WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL?

Picking a site to do your Family Medicine Residency training can be daunting, with
many factors to consider. I would like to point out a few things that make our program
special in Massachusetts and New England:

• We are an integral part of the University of Massachusetts’ Department of Family Medicine
and Community Health, which is nationally recognized as one of the top 10 academic centers for
Primary Care. We are able to take advantage of all the resources of a major academic center.

• Despite our University parentage, the vast majority of the clinical training takes place in a
community hospital (Leominster Hospital), where there are no other residents or residencies
present to dilute your educational opportunities.

• We enjoy unprecedented support from the local medical community, which allows you to
develop close relationships with specialists from all major specialties, as well as with
community based primary care physicians.

• Although we are an academically rigorous residency, we recognize the importance of family
and quality of life for our residents. Only 6 of 12 rotations during the first year include overnight
call, and call is only about once a week during the second year, only 2-3 times a month during
third year.

• Our health center is a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (CHC Family Health),
serving the medically underserved of the North Worcester County of Massachusetts. The health
center provides extensive ancillary services, allowing you to concentrate on providing medical
care to your patients without distractions.

• The health center will provide $5,000 towards your medical school loans (if you have at
least $60,000 in medical school loans), in gratitude for caring for CHC patients. This is just
one small example of how closely CHC Family Health works with the residency.

• Our Mental Health Department, under the direction of Dr. Nicholas Apostoleris, PhD, is
nationally recognized for the extensive collaboration with the medical providers. You have the
support of trained psychologists and psychiatrists in treating patients with psychiatric issues, as
well as assistance with such issues as patient non-compliance, opiate drug seeking behavior, etc.

• Fitchburg and Leominster are situated in one of the most beautiful areas of New England,
with rolling hills, quaint New England towns, and excellent schools. At the same time, the
area has easy access to the metropolitan areas of Boston, Worcester, and Providence, RI,
but without the hassle of traffic congestion, high crime, or high cost of living.

• We are an exceptionally friendly residency. We believe in providing whatever support you
and your fellows residents require in order to be successful. Our scheduling is flexible, which
allows us to tailor the academic process to your needs.

I invite you to visit our web site for more information: www.umassffpr.org. We are currently in
the process of updating the web site with additional information and pictures, so come back
frequently to see what is new!

If you have any questions, please contact me or the Residency Administrator, Elaine DesJardins
(DesJarde@ummhc.org 978-878-8374) regarding our program. We encourage students to visit
with us to see our program first hand; just let us know when you want to visit, and what areas are
of particular interest to you.

I look forward to hearing from you!

James Ledwith, MD
Program Director
UMass-Fitchburg Family Medicine Residency