Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz
Every day, complaints are heard: It takes weeks to get an appointment with a doctor, if one is accepting new patients.
Other communities have medical schools, creating a pipeline of new doctors, but there is no medical school in Santa Cruz County.
Now creative people thinking out of the box have a solution: Eight brand new medical school graduates, doctors in training here in Santa Cruz County for a three-year residency program in family medicine, thanks to Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, and Dr. Nanette Mickiewicz, president of Dignity Health’s Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.
Isn’t Morehouse a historically black institution in Atlanta, Georgia?
Yes, it is.
The “White Coats” gather for a group photo.
And Dominican Hospital is one of seven sites that are part of the More in Common Alliance, a 10-year commitment between Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health to address healthcare disparities.
So how did this groundbreaking partnership come about?
Dr. Montgomery Rice, who trained in obstetrics and gynecology, told Capitola-Soquel Times it started with a phone call to Lloyd Dean, then president and CEO of Dignity Health, which in 2019 merged with Catholic Health Initiatives and became CommonSpirit Health.
She needed hospitals for her medical school graduates to go for their residency training programs, and her idea was to buy a hospital.
Since her expertise was not running a hospital, she asked Dean if he could loan her a couple of executives.
During the conversation, the two realized they shared goals for equity in health outcomes, diversity in the workforce and serving the underserved.
Dara Lopes attends the reception.
But instead of loaning out his talent, he suggested offering the opportunity of creating a residency program at one of his many hospitals.
Dr. Mickiewicz was on a Zoom call with other Dignity hospital leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic when the subject came up.
She was the first to raise her hand.
“We’ll do it,” she said.
“You know me,” she told the Times. “Never shy.”
That was three years ago.
Why is a residency program important? It’s a mandatory step to achieving a license to practice in the U.S.
On July 16, the eight interns — five women and three men — got a warm welcome at a special “white coat ceremony” at the oceanview Hollins House at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz. They are:
- Chrissa Karagiannis, DO
- Stanislava Matejin, MD
- Daniel Bishop, DO
- Dara Lopes, MD
- Farah Tiab, DO
- Francisco Arrieta, MD
- Chris Romo, MD
- Jyotan Sahni, MD
Dara Lopes, DO, a native of Hawaii who speaks Portuguese and Spanish, with interests in functional and integrative medicine, and enjoys cooking fresh spicy food.
Daniel Bishop, DO, who volunteered at Housing for Health, and has interests in addiction and mental health, met his wife at Harbor High School and they enjoy surfing.
Chrissa Karagiannis, DO, who had an osteopathic fellowship, researched stigma reduction, and enjoys crafting and Pilates.
Stanislava Matejin, MD, who is from Serbia and has a master’s degree in public health, and is enthusiastic about horses, yoga, hiking and travel.
Farah Tiab, DO, who has roots in France and Algeria, lives in Santa Cruz with her husband and daughter and enjoys exercise, sushi and beach volleyball.
Francisco Arrieta, MD, from San Diego, who volunteered in Mexico in medical brigades, has an interest in rural towns, and is a fan of the San Diego Padres.
Chris Romo, MD, from Roseville, who worked as a caregiver, volunteered at a Spanish-speaking clinic, and enjoys surfing, cooking and photography.
Jyotan Sahni, MD, who came to the U.S. from India, has worked in a rehab center, and is passionate about holistic medicine, and enjoys spending time with her son, biking, swimming and camping.
Asked how she picked Santa Cruz, Lopes, 35, said she grew up partly in Brazil and then spent 10 years traveling before attending medical school.
Dr. Casey KirkHart at the “white coat ceremony.”
While residency programs are known for stress and burnout, this one offered work-life balance, which was appealing.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup,” Lopes said.
New doctors get to rank the residency programs, and Rice was especially pleased that this program filled every slot.
“The goal is culturally competent providers,” she said, noting 45 % of residents come back to the community to practice medicine.
Dr. Mickiewicz added the adjective “humble.”
She observed health is not the mere absence of disease but achieving a state of well-being.
Dr. Montgomery Rice read an insightful letter she wrote to her younger self as entering her residency: “Don’t shy away from asking questions… Build lifetime partners and colleagues…Always humble yourself. You don’t have to do this alone. Don’t be too ashamed or arrogant. Lastly, have fun. Burnout is real. … You will be great — there is no other option.”
Dr. Rahmelle Thompson, executive director and assistant dean of pipeline initiatives at Morehouse School of Medicine, hopes thousands of residents will follow in their footsteps.
Dr. Veronica Mallett and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice
Dr. Veronica Mallett, system EVP, chief administrative officer at CommonSpirit Health, spoke of her dream to eliminate health inequities with a more diverse workforce.
Mickiewicz praised Dr. Greg Whitley, chief medical officer at Dominican Hospital, who was unable to attend, for his efforts to get he residency program started.
About 100 people attended, including Dr. Casey KirkHart, chief medical officer of the nonprofit Santa Cruz Community Health, who is site director for the family medicine residency program.
Other partners include locally owned Watsonville Community Hospital and the nonprofit Salud Para La Gente.
Julie Sprengel, president, California Region, CommonSpirit Health, noted CommonSpirit serves one in four people in California. She told the residents, “You chose the best place to come.”
Plans are in the works to create medical residency programs in Bakersfield and Oxnard, she added.
Michelle Johnson-Tidjani, senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer of CommonSpirit Health, said, “Thank you for stepping up to provide health care for a system that is inclusive, compassionate and just.”
Dr. Mickiewicz, who has been president-CEO at Dominican Hospital for 24 years, has no plans to retire. Dominican is recruiting for the second class now and she wants to see what happens with this inaugural group of resident doctors in training.
TOP PHOTO: Leaders of Dominican Hospital, CommonSpirit Health and Morehouse School of Medicine surround 8 physician interns in the More in Common Alliance’s inaugural family medicine residency program.