Gmeceliapantoja
DHR Health

Internal Medicine Residency Program

Welcome to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at DHR Health!

We are located in the borderlands of South Texas. Our diverse population provides our residents with a wide variety of learning opportunities. While this region has traditionally been Hispanic, it has attracted people nationally and worldwide because of its attractive climate and low cost of living.

Medical education, science, art, and the practice of medicine are constantly evolving. We need internists who master a broad range of internal medicine while adapting to a constantly evolving health care system to optimize health care delivery. 

At DHR Health, we recognize the need to meet our population's needs, and to address these challenges, we strive to equip the internist with the skills, knowledge, and experiences required to practice medicine. We know compassion, cultural awareness, and patient-centered care are essential to serving our diverse patient population. 

Residency training in internal medicine can be demanding and stressful. Still, it also offers a lifetime opportunity to shape our residents' futures, and we aim to train residents who will pursue excellence in an environment where autonomy and supervision are in dynamic balance. Our goal is to make it one of the most rewarding periods of one’s life, with a sense of growth and mastery as you learn to handle more complex, challenging situations. 

Warmth and support are essential to our program. At DHR Health, physicians from many parts of the world work together as colleagues at the house staff and attending levels, emphasizing teamwork and emotional support for each resident, with the shared goal of providing state-of-the-art, compassionate, excellent patient care.

To support each resident's success, we offer a flexible program with a wide range of elective training opportunities. Residents can research, rotate on subspecialty services, away rotations, attend conferences, and complete non-medicine specialty rotations. Residents who complete the program will also be prepared for the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Internal Medicine certifying examination. 

Dear applicants, we look forward to hearing from you,

Best,
Dr. Pantoja-Rojas

Our Program

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Mission and Program Aims

Our residents will be held to high standards which will align with our Sponsoring Institution's (DHR Health) mission to improve the well-being of those we serve with a commitment to excellence: every patient, every encounter, every time. DHR's vision is to create a world-class health system to advance medicine and increase access for the communities we serve by empowering caregivers to heal through compassion, knowledge, innovation, integrated care and excellence. DHR CARES defines our values which include Compassion, Accountability, Responsibility, Excellence through Knowledge, Safety and Social Conscience. The DHR Health Internal Medicine Program is dedicated to training inclusive, comprehensive internists characterized as clinicians, scholars, educators, and future leaders. Our supportive and socioeconomically diverse environment fosters academic and personal growth, as well as compassionate, high quality, patient-centered care. We are committed to serving our community, especially the underserved, by delivering excellent care always, without exception. Our mission is to provide residents with a well-rounded education and clinical experience in an educational environment beyond just the practice of medicine, such as quality improvement, patient experience, informatics, education, leadership, and advocacy. We pride ourselves on our excellent, world-class patient care as well as our family-oriented residency program.

Program Aims

Aim 1: To offer an innovative training program that cultivates residents, by means of progressive responsibility under supervision leading to graduated autonomy and mentorship, to become leaders with the capacity to pursue careers in clinical medicine, education, research, and/or administration and achieve certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

Aim 2: To train our residents to become a consultant to all populations of patients and generalist physicians – in rural, under-represented and other special environments – for difficult or undifferentiated patient problems, or in areas in which the internist has unique expertise.

Aim 3: To create an educational environment that fosters scholarly activities with an emphasis on quality improvement, research, and community health to not only benefit the program but also the community and hospital system.

Aim 4: To promote a nurturing and collaborative atmosphere that encourages resident well-being, personal growth, and camaraderie.

Aim 5: To recruit and develop exemplary faculty and residents who have a passion for teaching, service and commitment to continuous improvement.

Aim 6: To promote the health and well-being of our multicultural and socioeconomically diverse community, with an emphasis on the underserved.

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Application and Interview Process

The Internal Medicine Residency Program at DHR Health (1404800010) accepts applications through the internet-based ERAS program. The same application process applies to all Residency Programs.

Documentation submitted through ERAS must include:
  • Completed Application Form
  • Recent Photograph
  • CV and Personal Statement
  • Dean's Letter
  • Transcript
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Results of USMLE/COMLEX examinations, Steps 1 and 2
Criteria for all medical school graduates:
  • Passing of USMLE/COMLEX examinations on the first attempt.
  • Graduation from medical school within the last 5 years.
  • Graduates of medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada must hold a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). 
  • Meet requirements for J-1 Visa sponsorship (if applicable)

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Contact Us

Klarissa Farias

Program Coordinator
1000 E Dove Ave. Ste. 201
McAllen, TX 78504
(956) 362-2430
[email protected]

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Faculty

  • Celia Pantoja Rojas, MD Program Director
  • Oscar Mendez, MD Associate Program Director
  • Sonya Montes, MD Associate Program Director
  • Mahmod Sultan, MD Associate Program Director
  • Francisco Gonzalez, MD Core ABIM/AOBIM Certified Faculty / Scholarly Activity Advisor
  • Gauri Kanhere, MD Core ABIM/AOBIM Certified Faculty
  • Carlos Paris, MD Core ABIM/AOBIM Certified Faculty / POCUS Advisor
  • Juan Salazar, MD Core ABIM/AOBIM Certified Faculty / Clinical Experience Faculty / Continuity Clinic

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Our Curriculum

Learn more regarding our Internal Medicine Residency Program below.

Learn More
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Benefits and Stipend

Learn More
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

DHR Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. We know that diverse and inclusive teams have a positive impact, by generating varied perspectives and in turn better ideas to solve complex problems. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views, by ensuring fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all residents, faculty, and staff. We strive to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups, due to race, ethnicity, language, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, physical or mental disability, and others.

