Generous gift establishes program to inspire and mentor Greenwich Hospital medical residents

January 25, 2024 at 1:48 a.m.

Members of the Greenwich Physicians Outreach Group (from left): Paras Patel, DO; Hyun Park, MD; James Brunetti, DO; Jan Zislis, MD; Maria Pavlis, MD; Nikhita Shrimanker, MD; Ellika Mardh, MD; Miguel Mesarina, DO; Ryan Kelly, DO; Nathan Heller, MD; and Michael Franco, MD. Not pictured: Kunal Desai, MD; Matthew Pearl, MD; Alan Selkin, MD; Michael Canter, MD. (Courtesy photo of Greenwich Hospital)

Greenwich Hospital has announced the first medical resident-driven lecture series envisioned to both educate patients and provide doctors-in-training valuable, interactive experience within the community.

Through the generosity of Scott and Icy Frantz, Greenwich Hospital’s residency program has begun a mentoring initiative to inspire residents to practice medicine in the community after graduation and to foster a lifelong passion for serving others.

The monthly public lecture series is one aspect of the broader initiative known as the Greenwich Physicians Outreach Group that pairs a Greenwich Hospital resident with an attending physician who serves as a mentor. After receiving their medical degree, physicians spend three years as “residents” at Greenwich Hospital learning to care for patients alongside experienced doctors and nurses. The newly launched lecture series provides an opportunity for residents to practice explaining medicine to a lay audience, interact with the public, and work closely with an attending physician outside the clinic setting.

The program’s inaugural lecture, which focused on stroke, took place at Greenwich Hospital’s Noble Conference Room Monday, Jan. 22, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. and was led by attending physician Kunal Desai, MD, and resident physician Nikhita Shrimanker, MD.

The Frantzes’ gift, which was given in honor of Dr. James Brunetti, also enables the lecturers to disseminate health-related items such as blood pressure home monitors and pulse oximeters. Future talks will cover topics such as colon cancer, living to be 100, and advanced directives and ICU care.

“Greenwich Hospital is part of Yale, a thriving academic health system, and this unique program is an example of how education can reach beyond the day-to-day training that takes place in a hospital and give residents the powerful experience of seeing firsthand a physician’s impact on their community,” said Greenwich Hospital President Diane P. Kelly.

The program will expand beyond lectures as the medical residents will add activities to complement their learning to include working with vulnerable populations locally—visiting organizations such as River House, Pathways, Abilis, local high schools, and local community centers where health assessment and well-being checks can be done.

To register for upcoming programs, which are free to attendees, call 888-305-9253.