Holzer Health System and Marshall University to collaborate on a rural residency program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) is supporting the development of a three-year rural internal medicine residency program at Holzer Health System in Gallipolis, Ohio. This will be in collaboration with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. The grant will focus on creating a channel of primary care physicians trained specifically to care for patients in rural areas. In addition to curriculum and program development, the grant will also support the expansion of the family medicine residency suite at Holzer and additional simulation equipment.

Since there are separate accreditation designation requirements, the internal medicine residents will perform their first year of training in Huntington, West Virginia. Their final two years will be conducted at Holzer Health System, which is 42 miles away from Huntington in Southeast Ohio. Overall, this specific model will provide a beneficial balance for its members. Residents will learn how to address healthcare problems within rural communities while also treating an abundance of conditions that will be prevalent within medical practices.

Christopher Marazon, DO, Holzer Family Medicine, Primary Care, and Wound Care, states, “The setup of this program is unique. Overall, it is designed to bridge the gap between large urban centers and rural medicine. We look forward to starting this process and providing our surrounding communities with additional resources.”

In 2025, the Marshall Community Health Consortium will work toward achieving initial accreditation. With this timeline, they plan on welcoming the first batch of residents in July 2026. Stephen A. Roy, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Marshall Health, will serve as the residency program director. Holzer physician Jennifer Calafato, DO, will be Holzer’s associate rural program director.

“This partnership will create a high caliber training experience that will greatly benefit our surrounding areas in the coming years. Students get the benefits of a large teaching center like Marshall and will learn to adapt to a rural environment. They also get exposure to two different patient populations, which gives them a broader educational background. There are so many great qualities about this partnership with Marshall Health. This is such a wonderful opportunity for our community,” said Dr. Calafato.

###

For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate Medical Education at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at 304-691-1823.