Our Residents
The Central Washington Family Medicine Residency Program recruits a diverse group of resident physicians. These self-directed learners bring a wide range of experience, and interests to the residency program as well as divergent goals for future practice plans. Our residency demographic includes both Allopathic and Osteopathic residents, many of whom have a strong desire to serve rural and underserved urban patient populations on the West Coast.
Our Commitment to Excellence
Our program is committed to academic excellence as demonstrated by its affiliation with the nation’s #2 ranked University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine. Our residency is a member of the WWAMI Region Family Medicine Residency Network, a one-of-a-kind, multi-state medical education program designed to alleviate the shortages of healthcare programs in rural and underserved urban areas. The Network consists of thirty-one affiliated FM residency programs located within the WWAMI region – Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. We are also affiliated with one of the newest osteopathic medical schools, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. CWFMR residents have access to UW resources, including the Health Sciences Library.
Featured Resident - Emily Webb, DO
Our Chief Residents
The program is invested in training the leaders of tomorrow, and we provide our chiefs the resources and training they need to participate fully in this development process. CWFMR chiefs represent residents at all Residency Leadership meetings and act as liaison for resident suggestions and concerns. Examples of their many duties include: Chairing the Annual Program Review, and facilitating resident committee assignments and the Block Schedule formation. The Network also provides training and resources for all chief residents in its FM cohort. In addition to the AAFP’s Chief Resident Leadership Conference our chiefs also attend the WAAMI Network Chief Resident conference.
Three peer selected Chiefs are elected each year and typically consist of one Junior Chief, and two Senior Chiefs (normally includes a representative from Ellensburg).
Georgia Schafer Medina, MD
Senior Chief Resident – Class of 2024
Naomi Swain, DO
Senior Chief Resident Ellensburg – Class of 2024
Nicholas Colin, DO
Junior Chief Resident – Class of 2025
Jake Matheson, DO
Junior Chief Resident – Class of 2025
Sarah Ayala, DO
Ellensburg Co-Chief Resident – Class of 2023
Emily Webb, DO
Ellensburg Co-Chief Resident – Class of 2023
Lawrence Hu, DO
Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chief Resident – Class of 2024
Georgia Schafer Medina, MD
Junior Chief Resident – Class of 2024
Class of 2023
Read their bios further to learn more about their educational background, philosophy of care, medical interests, and more!
Sarah Ayala, DO
I was initially drawn to CWFMR for its strong rural training, and I was won over by the sense of community and support I felt. I was looking for a program with a strong sense of community involvement and focus on community enrichment. Read Bio
Jake Covington, DO
I moved to Yakima in 2008 and since then it’s become my home. I’m devoted to my community and wish to serve as a family medicine physician into the future. Read Bio
Casey Celerian, DO
As I completed my medical training at PNWU, I was able to get a good look at CWFM and see the strong training it provided for its physicians. After completing a sub-internship at the program, it was easy to see that Yakima was where I was meant to stay! Read Bio
Jessica Coleman, MD, MS, MPH
The genuineness of the people and the variety of opportunities the area provides. I am really interested in learning about a variety of cultures, serving the underserved, and community outreach. Read Bio
John Jamora, DO
It is important to me to be able to practice in a culturally diverse setting and be part of a residency with strongly established community ties. CWFM demonstrated the close-knit family culture and support that I desire to be a part of moving forward. Read Bio
Chanel Ostrem, DO
The strong psychiatric component of the program. I also enjoyed living in Yakima during medical school and look forward to another three years here. Read Bio
Jai Patel, MD
My experience interviewing with CWFM left a lasting impression and served as the “gold standard” to which I found myself comparing all other programs to. Read Bio
Emily Webb, DO
I am drawn to CWFM because it has a very strong program in obstetrics. I will be able to receive the rural healthcare training I need in Ellensburg to be a competent rural physician while being exposed to a higher volume of patients and diseases in Yakima. Read Bio
Brent Wilkinson, DO
The substantial Latino patient population, robust geographical setting, craft beer culture, and proximity to metropolitan areas all speak to my personal and professional interests. Read Bio
Elizabeth Boggio, MD
What drew me to CWFM was the residents, faculty, and supportive academic environment. CWFM is an ideal training program because it is full spectrum Family Medicine and an unopposed program. Read Bio
Class of 2024
Read their bios further to learn more about their educational background, philosophy of care, medical interests, and more!
