McLaren Port Huron, part of statewide McLaren Health Care, has expanded its Graduate Medical Education program and, in doing so, has increased access to primary care in the Blue Water Region.
The hospital received approval to add a family medicine residency to its newly created GME program, which earned accreditation earlier this year and previously established an internal medicine residency.
Four family medicine residents will join the six internal medicine residents as part of the department’s inaugural program year, which begins July 1.
“The role of primary care is critical for patients’ overall care management, and what our team has done is increase access to this vital service while also bringing future attending physicians to our community,” said Dr. John Brooks, McLaren Port Huron Chief Medical Officer. “We are incredibly grateful to the members of our team who made this achievement possible, and we are excited at the benefits this asset brings our region.”
Dr. Gary James will serve as the program’s director. Additional GME core faculty include Dr. Reid Stromberg, Dr. Hira Khan, and Dr. Myuren Gunaratnam, with Ellen Hoover serving as program administrator.
Residents will be under the medical directorship of family medicine physician Dr. Beau Dowden and see patients at McLaren Port Huron Academic Center for Family Medicine, located at 1313 Stone Street in Port Huron.
The accreditation to expand the hospital’s program followed an onsite visit from representatives from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to review facilities, interview faculty, and review the program’s proposed curriculum.
“While an achievement, developing a GME program is an incredible responsibility, and the hospital’s leadership and medical staff are positioned to see to its success,” said Erin Reis, Ed.D., Associate Chief Academic Officer for McLaren Health Care. “McLaren Port Huron is an exceptional facility and a pillar in its community, and we are excited for our initial class of residents and the experience that awaits them.”
A three-year program, four family medicine residents will be added each year, reaching its full maturation in 2026 with 12 residents.
Learn more about all services provided at McLaren Port Huron at mclaren.org/ph.
About McLaren Port Huron
McLaren Port Huron is a 186-bed non-profit hospital located in Port Huron, Michigan, with a strong history of providing quality, compassionate care to residents living in St. Clair and Sanilac counties. It has earned repeated recognition for both clinical excellence and patient safety from nationally renowned health care rating organizations. McLaren Port Huron provides a full range of services, including cardiovascular care, award-winning cancer services through the Karmanos Cancer Institute, orthopedic services, and general, bariatric and robotic-assisted surgeries. The hospital is nationally verified as a Level III Trauma Center and operates the busiest Emergency Department in St. Clair County. Other services include family birthing services and the only accredited sleep center in the region. In addition to its main campus in Port Huron, the hospital operates community health centers in Marysville, Yale, Lexington, and St. Clair. Learn more at mclaren.org/porthuron.
About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6.6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 640-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers. McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Learn more at mclaren.org.