Battle Creek Gets Six New Physicians

They've been on the job since July 1st in Battle Creek, and the six new resident physicians from the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) will be officially welcomed on Wednesday.

The special reception will honor the six new doctors – David Arenstein, Lubhin Bhagat, Mahsa Langroo, Salam Khalil, Christian Ordaz and Max Shakourian – who are the first class of residents for the medical school’s new Family Medicine residency program in Battle Creek. The event will also celebrate the new training program and the work and collaboration by WMed, Bronson Healthcare and Grace Health that made the program’s launch possible.

The six doctors officially began their training in Battle Creek on July 1, 2019, under the leadership of Holli Neiman-Hart, MD, program director of the Family Medicine – Battle Creek residency program. Each year, six new physicians will be accepted into the three-year curriculum and once the residency is fully operational, 18 Family Medicine residents will be practicing in the community at any given time. The new residents are receiving training at Bronson Battle Creek and Grace Health, Battle Creek’s federally
qualified family health center, serves as the residency site for outpatient training.
The new residency training program got off the ground in 2016 thanks to startup funding – three $1 million grants – from Bronson Healthcare Group, Bronson Battle Creek Hospital Community Partners and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In providing money for the new program, the donors cited the unique opportunity to strengthen healthcare services in Calhoun County and build a stronger local economy.

Leaders from the medical school, Bronson Healthcare and Grace Health will be in attendance, as well as state legislators and officials from Calhoun County and Battle Creek. Attendees will hear remarks from the six new resident physicians during the event and WMed’s founding dean, Hal B. Jenson, MD, MBA; Peter Chang, MD, MPH, president and CEO of Grace Health, and Frank Sardone, president and CEO of
Bronson Healthcare, are also set to speak.