We appreciate the unique abilities and perspectives of our diverse workforce and community. By creating an environment where faculty, physicians, residents, fellows, and staff can be their true selves at work without fear of judgment, we aim to foster creativity, raise productivity, and improve organizational performance. We believe that all our faculty, physicians, residents/fellows, and staff play the critical role in the overall success of the organization and the vision we have for our community. We create a sense of belonging at the workplace, where employees are appreciated for their unique contributions, recognized for their accomplishments, supported in their career goals, and have a sense of connection to how they are positively impacting their community.

Through community partnerships, we generate transformation within our institution as a means of advocating for better care for our patients, creating a more diverse physician workforce, and serving our community. We strive to promote social justice by advocating for equitable health care, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, social status, or ability to pay. We are committed to an organizational culture that will connect our residents and fellows to the organization; encourage collaboration, flexibility and fairness; and leverage diversity throughout the organization, so that all residents and fellows will be able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

DHR Health recruits resident/fellow applicants underrepresented in medicine (UIM) for advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DHR Health GME Diversity Committee is included in all planning phases of faculty and resident/fellow recruitment, selection, and retention and includes hospital leaders, GME representatives, and residents/fellows.

DHR Health Internal Medicine

Residents & Alumni

resident

Ashley Diaz Medina, MD

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Escuela de Medicina, Mexico
resident

Chowdhury Shahriar, MD

North East Medical Center College & Hospital
resident

Jeannie Figueroa-Canedo, MD

Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Facultad de Medicina, Guadalajara, Mexico
resident

Jose Enrique Villa Ortega, MD

Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Mexico
resident

Krishna Priya Jakkula, MD

N.R.I. Institute of Medical Sciences, Visakhapatnam, India
resident

Liza Guerra, MD

Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) School of Medicine, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
resident

Mahek Rai, MD

Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, India
resident

Mian Uman Anwer, MD

Faisalabad Medical University, Pakistan
resident

Muhammad Osama Saeed, MD

Akhtar Saeed Medical & Dental College, Pakistan
resident

Onyinye Edith Ebiliekwe, MD

Nnamdi Azikiwe University College of Health Sciences, Nigeria
resident

Uha Yalala, MD

N.R.I. Institute of Medical Sciences, Visakhapatnam
resident

Andrew Gould, MD
resident

Benjamin Sanabria Azurduy, MD
resident

Hector Trejo, MD
resident

Hiago Cabral, MD
resident

Iffath Mizan, MD
resident

Ivonne Vega Martinez, MD
resident

Jagatdeep Kaur, MD
resident

Javier Lizarazo Mikly, MD
resident

Muhammad Mubariz, MD
resident

Navid Manafi, MD
resident

Rafael Ramirez Dominguez, MD
resident

Asma Salih Mohammed Tarjmani, MD

University of Tripoli, Libya
resident

Edgar Sinahi Rubio Loya, MD

UA Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
resident

Fernando Andres Pena Jimenez, MD

USAT, Montserrat, Eastern Caribbean
resident

Genesis Paola Camacho Leon, MD

Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela
resident

Hugo Matiely Ulisses Cruz, MD

Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre Y Maestra, Dominican Republic
resident

Keila Gabriela Carrera Mejias, MD

Universidad de Oriente, Nucleo de Anzoategui, Venezuela
resident

Laura Alicia Castro, MD

UA Guadalajara, Mexico
resident

Marcos Joel Collazo Acevedo, MD

UA Guadalajara, Mexico
resident

Prince Shah-Riar, MD

Ibn Sina Medical College, Bangladesh
resident

Vasanthika Imandi, MD

Andhra Medical College, India
resident

Yasitha Kakarlapudi, MD

Andhra Medical College, India
resident

Andrea E. Garcia Bautista, MD

Alumni '26 - Geriatric Fellowship University of Florida, Florida
resident

Charu Hasini Vasa, MD

Alumni '26 - Internal Medicine Physician, Canada
resident

Elisa Carolina Velez Jerves, MD

Alumni '26 - Dermatology Fellow Oasis Dermatology, Rio Grande Valley
resident

Jonathan Yaw Gyebi-Agyepong, MD

Alumni ’24 – Hospitalist at DHR Health
resident

Kalyana Yashasvi Mondreti, MD

Alumni ’24 – Hospitalist at DHR Health
resident

Laura Isabel Reyes Uribe, MD

Alumni '26 - Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health, New York
resident

Mahmoud Hamzeh Barbarawi, MD

Alumni '26 - Gastroenterology Fellowship, DHR Health
resident

Majdi Salahie, MD

Alumni '26 - Nephrology Fellowship Allegheny Health Network, Pennsylvania
resident

Naresh Singh Purohit, MD

Alumni ‘ 24 – Primary Care, California
resident

Percy Thomas, MD

Alumni ’25 – Pulmonary Disease Fellowship at Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi, TX
resident

Prakriti Arya, MD

Alumni '26 - Infectious Disease Fellowship, Kansas City
resident

Rafael Cardenas Castillo, MD

Alumni '26 - Internal Medicine Physician, Oregon
resident

Rama Bakie, MD

Alumni ’25 – Neurocritical Care Fellowship at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miama, FL
resident

Sergio Hernandez Llamas, MD

Alumni '26 - Hematology/Oncology Fellowship UT Health San Antonio, Texas
resident

Vianis Carolina Bravo, MD

Alumni ’24 – Primary Care in Orlando, FL – Future Plans, Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowships.
PGY-1 PGY-2 PGY-3 Alumni

Resident Life

Our Commitment to Wellness

  • Counseling services provided to residents and faculty are available Monday-Friday from 8am - 8pm and on weekends from 9am - 6pm. Call 956-362-2732 to set up an appointment.

Our Community

The Rio Grande Valley is a region in deep South Texas, beautifully rich in culture.

Housing Options