Internal Medicine Residency – Tucson Campus

2023 IM Orientation Kickoff - Meet and Greet
2023 Internal Medicine Chiefs bonding with the new IM Interns on a Chiefs' Hike in Mount Lemmon.
Internal Medicine Residency – Tucson Campus director Dr. Laura Meinke chats with medical students and residents at a Faculty Meet-and-Greet event held in the Medical Research Building.
Internal medicine residents, fellows and students share thoughts on their projects and posters during Research Academic Half Day competition in Kiewit Auditorium in Spring 2019.
Tucson Campus former Internal Medicine resident Dr. Alexander Peck presents his report, “The Case of MC,” at Medicine Grand Rounds for ACP Clinical Vignettes competition.
Our 2023 Chiefs, Dr.'s Mario Jaramillo, and Vinita Kusupati bond with the IM Interns during the PGY1 Retreat at the Tucson Ropes Course
Internal medicine residents explain and critique each other's work during poster competition at Research Academic Half Day, a spring ritual at the University of Arizona Department of Medicine.
Thirty to 40 awards and honors are presented each spring at the University of Arizona Department of Medicine Annual Awards Assembly at the Arizona Inn, many coming with a financial prize.
Former Internal Medicine Resident and overall winner Dr. Kevin Breen covers high points in his research on genetics of brain cancer in oral vignettes portion of 2019 Research Academic Half Day.
Congratulations Class of 2023!

Over nearly five decades, we have developed a highly collegial, mid-sized academic training program that offers diverse experiences at multiple state-of-the-art training sites. With Tucson nestled in the northern region of the Sonoran Desert and in the heart of the Old West, our residents gain exposure to a broad range of patients and faculty. We also offer centers of excellence on arthritis, cancer, diabetes, geriatrics, heart, liver, lung disease and more, in which University of Arizona faculty welcome our residents into their labs and allow them to participate in both clinical and bench research.

If you are looking for a friendly program with high academic standards and rigorous clinical models, we welcome you to visit and meet our leadership, faculty and residents as part of our interview process. Tomorrow is here today. Come grow with us!

Laura E. Meinke, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Clinical Scholar
Associate Vice Chair, Office of Education, Department of Medicine
Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus, Department of Medicine

Internal Medicine Residency – Tucson Campus

Housestaff training in internal medicine at the University of Arizona originated in 1972. Since then, we’ve graduated more than 700 physicians trained in all aspects of primary care. We consider this training experience to be highly competitive and successful. Residents learn the fundamentals of inpatient medicine while caring for patients on the general medical wards and in state-of-the-art intensive care and cardiac care units. The experience is broadened by ample exposure to ambulatory medicine. We also enjoy one of Arizona’s highest board passage rates.

Our primary clinical partner is Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, which is part of the academic division of Phoenix-based Banner Health along with multiple clinical facilities in Tucson that include the Banner – UMC South community hospital, UA Cancer Center Peter & Paula Fasseas Cancer Clinic and, adjacent to that, the new adult multispecialty outpatient center known as Banner – University Medicine North. Along with other community partners such as the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS), residents are now able to care for patients in a range of settings: a University hospital, community hospital and VA medical center, in addition to various outpatient clinical operations.

Residents are expected to focus on three major goals — education, clinical skills and research excellence. Research opportunities are plentiful and encouraged. Our intent is to provide the necessary background for the successful practice of medicine and to allow growth and interest in clinical and basic sciences research at an early stage in training. To accomplish this, three major teaching facilities are utilized: Banner – UMC Tucson, the SAVAHCS, and Tucson Medical Center. In addition, outpatient continuity clinic experiences are available at Banner – UMC Tucson, SAVAHCS as well as with specialty and general practice groups and community physicians.

This Year's Residents

Using big data to target gene mutations in cancer tumor cells

UArizona Health Sciences researchers – including Dr. Aaron Scott, of the Division of Hematology & Oncology in the Department of Medicine – are leveraging molecular profiling data to better understand certain cancers and uncover new treatments.

Read

Meet our Residents

Akira Folk, DO

PGY-1

DO: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University, 2023

I grew up in a small town in the valley of Northern California called Vacaville. I then moved to San Diego for college and spent several amazing years there. I really love to cook and try new cuisines. In my free time, I am usually reading or watching TV with my miniature schnauzer, Pepper, or playing board games with my husband. I chose UACOM - Tucson because I really liked the welcoming culture and camaraderie. I truly value the program’s dedication to academic growth and serving a large, diverse patient population.

Resident News - Internal Medicine Residency - Tucson Campus

[UArizona Internal Medicine Student Association members with IMSA faculty advisor Amy Sussman, MD (center), at a Post-Match Day celebration at Zinburger in Tucson: Bailey Antonowicz (MS4), Katie Pulling (MS4), Sanjay Menghani (MS4), Lauren Murphy (MS4), Dr. Sussman, Lupita Molina(MS4), Julia Couto (MS4), and Molly Courtright (MS2).]

Post-Match Day celebration turns into student-to-student mentoring session, honors for faculty

Dr. Amy Sussman, Internal Medicine Student Association’s UArizona Chapter advisor, launched the dinner as a debrief for graduating medical students to share advice with first- and second-year students. She was picked this year by all COM-T students for Outstanding Teacher in Clinical Sciences and Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award honors.

[Group photo of DOM Annual Awards Ceremony winners with faculty and collage (at bottom) of shots of Arizona Inn; Drs. Jim Liao, Sarah Upson and Laura Meinke; and Drs. Jim Knepler, Liz Connick and Alex Perry]

Twenty-three share honors at 2024 Department of Medicine Awards Ceremony

In a return to the Arizona Inn for the event, two Class of 2024 students won dual honors: Lupita Molina for top student in nephrology and endocrinology; and Michael Haekwang Kim for infectious diseases and rheumatology. Other key honors included Dr. Daniel Brown – Residency Director's Award; Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine chief fellow Dr. Sarah Upson – Outstanding Medicine Fellow, and Lauren Murphy – the J.W. Smith Outstanding Medical Student of the Year.

[Collage of images for the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Eller College of Management and Eller Executive Education program overseeing the new Advanced Healthcare Leadership Academy]

Applicants being accepted to new COM-T, Eller Advanced Healthcare Leadership Academy

The program developed collaboratively by the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and Eller College of Management’s Eller Executive Education program re-envisions and replaces COM-T’s Learning to Lead program. Applications are due Friday, May 17. Learn more and get yours in today.