Transmountain Residents
TTUHSC El Paso Welcomes Inaugural Family Medicine Residents to Train at The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus
Inaugural group of six residents will help improve El Pasoans’ access to world-class patient care
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is proud to introduce the first group of Family Medicine residents who will train at The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus.
The six residents were formally introduced Tuesday, Aug. 9, during a welcoming ceremony at The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus. Family Medicine is the third department – joining Internal Medicine and Psychiatry – to begin postgraduate training at the Transmountain Campus, located in Northwest El Paso.
TTUHSC El Paso’s partnership with The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus has led to an impressive clinic and hospital collaboration in the Sun City. Looking to the future, The Hospitals of Providence’s 106-bed Transmountain hospital and Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso (TTP El Paso) at Transmountain clinics will train hundreds of residents in the coming years. TTP El Paso is the clinical practice of TTUHSC El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine.
TTUHSC El Paso President and Foster School of Medicine Dean Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., said he was grateful to also welcome the program’s newest cohort of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry residents, and acknowledged those who embarked on their residency training one year ago and are already making an impact locally.
“Today we celebrate all of our residents training at our Transmountain Campus and welcome the inaugural cohort of six Family Medicine residents who have just joined our community,” said TTUHSC El Paso President and Foster School of Medicine Dean Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A. “These highly qualified individuals bring with them diverse backgrounds and experiences, and will join their colleagues, who continue to pave the way in our community. Together, they will learn what it means to deliver primary care in our Borderplex region – a medically underserved community – and provide access to world-class patient care right here at home.”
The residents are a welcomed addition said Peter Catinella, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor at TTUHSC El Paso, medical director and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at TTP El Paso Transmountain and interim chair of Family and Community Medicine at TTP El Paso Kenworthy. He added that this inaugural group has been five years in the making as faculty and staff established patients and built a curriculum for them.
“It’s a pivotal step in us becoming a full-fledge academic hospital,” Dr. Catinella said. “The residents will play a significant role in providing our patients with team-approach methods of health care. We are really on the verge of making quality changes that will benefit everyone who comes to the hospital and clinic for treatment, and these residents will help influence that evolution.”
Nicholas Tejeda, Group CEO for The Hospitals of Providence and CEO for The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus, said he can’t wait to see the difference the new residents will make at the Transmountain Campus. He added that the partnership with TTUHSC El Paso and the expansion of residency programs are vital to expanding access and strengthening patient care for Borderplex residents.
”We could not be more excited to introduce this Family Medicine residency and welcome our new cohort of residents,” said Tejeda. “The Transmountain Campus in collaboration with TTUHSC El Paso is proud to be serving as a catalyst to generate the next generation of health care providers for our region. Our goal is to provide these medical residents with a positive and educational learning experience and see them one day choose El Paso as their home to care for patients.”
TTUHSC El Paso residents training at The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus will benefit from a combined family medicine and pediatrics department for an enhanced educational experience. Each resident will also receive distinct clinical training experiences and opportunities for research and scholarly activities.
“I’ve always been someone who people tell their problems to and I’ve always loved to help however I can. That’s not much different than Family Medicine. You get to know the patient and build a long-lasting relationship to make their lives better,” said Josepha Mpafe, M.D., one of the inaugural Family Medicine residents. “I was born in Cameroon, so I wanted to serve a community that’s reflective of my home. When I learned about the border community, I saw many similarities to the environment I grew up in. El Paso represents a way for me to help a community that reminds me of home.”
Of the six residents, five are medical graduates from countries overseas, including the Philippines, Poland and Pakistan.
Family Medicine physicians and residents offer what Dr. Catinella calls a “cradle to grave” continuum of care. For example, the entire family can been seen in one visit, giving the physician a better sense of the family’s medical history and dynamics.
“Our generational approach to health care is what makes Family Medicine so unique,” Dr. Catinella said. “We take care of everyone, including mom, dad, children and grandchildren. We also coordinate with specialists in other departments if that’s what is needed.”
About TTUHSC El Paso and TTP El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso offers 22 residency programs throughout El Paso with openings for more than 200 talented medical residents from the Borderplex and across the nation. Residency programs currently offered include emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, OB-GYN, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, surgery and orthopaedic surgery.
The residency programs are vital to TTUHSC El Paso’s mission to increase access to health care across the Borderplex. Residents are more likely to stay and practice where they complete their training. More than 10 years ago, prior to the opening of the Foster School of Medicine, El Paso County’s average number of direct care physicians per 100,000 people was 75% less than the national average. Currently, the county faces a 50% shortage.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso is the region’s largest multispecialty medical group practice, with over 250 specialists providing world-class patient care right here at home. Our physicians are dedicated to excellence and committed to caring for Borderplex patients at convenient locations across the city so families never need to leave the region to find the latest medical and treatment opportunities.
About the Hospitals of Providence
The Hospitals of Providence covers the El Paso Region to include West Texas and Southern New Mexico. The system includes acute-care hospital locations: Memorial Campus, Providence Children’s Hospital, Sierra Campus, East Campus, Transmountain Campus, Specialty Campus, Horizon City Campus and the Northeast Campus; Diagnostic Imaging Centers to include a dedicated pediatric location; the Emergency Room Montwood and Emergency Room Edgemere; Paso del Norte and El Paso Day Surgery Centers and the El Paso Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; The Center for Wound Healing; Vein Center: Inpatient Rehabilitation Program; Outpatient Therapy Centers; Weight Loss Center East and West. The Hospitals of Providence is dedicated to continuing the over 100-year commitment to the El Paso community. For more information please visit TheHospitalsOfProvidence.com.