As a 460-bed teaching hospital, Freeman provides medical students and resident doctors the opportunity to study with some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated physicians in the country. Freeman is a member of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences – GME Consortium.
Freeman sponsors graduate medical education training in three Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME accredited residency programs: Emergency Medicine; Ear, Nose, and Throat; and Internal Medicine.
Our medical training programs provide a balance of primary, secondary, tertiary and inpatient quartiary care; ambulatory care; emergency care; and community health.
Residency Programs
Welcome to the KCU-GME Consortium/Freeman Emergency Medicine Program in Joplin, Missouri.
Situated in the southwest corner of Missouri, our hospital has a very large, diverse area from which we receive patients. Freeman’s commitment to outstanding care of the patients we serve as well as to the training of young physicians is easy to see from our history. Founded in 1922 by John W. Freeman, we have a longstanding tradition of excellence. With recognition by CareChex® in general surgery and Midwest Transplant Network, we continuously strive to achieve top-notch care. This is highlighted by being named the Best Regional Hospital in Southwest Missouri by US News & World Report Best Hospitals in 2020. Thus far, we have a 100% board pass rate for our residency graduates!
On average, we see over 40,000 patients per year through the Emergency Department. We are a Level II Trauma Center, Level I STEMI Center, Level II Stroke Center and large referral center for the four-state area of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. All of our teaching faculty are board certified in emergency medicine.
We are proud of the training our residents receive and honored to take part in serving our community with the care that we provide. We have a cadre of 18 residents, taking six residents per year. Our residents represent a diverse group of individuals who are excited about emergency medicine. We have a diverse training program with weekly classroom didactics and fast paced bedside training in the Emergency Department.
Come join us for an audition rotation/interview – we think you will find us to be one of the best residency programs in emergency medicine!
Alisha Wright, DO
ARWright@freemanhealth.com

Dr. Alisha Wright, Program Director

Dr. Doug McDonald, Assistant Program Director
Program Mission
To provide a high-level education in a diverse, community hospital setting where hard-working residents with interest in identification and treatment of emergent life-threatening conditions will be afforded an opportunity to gather knowledge, hone skills and cultivate attributes that are most becoming of an emergency medicine leader.
Program Aims
- To train and develop productive residents and provide them an established pathway for becoming an emergency medicine attending physician.
- To generate professional, board certified emergency physicians with a boundless mind and unshakable hands who will become high asset to this and future communities.
- To dedicate numerable and innumerable resources for measurable improvements that will be both adaptive and objective to benefit all learning providers within the program.
Study in a Top-Notch Trauma Center
With a medical staff of more than 300 physicians, a state-of-the-art trauma center and a 40-bed ICU, Freeman serves as a tertiary referral center for northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas and northwest Arkansas, as well as southwest Missouri.
- 3-year program
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited
- Residency takes place in Level II Trauma Center at Freeman West, which handles more than 115,000 visits each year
- Strong balance of hands-on procedural experience and an equally strong academic program
- Teaching faculty of experienced emergency medicine professionals, committed to teaching future physicians
- Total Number of Positions: 18
- Block Schedule
- Didactic Schedule
- Locations
- Freeman Health System
- Children’s Mercy, Kansas City
Competitive Salary and Benefit Program
- Salary
- PGY 1 $50,725
- PGY 2 $52,320
- PGY 3 $53,720
- Educational stipend
- Health and dental benefits
- Paid professional fees, including specialty college memberships and training licensure fees, all required certifications and COMLEX/USMLE 3 exam fees.
- Paid time off: 15 days plus, 1 week for conferences
How to Apply
Program ID: 1102800203
- Audition rotations are strongly encouraged. Download a rotation application.
- Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications accepted September 15 – November 15.
- Residents matched in March.
- Apply here or contact your school of medicine clinical education office.
- International Student Requirements:
- Visas are not sponsored by our institution.
- Medical school graduation must be within two years of application.
- USMLE step 1 must be 235 or higher.
- Must be available to rotate on service with our Emergency Medicine team for a one-month evaluation.
Contact
Brenda Barger-Saunders, Medical Education Program Coordinator
Alisha Wright, DO, Emergency Medicine Program Director
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, MO 64804
417.347.5610
417.347.3775 (fax)
Emergency Medicine Residency Faculty

