Residency Program at Greater Seacoast Community Health.
Greater Seacoast Community Health is proud to be a partner in The Portsmouth Family Medicine Residency Program. Goodwin Community Health Center in Somersworth is the first community health center in New Hampshire to host a resident physician program.
Contact the resident program team
Residents practice primarily at Goodwin Community Health Center:
311 Route 108 in Somersworth, NH
Contact the residency program department:
(603) 749-2346 x2553
A medical residency is the period of training that new doctors undergo after completing medical school. Our three-year residency program is designed to provide practical experience and technical skills for recent medical school graduates.
Resident physicians have completed their medical school training and are undertaking a supervised training period called residency, which is a requirement of all physicians in order to achieve their board certification. This final portion of their training will be conducted under the oversight of several teaching physicians at our practice.
The Portsmouth Family Medicine Residency Program, which began in 2020, is a partnership between the American College of Graduate Medical Education at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, which is an affiliate member of Tufts University School of Medicine; Greater Seacoast Community Health; and other local family and internal medicine practices.
- You will receive state-of-the-art-care
While in their residency, doctors are preparing to become board-certified, which requires them to stay informed with the latest health information, practices and treatments.
- You can be seen faster
More providers means more appointments are available, including faster access for new patients to establish care.
- You get an extra set of eyes
Residents work alongside attending physicians, so patients receive care from two doctors. This means all the health information, diagnosis, or treatments you receive have been backed by two highly qualified doctors.
- Collaboration with hospitals
If you require hospital care at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, residents physicians will often be involved in your inpatient care as well.
- Resident appointment times may be longer
Resident providers work with a precept, or mentoring physician, so appointments and wait times may be longer when booked with a resident provider.
- You may see a provider other than your own
As resident providers rotate, patients may be seen by a different provider when coming in for an appointment. While we aim for continuity in care, patients may see more than one resident provider when visiting.
- Resident panels turn over after 3 years
Resident programs last for three years. When a provider completes their residency, they may choose to continue working with Greater Seacoast Community Health, or they may move to another location.
- Are residents full-fledged doctors?
Yes. Residents are physicians who have received their medical degrees and are completing additional training in their specialty of choice — in this case, family medicine. They can prescribe your medications, conduct a complete exam and diagnosis, order any tests or imaging, and answer your medical questions. - How long will the same resident be my provider?
Residents are will us for three years, and normally you will see the same resident for that entire time. Your care team will also include some of the permanent staff at Goodwin Community Health, so that when your provider completes their residency, your transition to another provider will be seamless. - Why are appointments longer when seeing a resident?
You are receiving collaborative care from both your resident provider and their attending physician. This added attention to your visit may lead to longer visit times. - Will the quality of my care be different?
No, as noted above, residents are paired with more-experienced physicians to ensure top-quality care. And like all our patients, you have access to all the programs and services offered at Goodwin Community Health.
Meet the resident care team
Joann Buonomano, MD, FAAFP, CPE
Family Physician,
Associate Residency Program Director
Dr. Joann Buonomano, our Chief Medical Officer, has been with Greater Seacoast Community Health since 2014. She has served as Chief Medical Officer since 2018, and is a founding core faculty member of our Tufts/Portsmouth Regional Hospital family physician residency program.
Throughout her career, she has provided primary care for rural communities, medical services for hospital inpatients and has attended over 500 births. She is proud to have also served for the National Health Service Corp in North Carolina, caring for a beautiful Native American population.
Dr. Buonomano graduated from Boston University School of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Family Practice and has served on the Academy’s yearly medical delegation trip to Haiti. Dr. Buonomano has completed formal training with the American Association of Physician Leadership and will be completing her MBA at the end of 2023. New Hampshire Magazine named Dr. Buonomano as one of the state’s Top Docs in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Michael J. Samaan, MD
Family Physician,
Associate Residency Program Director
Dr. Michael Samaan is the Associate Resident Program Director at Goodwin Community Health. He works closely with resident physicians at Goodwin Community Health and other residents completing rotations in prenatal care, addiction medicine and advanced-practitioner psychiatry at Goodwin and at Families First Health and Support Center. Dr. Samaan also serves as a hospitalist at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Before joining Goodwin Community Health in 2023, Dr. Samaan practiced family medicine for 20 years at hospitals and practices in Alaska and Texas. During his time in Alaska, he also served on the faculty of the Alaska Family Medicine Residency for four years. He is a Marine Corps veteran.
