MOULTRIE, GA —The graduating Family Medicine Class of 2026 includes Christian Edwards, DO, Shelby Flowers, DO, Carol Medina, MD, and Allison Tresner, DO. The graduating Psychiatry Class of 2026 includes Anthony Cimmino, MD, Xuan Ouyang, DO, and Richard Tricardo, MD.
“This year marks an especially meaningful milestone for Georgia South as we celebrate not only our eighth class of Family Medicine graduates, but also the very first graduating class of our Psychiatry Residency Program,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “Graduate medical education continues to play an important role in expanding access to healthcare in rural communities, and we are proud to see these physicians complete their training and begin the next chapter of their careers.”
The Family Medicine graduates began their residency training in the summer of 2023, while the Psychiatry graduates joined Georgia South as members of the program’s inaugural class in 2022.
Following graduation, Edwards will join Sterling Group Adult & Pediatric Medicine as a family medicine physician in Moultrie, while Flowers will remain at Colquitt Regional as a hospital medicine physician. Both Edwards and Flowers are Moultrie natives who completed medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia campus before continuing their training through Georgia South, making their decision to remain in Moultrie especially meaningful for the community and the future of healthcare in South Georgia.
Medina will practice family medicine with Coastal Health Primary Care in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tresner will continue her training by pursuing an obstetrics fellowship at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“Watching our residents grow into confident, compassionate physicians is one of the most rewarding aspects of graduate medical education,” said Georgia South Family Medicine Residency Program Director Kirby Smith, DO. “Over the past three years, our Family Medicine graduates have developed the skills and experience needed to provide exceptional care, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make in their communities.”
The Psychiatry Residency Program was established in 2019 to help address the shortage of mental health providers in South Georgia and welcomed its first residents in 2022. Over the past four years, the inaugural class has helped lay the foundation for a program that continues to expand access to behavioral healthcare throughout the region.
Among the Psychiatry graduates, Cimmino will remain in Moultrie, joining Sterling Group Psychiatry while also serving as faculty for the Georgia South Psychiatry Residency Program. Ouyang will practice psychiatry with Imperial County Behavioral Health Services in El Centro, California, and Tricardo will continue his career at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.
“Graduating our first class of psychiatry residents is a tremendous accomplishment and a proud moment for our program,” said Psychiatry Residency Program Director Lisa Rudolph-Watson, MD. “These physicians have demonstrated dedication, resilience, and a genuine commitment to improving the lives of patients facing mental health challenges. We are honored to have been part of their journey and excited to see what they accomplish in the years ahead.”
Residency training is the final stage of physician education before doctors begin practicing independently. Through hands-on clinical experiences, specialty rotations, and continuity clinics, Georgia South residents receive comprehensive training designed to prepare them for the unique challenges and opportunities of community-based medicine.
“Graduate medical education remains one of the most impactful investments we can make in the future of healthcare,” said Hospital Authority Chairman John Griffin. “By training physicians in a rural setting, we are helping build a stronger healthcare workforce while improving access to care for the communities we serve.”
Georgia South also welcomed its newest class of residents during the annual Residents Celebration held on June 16. The incoming Family Medicine residents include Greg Rasmussen, DO, Jacob Winchester, DO, Paul Yermachenkov, MD, and Toluwani Adebisi, MD. The fifth class of Psychiatry residents includes Richard Griggs, MD, Francis Chiefe, DO, and Elyse Kyle, DO. Georgia South also welcomed Tyler Key, DO, as the inaugural resident of the Georgia South Obstetrics and Gynecology Rural Track offered in partnership with Wellstar Kennestone.
For more information about Georgia South Graduate Medical Education, please contact the marketing department at 229-890-3552.