Dr. Mark Brown

Dr. Matthew Grounds
Meet Dr. Grounds
Dr. Kyle Kennedy
Meet Dr. Kennedy
Dr. Brandon Mahurin
Meet Dr. MahurinEmergency Medicine Residency Team

Adam Cox, DO
Co-Chief Resident
PGY 4
Adam Herrick, DO
Co-Chief Resident
PGY 4
Matthew Rogers, DO
PGY 4

Ben Cesarz, DO
PGY 3

Ryan Johnston, DO
PGY 3

Kevin Sze, DO
PGY 3

Erica Crawford, DO
PGY 2

Phillip Finley, DO
PGY 2

Shant Pezeshkian, DO
PGY 2

Matt Schiffer, DO
PGY 2

Tyler Slade, DO
PGY 2

Alexa Anderson, DO
PGY 2

Justin Orren, DO
PGY 1

Kiara Pendergraft, DO
PGY 1

Nina Pinjala, MD
PGY 1

Christina Schramm, MD
PGY 1

Zachary Vincent, DO
PGY 1

Gregory Wallis, DO
PGY 1
Welcome to the KCU-GME Consortium/Freeman Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Program, located in Joplin, Missouri. We have American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation for five positions, one per year. My career has taken me from residency at AT Still University in Kirksville, Missouri to a private practice in Portland, Maine, for five years, back to Kirksville for 12 years and finally to Joplin in 1992. My term as a program director began in 1980 and continues, although a succession plan is being developed.
Our faculty are all subspecialty trained and offer expert care to their patients while opening their practices to residents and students. Other than a two-month rotation in pediatric otolaryngology at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, no out of town rotations are required. Our graduates are prepared to practice general otolaryngology or to be competitive when applying to the fellowship of their choice. We are looking for applicants who relate well with others, are self-motivated, coachable and assume responsibility. Humility, interest in teaching and dedication are sought-after qualities.
Larry McIntire, DO
LDMcintire@freemanhealth.com

Dr. Larry McIntire, Program Director
Program Mission
To provide educational, clinical, research and teaching experiences in community teaching hospitals, surgical centers and office settings designed to result in the preparation of competent, compassionate and confident otolaryngologists prepared to successfully practice surgical evidence-based medicine.
Program Aims
- To provide mentorship, guidance and ample direct patient care exposure to scheduled patients in faculty members’ offices.
- To prepare graduates ready to pass their board exams to be competent specialists in general otolaryngology or to be competitive should they choose to apply for sub-specialty fellowship positions.
- To promote collaboration, camaraderie, leadership and work-life balance.
Study with the Best
- Five-year program
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited
- Designed to develop residents' diagnostic and therapeutic abilities in otology, nose and paranasal sinuses, head and neck, and orofacial plastic surgery
- Educational opportunities, including clinical conferences; temporal bone laboratory located on-site at Freeman; and out-rotations, including gross anatomy laboratory experience at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
- High-volume setting providing significant hands-on experience coupled with an equally strong academic program
- Outstanding faculty committed to teaching future physicians
- Total Number of Positions: 5
- Block Schedule
- Didactic Schedule
- Locations
- Freeman Health System
- Children’s Mercy, Kansas City
Competitive Salary and Benefit Program
- Salary
- PGY 1 $50,725
- PGY 2 $52,320
- PGY 3 $53,720
- PGY 4 $56,330
- PGY 5 $58,500
- Educational stipend
- Health and dental benefits
- Paid professional fees, including specialty college memberships and training licensure fees, all required certifications and COMLEX/USMLE 3 exam fees.
- Paid time off: 15 days, plus 1 week for conferences
How to Apply
Program ID: 2802800061
- Audition rotations are strongly encouraged. Download a rotation application.
- Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications accepted September 15 – November 15.
- Residents matched in March.
- Apply here or contact your school of medicine clinical education office.
- International Student Requirements
- Visas are not sponsored by our institution.
- Medical school graduation must be within two years of application.
- USMLE step 1 must be 235 or higher.
- Must be available to rotate on service with our ENT team for a one-month evaluation.
Contact
Sarah Files, Medical Education Program Coordinator
Larry McIntire, DO, ENT Program Director
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, MO 64804
417.347.6288
417.347.0929 (fax)
Ear, Nose and Throat Residency Faculty

