Fundamental clinical skills rotations
- Emergency medicine
- Internal medicine
- Family medicine
- Critical care
- Ambulatory care
- General surgery
Together for a healthier future.
Build a broad clinical foundation while preparing for advanced training in your chosen specialty. The St. Joseph’s Medical Center Transitional Year Residency Program offers a flexible, community-based experience designed to strengthen clinical judgment, patient care skills and confidence across multiple medical disciplines.
As part of Dignity Health, St. Joseph’s Medical Center is a member of CommonSpirit Health’s national network of more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. That broad perspective supports our local commitment to community-based training, health equity and compassionate care.
Residents gain experience in emergency medicine, inpatient medicine, ambulatory care, critical care, surgery and other clinical areas while caring for a diverse patient population in Stockton and throughout San Joaquin County. Elective rotations allow residents to tailor the year to their educational needs, career goals and future specialties.
Through close faculty mentorship, protected education time, simulation, research and quality improvement experiences, residents develop the knowledge and skills needed to advance successfully into specialty training.
Program Highlights
- ACGME-accredited, one-year Transitional Year Residency Program
- Broad training across multiple medical disciplines
- 28 weeks of fundamental clinical skills rotations
- 16 weeks of elective rotations
- Flexible curriculum tailored to residents’ future specialties and career goals
- Emergency medicine, inpatient medicine, ambulatory care, critical care and surgery experiences
- Point-of-care ultrasound training
- Protected didactic time, simulation workshops and journal clubs
- Quality improvement and research curriculum
- Opportunity to present scholarly work at the annual research symposium
- Collaboration with faculty and residents across multiple specialties
- Care for a diverse patient population in California’s Central Valley
Welcome from the program director
Welcome to the Transitional Year Residency Program at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, California. Sponsored by the Emergency Medicine Department, our program offers a customizable education designed to support each resident’s professional interests and future specialty. Strong clinical experiences, four elective rotations and service to a socioeconomically diverse community create a flexible and supportive learning environment.
Residents train across inpatient and outpatient settings, with core experiences in emergency medicine, inpatient medicine, ambulatory care, critical care and point-of-care ultrasound. The program also includes protected didactics, simulation, journal clubs, case presentations and a robust quality improvement and research curriculum. Residents have the opportunity to present their work at our annual research symposium.
Founded in 1899 by William B. O’Connor, St. Joseph’s has grown from a small community hospital into a leading regional medical center. The hospital provides advanced cardiac, stroke and critical care and has earned national recognition for clinical excellence and teaching, including honors for coronary bypass surgery, heart failure, stroke, sepsis and pulmonary embolism.
It is my privilege to train compassionate, well-rounded physicians. We take pride in the care our residents provide and in preparing them for success in their chosen specialties.
Gary Olds, MD
Transitional Year Program Director
Curriculum
The St. Joseph’s Medical Center Transitional Year Residency Program offers a flexible, well-balanced curriculum that prepares residents for advanced training in their chosen specialties. Residents complete 28 weeks of fundamental clinical skills rotations and 16 weeks of electives aligned with their educational needs and career goals. Specific elective offerings depend on scheduling and faculty capacity.
Throughout the year, residents strengthen their skills in patient evaluation, differential diagnosis, interpretation of test results and management of patients across a variety of clinical settings.
Selective rotations
Selective experiences allow residents to broaden their clinical exposure in areas such as:- Emergency medicine
- Internal medicine
- Family medicine
- Critical care
- General surgery
- Pediatrics
- Obstetrics and gynecology
Electives
Residents complete four elective rotations. Available experiences may include:
- Anesthesiology
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Hematology and oncology
- Inpatient and outpatient pediatrics
- Medical toxicology
- Neurology
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Pain medicine
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)
- Psychiatry
- Radiation oncology
- Radiology
- Urology
Additional Curriculum
Didactics and protected education time
Residents participate in protected educational sessions featuring evidence-based lectures, simulation workshops, journal clubs and resident-led case presentations. Based on their rotation schedules, residents may also attend didactics with the emergency medicine, family medicine and internal medicine residency programs.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)
Residents receive focused point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education, including individualized instruction from fellowship-trained faculty.
