Internal Medicine Residency

Home | Internal Medicine Residency

Internal Medicine Residency

Welcome to the White River Health (WRH) Internal Medicine (IM) Residency Program. We are an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited program taking ten (10) residents per year. The WRH IM Residency Program is located at White River Medical Center in Batesville, Arkansas 90 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas and 120 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.

Our program is a traditional three-year Categorical Internal Medicine Residency Training. Our WRH community-based residency program partners with the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  Residents have the unique opportunity to train in a vibrant, relational community and hospital with the advantages of training with a recognized academic medical center.


Conference Schedule

TitleTimeDaysDescriptionSupervision
Board Review Noon to 1:00 pm Monday & Wednesday

Residents review ACP MKSAP topics in each of the Internal Medicine subspecialties. Residents are required to complete assigned MKSAP questions monthly. 

Case Conference 2:00 pm to 3 pm Tuesday

Residents collaboratively analyze and learn from the clinical details of a patient's presentation, diagnosis, management, and outcome.

Clinical Case Lecture Noon to 1:00 pm Friday

Residents review a specific patient case to illustrate and teach medical concepts, diagnostic reasoning, treatment approaches, and relevant clinical knowledge. This engages learners and provides a practical context for understanding theoretical concepts in real-world clinical scenarios.

Grand Rounds Noon to 1:00 pm Thursday

Via broadcast from UAMS, residents learn new research findings, discuss complex cases, and review recent medical advancements. 

Mortality and Morbidity Noon to 1:00 pm Monthly

Residents review and discuss cases that involve adverse outcomes (morbidity) or patient deaths (mortality) to promote a culture of patient safety, quality improvement, and continuous learning within the healthcare organization.

Journal Club Noon to 1:00 pm Monthly

Residents gather to critically review and discuss selected research articles from medical journals. The primary goal is to facilitate the appraisal of current medical literature, promote evidence-based practice, and encourage meaningful discussions about the clinical implications of research findings.

Simulations 8:00 am to 10:00 am Friday

Residents participate in an interactive workshop that simulates a medical emergency scenario and train to effectively respond and manage critical situations. 

Attending
Forums Noon to 1:00 pm Bi-Monthly

Residents have an opportunity to anonymously provide constructive feedback to the program.

 

Doctor's Dilemma Noon to 1:00 pm Bi-Monthly

Residents team up for a medical competition to quiz their diagnostic and clinical knowledge. 

Hospital Committee Opportunities As Scheduled As Scheduled
  • Antibiotic Stewardship 
  • Community Engagement Committee
  • Critical Care (ICU)
  • Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) 
  • Infection Control
  • Interdisciplinary Team (IDT)
  • Patient Safety and Outcomes
  • Pharmacy & Therapeutics
  • Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) 
  • Quality Council 
  • Resident Wellbeing Committee 
  • Scholarly Activity Committee 
  • Transfusion 
  • Tumor Board

PGY1

PGY2

PGY3

Ragda Ahmed


PGY3

Chief Resident, Infection Control, Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Program Evaluation,

Karla Cano


PGY3

Resident Wellbeing

Kimberley Ho


PGY3

Interdisciplinary Team, Quality Council

Esther Kabaswaga


PGY3

Antibiotic Stewardship, Infection Control

Alena Malik


PGY3

Critical Care (ICU), Resident Wellbeing

Raheel Qureshi


PGY3

Chief Resident, Antibiotic Stewardship, Community Engagement, Critical Care, GMEC Representative, Infection Control, Interdisciplinary Team, Patient Safety, Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Scholarly Activity,Transfusion

Maruf Sarwar


PGY3

Chief Resident

Kristen Soberay


PGY3

Interdisciplinary Team

Keith Stoltzfus


PGY3

Critical Care (ICU), Transfusion

Priya Sunkara


PGY3

GMEC Representative, Program Evaluation, Scholarly Activity

Kalyan Gonugunta

Program Director
Hospital Medicine

Caleb Oster

Associate Program Director
Hospital Medicine

Robert Walton

Associate Program Director, Residency Clinic Director, Clinical Competency Committee Chair
Hospital Medicine, Internal Medicine

Neelima Gonugunta

Core Faculty
Hospital Medicine, Internal Medicine

Mitchell Keel

Core Faculty, Quality Improvement and Research Chair

Shoaib Khan

Core Faculty
Hospital Medicine

Anil Kumar

Core Faculty
Hospital Medicine

Wyatt Lydolph

Core Faculty, Program Evaluation Committee Chair
Hospital Medicine

Mahesh Anantha


Cardiology

Michael Andryka


Hospital Medicine

William "Skip" Baker


Emergency Medicine

K. Raman Desikan


Hematology, Oncology

Sarah Luebker


Rheumatology

Devi Nair


Cardiology/Electrophysiology

Shahla Gul Naoman


Pulmonology, Sleep Medicine

Morgan Norton


Hospital Medicine

How to Apply

We are looking for enthusiastic, hard working physicians with a passion for serving a rural community.

Submit an application through the Electronic Residency Application Service®. The link is provided below for your convenience. 

Start Your Application

Qualifications

Eligibility Qualifications for the White River Health ACGME Accredited Internal Medicine Residency Program

  • Graduation from a medical school in the United States or Canada, accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or graduation from a college of osteopathic medicine in the United States, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOACOCA).
  • Graduation from a medical school outside of the United States or Canada, and meeting one of the following additional qualifications:
    • Current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment or; 
    • Full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the state of Arkansas.
  • Successful passage of USMLE/COMPLEX Step 1 & Step 2. 
    • No minimum score for Step 1. 
    • Step 2 minimum score is 225 (USMLE) or 500 (COMLEX).
  • Successful passage of USMLE/COMPLEX Step 3 is strongly recommended (not required) if graduation date was five years prior or more to application.

