Plattsburgh, NY - Created to help meet the growing demand for primary care providers in rural communities, the CVPH Family Medicine Residency celebrated the graduation of seven physicians who are preparing to begin the next phase of their medical careers.

At the June 19 ceremony held at the Rainbow Banquet Hall, family, friends, fellow residents and faculty celebrated the Class of 2026: Maria Czajkowski, MD; Michal Klokner, MD; Jacob Moore, DO; T. Nicholas Rzepski, MD; Esha Sanyal, MD; Charlotte Spear, MD and Yanbo Yang, MD.

“It’s been a privilege to watch the residents grow, to learn alongside them and to see the unique ways they have shaped our program,” said Program Director Meagan Cabrera, MD.

Dr. Yang was honored with the Fern Likhite Award, presented annually in memory of Fern Likhite, MD, to recognize a resident who embodies what it means to be a family physician. A beloved and dedicated physician, Dr. Likhite practiced family medicine in the North Country for many years.

The Dr. Dave Anderson Award is presented each year to a resident who exemplifies the qualities that defined Dr. Anderson's legacy, including irreproachable integrity, kindness and a willingness to help, teach and listen. This year's recipient was Esha Sanyal, MD who also was honored with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Award. The STFM awardee is selected by faculty and students to honor a colleague who has demonstrated a strong interest in and commitment to family medicine education through teaching medical students, peers and the community.

“The future of healthcare depends on a strong primary care foundation,” said AHMC and CVPH Chief Medical Officer Lisa Mark, MD. “Through our residency program, we are developing physicians who understand the unique needs of rural populations and are prepared to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care for years to come. A true marker of our success is that the majority of our graduates decide to practice in this region or in communities very similar to ours.”

Dr. Czajkowski is practicing rural hospital medicine in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Klokner has also relocated to Ontario, where he is practicing as a hospitalist. Dr. Moore has joined Hilo Benioff Medical Center in Hilo, Hawaii, as a hospitalist. Dr. Rzepski has joined Hudson Headwaters Health Network. Dr. Sanyal has joined an outpatient family medicine clinic in Mississauga, Ontario. Dr. Spear has joined Berkshire Health Systems in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as a wound care and family medicine physician. Dr. Yang has joined North Country Health in northern New Hampshire.

The CVPH Family Medicine Residency was created in 2013 to help address a looming primary care provider crisis in rural communities like the North Country and is a collaborative effort between CVPH, the Lerner School of Medicine and University of Vermont Health. Following a $1 million gift from the William H. Miner Foundation in 2015, the residency welcomed its first class of Residents in the summer of 2016.  Nearly 60% of all graduates have elected to stay in Northern New York and Vermont to practice medicine.

The three-year residency includes rotations in emergency medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, cardiology, surgery, orthopedics, geriatrics and community medicine. Additionally, Residents see their own patients in the CVPH Family Medicine Center at 159 Margaret St.

Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. Residents hold a medical degree and practice medicine under the indirect supervision of an attending physician. Successful completion of a residency program is required for physician licensure.

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About Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
The University of Vermont Health Network - Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) is a private, not-for profit hospital in Plattsburgh, NY.  Established in 1967 with the merger of Champlain Valley and Physicians Hospitals, CVPH joined Fletcher Allen Partners in 2012, which in 2014 became The University of Vermont Health Network.  Together with its partner hospitals, the UVM Medical Group and a home health agency, CVPH provides high-quality, cost-effective care, close to home. Services include an award-winning cardiac services program, accredited cancer center, freestanding ambulatory surgery center, comprehensive rehabilitation services and a 24-hour physician-staffed Emergency Department.  Governed by a 15-member Board of Directors, CVPH is accredited by the Joint Commission and licensed by New York State and Medicare/Medicaid Approved.  Learn more at UVMHealth.org/CVPH or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About University of Vermont Health Network
University of Vermont Health Network is an integrated system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are:

• University of Vermont Medical Center
• University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group
• University of Vermont Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
• The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital
• University of Vermont Health Network – Porter Medical Center
• University of Vermont Health Network – Home Health & Hospice

Our 4,000 health care professionals are driven to provide high-quality, cost-efficient care as close to home as possible. Strengthened by our academic connection to University of Vermont, each of our affiliates remains committed to its local community by providing compassionate, personal care shaped by the latest medical advances and delivered by highly skilled experts.