‘Match Day’ Brings New Residents to BRG’s Family and Internal Medicine Programs

BATON ROUGE, La. – On “Match Day,” Friday, March 15, Baton Rouge General (BRG) proudly welcomed the 20 new doctors who will join its family medicine and internal medicine residency programs. The physicians will complete their residency training at the Bluebonnet and Mid City campuses, which provide a clinical setting for Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesia, Psychiatry, and General Surgery Residency Programs.

Match Day is the much anticipated day when medical students find out which residency or fellowship program they are accepted or “matched” into.

“Our Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency Programs at BRG have been in place for decades, and our residents work side-by-side our doctors to contribute to exceptional patient care,” said Dr. Venkat Banda, Chief Academic Officer. “We are proud to help foster Louisiana’s future healthcare providers while continuing to advance medical training in Baton Rouge.”

Baton Rouge General welcomes the following new residents:

Family Medicine Residency Program

1. Michael Ascuitto, Louisiana State University New Orleans
2. Jeffry Benjamin, American University of Antiqua
3. Kathryn Cooper, William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
4. Benjamin Ozbun, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
5. Pratik Patel, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
6. Devin Paige Petron, St. Matthew’s University
7. Julissa Placencio, American International School of Medicine
8. Nathan Sugarman, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine

Internal Medicine Residency Program

1. Melissa Bunkie, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
2. Brenda Cruciani, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
3. Indirapriyadarshini Eggadi, Rural Medical College of Pravara Medical Trust
4. Louis Ghawji, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
5. Deepti Kantamani, Alluri Sitaram Raju Academy of Medical Sciences
6. Chad Kaplan, St. George’s University
7. Silpita Katragadda, N.R.I. Medical College, Guntur
8. Chelsea McNamee, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
9. Jeremy Polman, Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic
10. Travis Pressley, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
11. Sainandan Reddy, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences
12. Abdul Hussain Vali, Government Medical College Nagpur

Through its education programs, the hospital trains annually more than 500 medical students, residents, fellows, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and radiation technologists, and provides instructional locations for medical students from other schools, including Tulane and LSU.

Learn more at BRGeneral.org/medical-education.

About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with 588 licensed beds between two campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General serves as an affiliate of Tulane University School of Medicine, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter at @BRGeneral.

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