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August 18, 2020, SOMERSWORTH – Goodwin Community Health has become the first Community Health Center in New Hampshire to serve as a professional outpatient home for a physician residency program. The program is a result of a new partnership between Goodwin’s parent organization, Greater Seacoast Community Health and Portsmouth Regional Hospital’s (PRH) new Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. PRH launched its new program on July 1, 2020, as an affiliate member of Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM).
The program adds four physicians to the team of family medicine providers at Goodwin. The resident physicians have completed medical school and will spend three years training at Goodwin, PRH and local specialty practices on the seacoast.
Joanne Buonomano, MD, FAAFP, CPE, Chief Medical Officer and Family Physician at Greater Seacoast Community Health, will be the site director and will supervise the residents together with a growing team of outside community physicians, including Dr. Robert Mathes and Dr. Deborah Harrigan.
“We are proud to be the first community Health Center in the state to expand access to patient care through a residency program,” says Dr. Buonomano. “With a shortage of primary-care physicians in the state and country, we are honored to be selected by these talented new physicians. We look forward to guiding them through the final step of their training. The announcement is an exciting one for the community and health system, as this residency training program will assist in bringing more doctors to the area, enhance the culture of learning and diversity at Greater Seacoast Community Health locations, and foster improvements to patient care and the patient experience.’
The launch of the residency program expands Greater Seacoast Community Health’s distinctiveness among community health centers as a teaching environment. In 2014 The Goodwin Community Health Dental Center began hosting dental students from both Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and University of New England College.
The resident physicians are Matthew Nagelschmidt, MD; Guillermo Obregon, MD; Wesley Phillips, MD; and Nisha Vanmali, MD.
Matthew Nagelschmidt, MD, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, while also working for Medtronic’s Research and Development team (formerly Covidien Surgical Solutions). He then completed his medical training with Saba University, in the Caribbean
Guillermo Obregon, MD, was born and raised in south Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health education and a master’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University. Dr. Obregon completed his medical education at Central Michigan University College of Medicine.
Wesley Phillips, MD, was raised in Southern Ontario Canada. Dr. Phillips attended Trinity School of Medicine in the Caribbean. He enjoys family medicine because of its integral role in community health and wellness.
Nisha Vanmali, MD, was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Dr. Vanmali attended the University of Western Ontario in London specializing in Biology. She completed her medical degree at the Medical University of the Americas (Nevis).
About Greater Seacoast Community Health:
Greater Seacoast Community Health is a network of community health centers providing primary care, pediatrics, dental care, prenatal care, behavioral health counseling, substance use disorder treatment, mobile health services, WIC, social work services, a pharmacy, parenting classes, playgroups and home visiting. The network includes Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth, Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth, and Lilac City Pediatrics in Rochester. The Strafford County Public Health Network and SOS Recovery Community Organization are also affiliated with Greater Seacoast. Services are open to everyone and aim to be respectful, inclusive, recovery-friendly, LGBTQ-affirming and trauma-informed. For more information, visit GetCommunityHealth.org.
About Portsmouth Regional Hospital:
Portsmouth Regional Hospital is a 220-bed acute care hospital located in Portsmouth, NH. Portsmouth Regional Hospital serves the Seacoast region’s residents in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts and is one of the area’s largest employers. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the only ACS Verified Level II Trauma Center on New Hampshire’s Seacoast. Portsmouth Regional Hospital is the Seacoast’s only comprehensive heart and vascular program, and its only 24/7 neurosurgical and stroke clot retrieval programs. For more information about Portsmouth’s services and physicians, visit: www.portsmouthhospital.com.
