s medical practice at Chappaqua Crossing, a new 3,500-square-foot primary care facility with six patient care rooms, a lab and a large teaching space. Under the supervision of attending physicians, the residents will care for patients at NWH, as well as the uninsured and under-insured individuals from the surrounding community.

Over the next several years, the program will grow from the initial 16 residents to a full class of 32 residents. In addition to internal medicine, NWH plans to expand its training programs to include surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry, among other specialties.

NWH's residency program joins Northwell Health's Graduate Medical Education (GME) program that includes six other internal medicine programs and 200+ training programs. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Northwell is the third largest GME institution in the U.S. with just over 2,000 trainees annually.