Nadia Azhar, DO
CWFMR embodies a unique culture of support and kindness that I immediately connected with and wanted to be a part of. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, I was also interested in caring for a community that is close to home. Read Bio
Catherine Choi, DO
CWFM had everything I could’ve wanted in a residency: it’s an unopposed program set in a community hospital providing care for an underserved population. The residents loved the program, the staff and faculty are supportive. Read Bio
Afshin Edrissi, DO
CWFMR is unique that it can provide rural family medicine training which has continuity throughout all of the residency years. This can prepare me to practice in any place and any settings. Read Bio
Christina Eglin, MD
Growing up in Yakima, I have always known that I wanted to return here to practice medicine. I am passionate about providing quality medical care to the Yakima Valley and am thrilled that I get to do my residency training at home. Read Bio
Lawrence Hu, DO
As a future physician, I believe that CWFM will provide me with once in a lifetime opportunity to receive robust training which will fulfill my goal of practicing full-spectrum family medicine. Read Bio
Georgia Schafer Medina, MD
I was drawn to the program’s mission to serve the underserved with full spectrum care and the large Hispanic population. I want to provide patients with holistic care. Read Bio
Aaron Nott, DO
Growing up in the Yakima Valley, intending to practice here for life, it was imperative that I trained at a program that offered the continual learning of medicine from the unique populations of home. Read Bio
Joshua Parmenter, DO
Being able to train in this wonderful area, I feel that I have come full circle and can provide care to a rural community much like the one I grew up in. Read Bio
Emily Sherfield, DO
Joshua Stanfield, DO
I found a caring and collaborative community at PNWU and again at CWFM. I love the people in the area and the opportunity to practice full-spectrum family medicine. Read Bio
Naomi Swain, DO
During my third year of medical school I spent 4 weeks in the Ellensburg clinic and I felt right at home. I love that the clinic serves a wide variety of people, many who may not otherwise have access to healthcare. Read Bio
Jerry Wang, DO, MPHTM
The culture of support and integrative medicine peaked my interest for CWFM. I have always enjoyed giving back to the community and the underserved minority population is my ideal patient population. Read Bio
Class of 2025
Please read the bios of our first year residents to learn more about their educational background, philosophy of care, medical interests and more!
Allison Breda, DO
I love the emphasis on mental health and OB care in CWFMR as well as the passion that our leadership has to address the specific needs of the community. Every person that I meet in the program is kind, welcoming, and makes me feel valued. Read Bio
Nicholas Colin, DO
Initially, I chose Yakima for my medical studies because it was close to home (Portland) and a beautiful area. Read Bio
Michael Copty, MD
I wanted to go to a place that would allow to to get the best generalist training, without sacrificing patient care, this is due to the residency being unopposed. Read Bio
Jamie Emanuel, MD
CWFM has the combination of being an unopposed program and working in a community hospital for an underserved population. It also has integrated behavior health that is easily accessible. Read Bio
Sabina Hochroth, DO
Bio coming soon
Edward Letellier, DO
I chose CWFM because as an organization it provides a supportive environment not only for its patients but also the resident staff. Read Bio
Jacob Matheson, DO
I want to eventually end up in a small Pacific Northwest town and so I wanted to train in one. Read Bio
Melissa McCoy, MD
I was drawn to CWFMR because of its strong OB, inpatient, and ambulatory medicine training in an unopposed community setting with faculty and staff who were incredibly welcoming from the very start.
Bilal Tasneem, MD
CWFMRs focus on rural medicine and it being an unopposed residency made me believe it was the type of program I’d learn a full spectrum of skills that would help me accomplish my future goals. Read Bio
Shreshtha Wadhwa, DO
My years of medical training, working as a teacher for special needs children and volunteering at a hospice center have guided my patient care philosophy. Read Bio
Ningyi Zheng, DO
I grew up in Washington so in many ways, moving to Yakima is like coming back ‘home. Plus, I love the small-town feels of Yakima and close-knit culture of CWFMR. It’s like family. 🙂 Read Bio