At UNM Family Medicine you will be ready for full-spectrum care anywhere.
We are so happy to share what we love about our residency program with you!
New Mexico is a unique and amazing state where you can go hiking in the Sandia mountains in the morning, float along the Rio Grande in the afternoon and have an amazing dinner in a lavender field in the evening. There are so many things to explore- deserts of white sands, slot canyons, world-renown ski resorts, captivating art museums and galleries, ancient archeological sites, and the biggest sky you've ever seen.
New Mexico is the fifth largest state by land area, yet home to just over two million residents—so we have a lot of rural space and many healthcare shortage areas. The communities that have lived here for centuries including Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, as well as Hispanic and Latinx populations, create a rich and complex environment. In this context, understanding the ongoing health impacts of U.S. history, policy, and the current social determinants of health is not only important—it is essential to providing meaningful, equitable care.
Established in 1971, our residency program is one of the oldest and largest academic Family Medicine programs in the country. We are honored to count some of the founders of Family Medicine among our faculty. Their original vision—to train physicians who could be the most helpful in the most settings to the most people-- is still among the core values of our residency and our department.
Although we are part of a large academic hospital system, our residents are well known as amazing clinicians and leaders across our institution. Through our rigorous curriculum, we support our residents in their continued journey of clinical excellence, while also cultivating the skills needed to partner with individuals and communities to increase health and wellness. Graduates of our program leave fully prepared to thrive in a wide range of clinical settings- full-spectrum rural medicine to urban underserved care, complex obstetrics, family planning, addiction medicine, and beyond.
Our program attracts people who are already catalysts for change. University of New Mexico's Family Medicine residency program is engaged in an iterative process of embedding transformative justice in the medicine we practice and the relationships we nurture. Our Population Health curriculum is grounded in the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research. The intent is to learn how to engage in individual and community work not from a charity perspective, or a perspective that we are the experts "here to save the day". Rather we recognize that we have a lot to learn from communities and individuals that have agency, autonomy, and far more knowledge about what they need than we do. We believe that only through true accompaniment, curiosity, and long-term investment in relationship do we have the potential to become truly helpful. Operationalizing these constructs is a challenge in our current world and medical system, but we believe it is worth the effort.
May your path in medicine be filled with meaningful learning, deep connection, ongoing discovery, and joy.
Laura
Laura Chambers-Kersh, MD
Dr. Chambers-Kersh has completed an OB fellowship, and is board certified in both Lifestyle and Culinary Medicine. She has worked for the Indian Health Service and the US Army, and has global health experience in Malawi, Mozambique, Liberia, Thailand, and Cuba. She has worked as faculty for over ten years, feels it is a privilege to spend her days with students and residents, and is grateful for all that they teach her.
Dr. Aragón has a deep commitment to caring for her community in New Mexico. She has special interests in sexual and reproductive health, including abortion care, addiction medicine, and medical education.
Dr. Chang's clinical interests include global health, practice management, lifestyle medicine, and integrative holistic care. Dr. Chang enjoys the challenge of inpatient and outpatient clinical care, working with residents and students across different settings, and having the opportunity to improve systems.
Dr. Bouchard provides full scope family medicine care with particular clinical interest in maternal-child healthcare and headache medicine. He enjoys with working with residents and learners across a variety of settings.
Dr. Weitzen is the medical director of the North Valley Clinic. She enjoys precepting and teaching residents and medical students and focuses on using evidence-based medicine in primary setting. She has a background in clinical research and research methods.
I chose this program because of its emphasis on community health, diverse patient-population, dedicated faculty, and supportive environment. UNM stood out to me as it truly strives to make a positive impact on the population it serves.
