Welcome to our Residency Program

Message from the Program Director

Thank you for your interest in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate. As a proud graduate of this program, I am honored to share why Baystate continues to inspire and nurture my growth, just as Joanne Raptis beautifully said: “Stay grounded, connect with your roots, and keep growing.”

Culture of Compassion and Connection

Our program commitments are simple yet profound: to provide exceptional care for our patients, our program, each other, and ourselves—with compassion and kindness at the core. We believe medical education is fundamentally about love—love that empowers others, embraces individuality, fosters patience and understanding, and reminds our learners that their fears, interests, and goals are valid.

As we train residents to become compassionate physicians, capable of delivering culturally humble care to a diverse patient population, we also emphasize kindness and compassion toward themselves and their colleagues.

Inclusive and Supportive Environment

We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable learning environment where every resident feels encouraged to bring their unique perspectives and experiences to enrich both the residency culture and the diverse community we serve.

We celebrate diversity in all its forms, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, education, physical abilities, and sexual orientation. One of the highlights of our program is our monthly "Diversity Celebration," where residents share the history, culture, food, and healthcare traditions from their own or adopted cultural backgrounds. This spirit of inclusion is a cornerstone of our residency community, and our residents consistently cite the strong camaraderie and celebration of diversity as key reasons for choosing Baystate.

Innovative and Personalized Training

Our goal is to train the next generation of physicians to be leaders in clinical innovation, medical education, and patient-centered care. Our program offers flexibility, allowing residents to choose between categorical and primary care tracks, as well as career-focused pathways tailored to their specific goals. Whether your future is in primary care, hospital medicine, or a subspecialty fellowship, our program provides the distinct clinical experiences needed to excel.

Our innovative curriculum is supported by passionate and highly skilled faculty, who are committed to advancing our residents’ education, professional development, and leadership skills.

Nationally Recognized Excellence

Baystate Health is a recognized leader in healthcare, earning accolades for its commitment to excellence and inclusion. Recently, Forbes named Baystate one of the best employers in Massachusetts, and the American College of Healthcare Executives of Massachusetts honored our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Our residency curriculum emphasizes evidence-based, patient-centered care while balancing autonomy and supervision to ensure a rich learning experience. As part of the ACGME’s prestigious Educational Innovation Project, our program has had the opportunity to share its innovations and leadership in graduate medical education reform on a national scale.

Join Our Baystate Family

If you are seeking a residency experience that blends the academic rigor of a leading tertiary care center with the warmth and support of a close-knit, community-based program, we invite you to explore UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate. Our program is more than just a training ground—it’s a vibrant community built on collaboration, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the well-being of every individual. I am proud of the impactful work we do here, and I look forward to seeing you thrive as part of the Baystate family.

We Look Forward to Meeting You

Our residents, chief residents, faculty, and Associate Program Directors, along with myself, are eager to share more about our program with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Regards,
Riffat Sabir, MD, MEHP, FACP
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Assistant Professor, UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate
Academic Hospitalist, Baystate Medical Center

"Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing."—Joanne Raptis

Message from the Chief Residents

Welcome!

We are very excited to welcome you to the UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate Internal Medicine residency. You have all done amazing things to get where you are, and we could not be more excited to meet you.

We take great pride in the diversity of our house staff and hail from a wide variety of backgrounds and from different countries. One of the greatest strengths of our program is the camaraderie and support that residents share, something that has drawn most of our residents to the program. This stems from our collective commitment to wellness through institutional policies which prioritize low resident patient caps, protected educational time, exceptionally supportive supervision, and progressive and robust paid-time-off.

Chiefs' Vision

As the chief residents of our program, we plan to advocate for our residents above all else, foster a strong sense of community through monthly residency-wide event planning, and respond to the difficulties inherent in residency training with empathy.

We cannot wait to watch you grow into confident, competent, and independent physicians who will continue to push the needle forward and positively impact the field of medicine.

Thank you for choosing us to support you along the way!

Contact Us

If you have any questions about our program, please feel free to reach out to us at IMChiefResidents@baystatehealth.org. We look forward to meeting you soon!

Regards,
The CNS (Christine Donat, MD, Nestor Flores-Buonomo, MD, and Sherin Samuel, DO)
IM Chief Residents 2024-2025

Christine Donat, MD	Nestor Flores-Buonomo, MD	Sherin Samuel. DO