Quality improvement and research
A longitudinal quality improvement and research curriculum helps residents develop skills in process improvement, scholarly inquiry and presentation. Residents have the opportunity to present their work at the annual research symposium.
Simulation training
Simulation-based learning allows residents to practice clinical decision-making, procedural skills, communication and teamwork in a controlled educational environment.
Training Locations
Residents train in hospital and outpatient settings throughout Stockton, with additional elective experiences available at participating sites on and off campus.
Dignity Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center
Stockton, California
Synergy Medical Group
Stockton, California
Delta Comprehensive Medical Team
Lodi, California
Compensation and Benefits
Residents receive educational, wellness and leave benefits designed to support their professional development and well-being.
Salary
For the current academic year, the annual resident salary is $78,000.
Additional financial support includes:
Continuing medical education (CME) allowance: $1,000 annually
Educational and wellness benefits
Annual professional society membership
Specialty-specific educational subscriptions and question-bank resources
Meal stipend
White coat
Three pairs of scrubs annually
Free parking at St. Joseph’s Medical Center and parking reimbursement at other clinical sites
In-Shape Health Club membership
$100 annual Lyft Healthcare benefit
Well-Being Index resources
Clinical educational resources
UpToDate
Sanford Guide mobile app
Lexicomp
VisualDx
Dignity Health and CommonSpirit Health Library Web Portal
Touro University medical resources
ClinicalKey, Ovid, PubMed, MD Consult and The New England Journal of Medicine
Full-text articles and interlibrary loan services
Full-time medical librarian on-site
On-site support from a GME research director with expertise in biostatistics
Paid time off and leave
21 days of paid vacation
9 days of sick leave
6 weeks of paid medical, parental or caregiver leave immediately available for qualifying needs
Additional leave as permitted under St. Joseph’s Medical Center policies and California law
Our Community
Stockton offers a welcoming place to live and train, with a diverse community, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, outdoor recreation and convenient access to Sacramento, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.
How to Apply
Application Process
All applicants must apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and does not accept application materials by email, fax or mail. The St. Joseph's Medical Center Transitional Year Residency Program NRMP code is 9990500250. Applicants can review additional program information in the AMA FREIDA residency database.
A complete application includes:
- ERAS application
- Graduation from an approved medical school determined by using the World Directory of Medical Schools list of recognized schools within the last two years; for AY 2025-2026.
- Personal statement
- Curriculum vitae
- Medical Student Performance Evaluation or dean’s letter
- Medical school transcript
- At least 3 letters of recommendation from clinical rotations, including 1 from a physician in the applicant’s intended specialty
- USMLE or COMLEX transcript
- ECFMG documentation, if applicable
International medical graduates
International medical graduates are welcome to apply and must meet all applicable ECFMG certification and work authorization requirements. Please contact the program administrator for current visa eligibility and sponsorship information.
