Press Release

Lee Health welcomes 21 new resident physicians on Match Day 2023

Twelve new internal medicine residents and nine new family medicine residents will begin their training at Lee Health through The Florida State University College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program and The Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program, respectively.

Medical school graduates are required to complete residency training in their chosen specialty in order to become independently practicing physicians. These new resident physicians were selected after a rigorous vetting and interview process of 4,449 applications received from U.S. medical students and physicians from around the world.

This marks the second class for the internal medicine residency program, which is based at Cape Coral Hospital and accepts 12 new doctors each year for a three-year residency. The family residency program, based at Lee Memorial Hospital, accepts nine new doctors each year and is also a three-year residency.

“We are very excited to welcome such a diverse group of internal medicine residents from around the world to Lee Health and Cape Coral Hospital,” said Maja Delibasic, M.D., Program Director of the Florida State University College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health Cape Coral. “They all graduated from different medical school from nine countries and bring a unique perspective to the Southwest Florida community as they continue their medical training. I know the second internal medicine residency class will be just as successful as the first.”

The first-year residents were announced at the annual Match Day celebration on Friday, March 17. The new residents include:

Internal Medicine:

  • Fnu Aakash, MBBS, Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Pakistan
  • Amalia Ardeljan, MD, Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie Victor Babes in Romania
  • Diksha Kajal, MBBS, Ghulam Mohammad Mahar in Pakistan
  • Kerollos Kerollos, MMED, Assiut University in Egypt
  • Igor Lekic, MD, University of Belgrade in Serbia
  • Ilana Logvinsky, MD, American University of Antigua
  • Rafael Moreno, MC, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Facultad de Medicina
  • Anthony Nassar, MD, Université Saint-Joseph Faculte de Médecine in Lebanon
  • Osama Rehman, MBBS, King Edward Medical University in Pakistan
  • Vivek Singh, MD, Ross University in Barbados
  • Shivani Sookchand, DO, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Eric Wu, DO, Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Family Medicine:

  • Oriana Agosto Marchese, MD, Saba University School of Medicine
  • Kiara Carmichael, MD, University of South Alabama College of Medicine
  • Manuella Constantino, DO, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Amanda Lidgard, DO, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Mark Martin, DO, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiren C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Ethan Ramierz, MD, University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine
  • James Roldan, MD, University of Miami Miller College of Medicine
  • Catherine Scudlo, MD, St. George’s University School of Medicine
  • Samuel Weldon, DO, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

“We are excited to welcome the next class of exceptional family medicine residents this summer,” said Alfred Gitu, M.D., Program Director of the Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program at Lee Health. “Our residency program continues to appeal to graduating medical students from around the world and we are fortunate that our residents choose to stay here in Southwest Florida to continue to serve patients in our community.”

The National Resident Matching Program announced 2023 as a record-breaking year with nearly 43,000 applicants, the largest in the program’s 70-year history.

Lee Health launched the family medicine residency program in 2012 to address the shortage of primary care physicians in Southwest Florida. The internal residency program was launched in 2022. Eight residents graduated last year from Lee Health’s family medicine program and half of them remained in Southwest Florida to practice. Since the internal medicine residency program began last year, it will not have a graduating class until 2025.