Visa Requirements

Our program sponsors only ECFMG J1 visas. A minimum USMLE Step 2 score of 230 is required. 

 Additional Information

  • Applications are reviewed and invitations to interview are sent through ERAS. Applications received via email will not be considered.
  • Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to communicate with you regarding your file status nor respond to individual inquiries about White River Health's IM Residency Program. Additional information about the organization and links to community information may be found on this website. 
  • We do not offer positions for observership, externships, or volunteer research.




Leadership

Maggie Williams, PharmD

Designated Institutional Official


Kalyan Gonugunta, MD, FACP

Internal Medicine Program Director


Ashley Johnson, C-TAGME

Internal Medicine Program Coordinator, 2025 APDIM Program Administrator Rising Star Award Recipient


Our Graduates

 WRH Internal Medicine Residency Program provides residents with quality education through access to a professional learning environment in an engaging community. WRH offers a high quality, innovative, and unique Graduate Medical Education experience. Residents at WRH, mentored by an outstanding faculty, develop the skills to provide excellent medical care to patients from diverse backgrounds. 

We wish our residents the best in their professional careers. Our graduates and their last known professional career locations are listed below.

2025

Keren George

Baylor Scott & White, Temple, TX - Senior Staff Physician

Anupriya Gupta

Signature Healthcare, Stoughton, MA - Primary Care Physician

Aakash Hans

UTMB Galveston, TX - Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellow

Vallerie Jain

John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth, TX - Palliative Care Fellow

Michael Johnson

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA - Hospitalist

Henna Khan

HSHA St. Mary's Hospital, Decatur, IL - Hospitalist

Joseph Markey

SSM Health, St. Louis, MO - Hospitalists/Nocturnist

Sanket Nayyar

Med Center Health, Bowling Green, KY - Hospitalist

Duska Riaz

University of Texas, San Antonio, TX - Infectious Disease Fellow

2024

Tyler Barker, MD

Hospitalist, St. Bernard's Healthcare, Jonesboro, AR

Deanna Cochran, MD

Geriatric Fellowship University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR

Neelima Gonugunta, MD

Hospitalist & Outpatient Internist, White River Health Batesville, AR

Nathanael Hall, MD

Hospitalist, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX

Silpa Kumar, MD

Geriatric Fellowship Duke University Durham, NC

Jackson Musuuza, MD

Assistant Professor/Hospitalist University of Wisconsin Madison, WI

Dheeraj Posa, MD

Hospitalist, Louisiana State University Health Sciences, Shreveport, LA

Sagarika Ranga, DO

Internal Medicine Physician, Optum, New Port Richey, FL

Joey Sanders, MD

Hospitalist, St. Bernard’s Healthcare Jonesboro, AR

John Clark Shell, MD

Infectious Disease Fellowship University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL

2023

Stephen Deji Adedokun, MD

Cardiology Fellowship, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

Soubhi Alhayek, MD

Infectious Disease Fellowship, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA

Omar Alkhatib, MD

Nocturnist, Southeast Health, Dothan, AL

Jero Bean, MD

Hospitalist, St. Francis Health System, Cape Girardeau, MO

Steffie-Ann Dujon, MD

Outpatient Medicine, Norman Regional Health System, Norman, OK

Raman Kutty, MD

Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Sean Salonga, MD

United States Army Physician

Kemuel Telemaque, MD

Hospitalist, BJC Medical Group Memorial, Belleville, IL

Sara Whyte, MD

Hospitalist/Nocturnist, Samaritan Albany General Hospital, Albany, OR

Resident Life

Writing informative healthcare articles for area residents is a very fruitful and rewarding aspect of the White River Health Internal Medicine Residency program. One of the key components of our residency curriculum is community outreach. We believe in prioritizing resident physicians developing competent clinical skills, and in helping them understand the importance of talking to their patients and reaching out to their community. A significant issue in our society today is the rise in a mistrust of science. While the reasoning is multifactorial, a lack of evident outreach from the medical community may contribute to the uncertainty between providers and patients. Our hope with this project is to play our part in alleviating the spread of misinformation and allow our residents to earn the trust of our community.

All of our residents are accepting patients at White River Health Internal Medicine.

Chronic Kidney Disease

This article discusses Chronic Kidney Disease
Read More

Atherosclerosis

This article discusses Atherosclerosis
Read More

Thyroid Troubles: The Hidden Cause of Your Health Issues?

This article discusses Hypothyroidism
Read More

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This article discusses obstructive sleep apnea
Read More

"Breaking Free: A Healthy Approach to Understanding Alcohol Dependence" 

This article discusses alcoholism
Read More

Clearing the Air: The Truth About Vaping

This article discusses vaping
Read More

The Gland on Strike: What Happens with an Underactive Thyroid?

This article discusses hypothyroidism
Read More

Joint Juice: Understanding Osteoarthritis and Easing the Aches

This article discusses Osteoarthritis
Read More

Salary & Benefits

PGY LevelAnnual Salary
Program Year 1 (PGY-1) $ 56,000.00
Program Year 1 (PGY-1) Educational Stipend $ 800
Program Year 2 (PGY-2) $ 57,000.00
Program Year 2 (PGY-2) Educational Stipend $ 800
Program Year 3 (PGY-3) $ 59,000.00
Program Year 3 (PGY-3) Educational Stipend $ 800

White River Health offers a competitive and comprehensive salary and benefits package to meet our residents health, financial well-being, and work-life balance.  Learn more about benefits at WRH Benefits.