Faculty
Gary Olds, MD
Role: Transitional Year Program Director
Medical school: Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona, Tucson, including service as chief resident
Clinical/academic interests: Medical resuscitation and orthopedic injuries
Personal interests: Breakfast foods, college football, video games and warm weather
D. Brian Wood, MD
Role: Emergency Medicine Program Director and Clerkship Director
Medical school: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital
Fellowship: Medical Education Leadership, Yale New Haven Hospital
Clinical/academic interests: Medical education
Personal interests: Hiking, gardening, baking bread and spending time with family
Zachary Haberman, MD
Role: Core Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Medical school: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Residency: Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center
Personal interests: Skiing, slow-pitch softball, table tennis, off-the-beaten-path travel, discovering inexpensive local restaurants and following the USC Trojans, New England Patriots and New York Yankees
Matthew Kiefer, MD
Role: Director of Simulation
Medical school: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Residency: Highland Hospital, Oakland, California
Fellowship: Medical Simulation, UC Davis
Clinical/academic interests: Simulation, medical education and ultrasound
Personal interests: Sailing, kayaking, canoeing, playing music and spending time with family
Pallavi Pothuri, MD
Role: Core Faculty
Program/affiliation: Internal Medicine
Medical school: Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, Telangana, India
Residency: Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Clinical/academic interests: Complex inpatient care, multidisciplinary care coordination, quality improvement, medical education and resident mentorship
Personal interests: Spending time with family, cooking, traveling and classical music
Sana Chaudhary, MD
Role: Core Faculty
Program/affiliation: Internal Medicine Hospitalist, Sound Physicians
Medical school: CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Pakistan
Residency: Transitional Year, St. Joseph’s Medical Center; Psychiatry, Rochester Regional Health; Internal Medicine, UHS Wilson Medical Center
Chief residency: Internal Medicine, UHS Wilson Medical Center
Personal interests: Books, tea, movies, traveling and photography
Emily Surzyn, MD
Role: Core Faculty
Program/affiliation: Family Medicine
Medical school: Poznan University of Medical Sciences
Residency: Family Medicine, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
Personal interests: Hiking, volleyball, spending time outdoors, reading and cooking
Mouchumi Bhattacharyya, PhD
Role: Research Director, Graduate Medical Education
Education: PhD in Statistics, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Medical College of Wisconsin
Current Residents
Rahul Jayaram, MD
From: San Ramon, California
Medical school: Yale School of Medicine
Professional interests: Radiology, medical technology
Outside medicine: Basketball, music, video games, exploring restaurants
Iris Kang, MD
Medical school: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Professional interests: Radiation oncology, health care disparities
Outside medicine: Baking, running, crocheting
David Kim, DO
From: Seattle, Washington
Medical school: Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional interests: Spinal cord injury rehabilitation, sports medicine, interventional pain
Outside medicine: Golf, basketball, board games, hiking
Yelim (Autumn) Lee, MD
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Seoul, South Korea
Medical school: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Professional interests: Diagnostic radiology, radiology education, mentorship
Outside medicine: Pilates, traveling, exploring new restaurants and boba shops
Abigail Limary, MD
From: Fremont, California
Medical school: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Professional interests: Medical education, quality improvement, public health, health advocacy
Outside medicine: Trying new restaurants and cafés, going on walks, crocheting, dancing
Felipe Rosero Castro, MD
From: Dallas, Texas
Medical school: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Professional interests: Neuroradiology, health policy, global health, ultrasound
Outside medicine: Long-distance running, hiking, film, food, being outside
Grace Smith, MD
From: Holden, Maine
Medical school: Harvard Medical School
Professional interests: Diagnostic radiology
Outside medicine: Running, tennis, cooking, spending time with her two cats
Bright Test, DO
From: Redwood City, California
Medical school: Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional interests: Anesthesiology, emergency medicine, critical care
Outside medicine: Gaming, hiking, pickleball
Adithi A. Tirumalai, MD
From: Santa Clara, California
Medical school: University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Professional interests: Rehabilitation medicine, quality improvement
Outside medicine: Latte art, surfing, one-pot recipes, Indian music and dance
Anthony R. Zamary, MD
From: Danville, California
Medical school: Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Professional interests: Radiology, minimally invasive procedures, innovation in low-resource settings, global health
Outside medicine: Coptic Christian diaspora community work, sailing, tennis, skiing, any sport in good weather (except baseball)
Contact Information
For additional information about the St. Joseph’s Medical Center Transitional Year Residency Program, please contact:
Samanda Valdovinos Beltran
Residency Program Administrator
Transitional Year Residency Program
Email: samanda.valdovinosbeltran@commonspirit.org
Address:
St. Joseph’s Medical Center
1800 North California Street
Stockton, CA 95204
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