CHAMBERSBURG – Last November, WellSpan Health announced the expansion of its medical residency programs across South Central Pennsylvania. As part of this initiative, WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital is launching a new Family Medicine Residency Program.
The program has received full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, joining WellSpan York Hospital and WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital as accredited teaching hospitals in the region.
Residents in the WellSpan Family Medicine program will benefit from a comprehensive curriculum that combines rigorous academic instruction with hands-on clinical training. In addition to their work at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, residents will complete clinical rotations with Keystone Health physicians and providers at both WellSpan and Keystone Health locations throughout Franklin County.
This new program not only strengthens the region’s healthcare workforce but also celebrates the return of two local residents who are beginning their medical careers where their roots run deep.
Dr. Anjana Bajgain of Wyomissing and Dr. Souhila Kaoui of Millersville are two of six residents selected for WellSpan’s first residency class in Chambersburg. Residency programs are designed to provide post-graduate medical training to educate physicians.
“I feel really driven to make a difference in the lives of this community and be a trusted source of care, education, and compassion,” said Dr. Anjana Bajgain, a former Berks County resident who competed medical school in Nepal. “WellSpan’s mission and strong dedication to underserved communities solidified my choice to return home to central Pennsylvania. This is more than just a residency for me – it’s the perfect opportunity to bring all my clinical experience to this community I’ve become so comfortable in.”
Over the next three years, 18 new resident providers will join Dr. Bajgain and her colleagues to care for the Chambersburg community
“It’s always been our goal to bring a residency program to Chambersburg,” said David Emrhein, associate chief academic officer. “Residents have been rotating here from other program locations for 20 years, and we’re excited to provide this opportunity to the doctors and the community. Our goal is to help these residents be reliable, competent doctors – someone you would want providing to you and your family.”
Dr. Donna Prill, residency program director, finds the experience of working with young doctors very rewarding. WellSpan has multiple residency programs systemwide, keeping 30 percent of residents after they graduate.
“Seeing these residents become more responsible and start teaching colleagues and other future medical students is very special,” she said. “This is such a great opportunity for them and the patients in Chambersburg. The community is full of great people who need this attention to care since they are farther removed from larger cities. We expect the program to greatly improve care throughout the region.”
Dr. Souhila Kaoui moved to Lancaster County after attending medical school in Algeria. She is excited to build relationships in a region she cares about so deeply.
“Coming home and providing care here is incredibly meaningful,” Dr.Kaoui said. “It’s a chance to serve the community that welcomed and shaped me. I feel a strong sense of purpose and responsibility to give back to these individuals whose values I share and whose challenges I understand. I’m not just treating patients – I’m caring for neighbors, families and friends.”
The practice opened on June 2 and residents will begin seeing patients on July 3.
