About Us
A Warm Welcome
I am delighted to welcome you to the Department of Medicine at Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College. Whether you are considering our residency program or envisioning a future faculty role, I hope this introduction gives you a sense of the community, purpose, and momentum you’ll find here.
What drew me in—and what continues to inspire me—is the culture of altruistic, excellent patient care embedded in an academic framework. Our residency is intentionally sized, supported by smaller fellowship programs, and anchored in the region’s primary referral center for tertiary and quaternary care. This makes Westchester Medical Center a premier training environment in internal medicine and its subspecialties. Graduates of our program consistently succeed, whether in general internal medicine or in highly competitive fellowship training.
Trainees here benefit from a wide range of clinical experiences across both inpatient and ambulatory settings, with opportunities for scholarly growth that can open the door to advanced subspecialty training. Our clinical strengths include world-renowned renal and liver transplantation, advanced cardiac care programs in cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and heart failure, and growing expertise in pulmonary and critical care medicine. We have also recently added a dermatology program within the Department of Medicine, further expanding opportunities for learners.
Our reach extends beyond Valhalla. As part of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, our trainees have access to an expanding network of regional facilities that broaden exposure, create new career development opportunities, and strengthen long-term career retention. Just as importantly, our partnership with New York Medical College provides access to rich academic resources—from the library collections and study spaces to the mentorship of distinguished faculty—while fostering collaboration with expert clinicians at WMC.
I encourage you to explore our website further, hear directly from our Program Director, Dr. Sahar, and connect with us through social media or in person. If you are nearby, please stop in—we would be honored to meet you. In the heart of Westchester County and the Hudson Valley, we are building a program where complex medicine, collaborative teams, and academic growth come together to launch exceptional careers.
Ivor S. Douglas, MD
Director and Chair, Department of Medicine
Welcome to Our Program
Animita Saha, MD
Program Director
Internal Medicine Residency Program
The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Westchester Medical Center offers rigorous clinical training in a supportive, collaborative academic environment. As a major tertiary and quaternary referral center, our residents care for a diverse patient population while gaining broad exposure to complex medicine and the full range of Internal Medicine subspecialties.
Our residents come from across the United States and around the world, bringing different experiences and perspectives to our community. Through close mentorship, clinical experience, and opportunities for academic and professional growth, we help each resident build a strong foundation while discovering the path that is right for them.
We invite you to explore our program and learn more about the residents, faculty, and community that make WMC a special place to train.
The WMC Residency Experience
Maxwell Charlat
Chief Ambulatory Resident & IM Residency Class of 2027
“What stands out most about the WMC IM residency program is the strong culture of support between peers and faculty. Leadership is deeply invested in the program's evolution, consistently using resident feedback to improve our clinical training, didactics learning, and resident wellbeing. Thanks to the dedicated mentors who have supported me at WMC, I feel well-prepared for the next stage of my career.”
Kashish Magnani
IM Residency Class of 2028
“Starting residency somewhere new, far from home, can feel overwhelming. But very quickly, WMC became more than just the place where I train, it became a place where I felt supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow.
Training at a major regional transfer center has given me the opportunity to care for a diverse, medically complex patient population. The program has also been incredibly supportive of my interest in research, and I've been fortunate to present my work at national and international conferences, including ASH and ASCO.”
Our Mission
WMCHealth’s vital mission is to provide the highest-quality care for all residents of the Hudson Valley regardless of ability to pay. WMCHealth will build on its long tradition of delivering the most advanced services in the region by providing a fiscally sound network that ensures access to a coordinated continuum of care for its community. As the region’s only academic medical center-led network, WMCHealth is committed to educating the next generation of caregivers for the Hudson Valley and integrating research to advance treatment, expand knowledge, and improve lives.
Our Vision
Our vision is to be the provider of choice for Hudson Valley residents by establishing a system of care with multiple points of access to ensure availability of care close to home. We will leverage our unique strength as an academic medical center to provide the highest quality, patient-centered care in a respectful and compassionate environment and lead the transformation of health care in the Hudson Valley to continuously respond to the needs of our community.
FAQs
-
The program follows a 6+2 schedule. Residents rotate through General Medicine Floors, ICU, electives, and clinic. Residents are on call every 3rd or 4th day while on General Medicine Floors and ICU.
-
WMC has nearly every subspecialty of medicine available in house. Internal Medicine residents rotate through multiple subspecialties, such as Liver Transplant and General Cardiology Service for core rotations. Additionally, residents have the opportunity to experience subspecialties through elective blocks.
-
Electives are interspersed throughout the schedule. All residents participate in core electives including Infectious Diseases, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Hematology, Rheumatology, and Oncology. In addition to these core electives, residents have the freedom to pursue any specialty that interests them.
-
Residents have many opportunities to perform ABIM required procedures as well as a variety of elective procedures. These include but are not limited to Central Line Placement (Internal Jugular, Femoral, and Subclavian), Pap Smears, Lumbar Puncture, and Ultrasound guided IV placement.
-
Our program includes a wide variety of didactics to maximize resident educational experience. These include but are not limited to Noon Conferences, Morning Reports, ICU Rounds, CCU Rounds, Kidney Rounds, Chairman Rounds, Clinical Reasoning Sessions, Morbidity and Mortality Meetings, Journal Clubs.
-
There are many apartments and other housing units available for rent throughout Westchester and surrounding areas. Many residents live in the City of White Plains, which is about a 10-minute drive from campus. Other popular areas include Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Yonkers, and Peekskill. A limited amount of on-campus housing is available to interns in their first year of training.
-
Our program provides a 6-week allowance for maternity leave and a 2-week allowance for paternity leave.
-
All residents in our program are provided with ACP membership and MKSAP subscriptions.
-
Residents have access to an educational allowance through the CIR Continuing Learning Program. Resident first authors on research projects are fully supported for regional and national meeting attendance and presentation.
-
Residents are evaluated by attendings and/or fellows on every rotation. The evaluation results are shared with the residents at the time they are completed, and the resident is asked to acknowledge and sign off on each.
-
An anonymous electronic survey is open continuously, in which residents are encouraged to share ideas, questions and concerns. The results of this survey are shared with program leadership and acted on accordingly.