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
A Message from Our Program Director
The Internal Medicine Residency Program at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College is dedicated to providing exceptional training in Internal Medicine.
We encourage our residents to adopt a critical scientific mindset and commit to reducing health disparities. As a tertiary referral center with a high case mix index, we serve a diverse patient population, offering robust clinical and educational experiences. House staff engage regularly with full-time faculty for mentorship, didactics, and clinical supervision, with all training—including continuity clinic—conducted on-site.
Our picturesque campus, shared with New York Medical College, facilitates integration with medical student education and numerous teaching opportunities. The medical school’s translational research center supports high-quality research collaborations with clinical investigators at Westchester Medical Center.
We also offer a formal point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training program led by renowned faculty, ensuring that each team has access to POCUS during rounds. Our hospitalist faculty are all trained in this area.
Fellowships are available in all approved subspecialties, and our residents have a strong track record of securing desired fellowship placements both at the medical center and nationwide. For details on graduate placements, please refer to the “Graduate Fellowship Placement” tab.
Our program is committed to fostering diverse and inclusive environments that support personal and professional growth. We adhere to AAMC best practices for recruitment, emphasizing diversity and inclusion, and we actively collaborate with the Chancellor of Diversity at New York Medical College to ensure equal opportunities for all underrepresented groups. Our wellness initiatives include a variety of diversity and inclusion topics for faculty and trainees. In this supportive and collegial atmosphere, residents will:
Build a strong foundation in general internal medicine while exploring subspecialties.
Provide compassionate care to underserved populations.
Participate in quality improvement and high value care.
One of the most rewarding aspects of our program is the rich diversity our residents bring from various U.S. programs and nine different countries, enhancing our community with unique experiences and perspectives.
We prioritize resident well-being, encouraging connections and support both in and out of the hospital. This camaraderie not only enriches individual experiences but also strengthens our program as a whole.
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Our program provides a 6-week allowance for maternity leave and a 2-week allowance for paternity leave.
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All residents in our program are provided with ACP membership and MKSAP subscriptions.
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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.
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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.
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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.