Dr. Kent McIntire
Meet Dr. McIntire
Dr. Scott McClintick
Meet Dr. McClintick
Dr. Frank Shagets

Dr. Hallie Baker
Meet Dr. Baker
Dr. Mark Van Ess

Dr. Talon Maningas
ENT Residency Team
Andrew Van Bruggen, DO
Chief Resident
PGY 4

Vanessa Halvorsen, DO
PGY 3

Kellee Neal, DO
PGY 3

Kindall Martin, DO
PGY 2

Matthew Girgis, MD
PGY 1
Welcome from Freeman Internal Medicine! Thank you for exploring the many opportunities that we provide to our residents and future peers!
I have been with Freeman as the program director for nine years now and have the great honor of maintaining consistent, high-value training experiences and education for my resident staff. To accomplish that goal, Freeman has a large cadre of excellent teaching physicians representing all major specialties required to complete your training.
Freeman Internal Medicine represents a balance of didactic education and work experience designed to build physicians who are well-educated, prepared to be successful in their finishing boards and well-seasoned to be able to manage the care of complexly ill patients. You will be trained to practice full-spectrum internal medicine, which will allow you to be successful in practice in diverse settings from rural care to major academic centers.
We work hard to maintain a culture of inclusion, teamwork and wellness. Our staff and our trainees are our family. It is a core value of our residency that a healthy, happy doctor is the best doctor. We strive to maintain wellness through active collaboration and empowerment of the residency staff. Our residents work closely with our training staff and administration to ensure that the function of the training program is optimized to meet the needs of each training cohort.
If you are seeking a residency that provides high-level education and excellent patient care management opportunities, all in a culture of family-friendly camaraderie, I would highly recommend you look further into the Freeman Internal Medicine program in Joplin, Missouri!
Rob McNab, DO
RCMcNab@freemanhealth.com

Dr. Rob McNab, Program Director

Dr. Nathan Miller, Assistant Program Director
Program Mission
To produce Internal Medicine physicians who exemplify the highest standards of clinical competence, empathy, professionality and leadership for the communities that they serve.
Program Aims
- To provide clinical resources and opportunities for trainees to develop robust inpatient and outpatient skill sets as well as competent procedural skills.
- To provide a structured education that focuses the trainee on building and utilizing empathy as a primary tool for patient and staff interactions.
- To provide a structured educational environment that emphasizes the physician as a professional and provides opportunities to develop in that role.
- To provide an environment of ownership that focuses the trainee on their role as a health care and community leader.
Experience High-Value Training
With a medical staff of more than 300 physicians, a state-of-the-art trauma center and a 40-bed ICU, Freeman serves as a tertiary referral center for northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas and northwest Arkansas, as well as southwest Missouri.
- Three-year program, including the completion of a linked internship year
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited
- Rich experience in both outpatient and inpatient settings
- Proximity to on-site Freeman Heart & Vascular Institute and Freeman Cancer Institute provide unparalleled learning opportunities for students pursuing internal medicine careers
- Outstanding faculty committed to teaching future physicians
- Total Number of Positions: 15
- Block Schedule
- Didactic Schedule
Competitive Salary and Benefit Program
- Salary
- PGY 1 $50,725
- PGY 2 $52,320
- PGY 3 $53,720
- Educational stipend
- Health and dental benefits
- Paid professional fees, including specialty college memberships and training licensure fees, all required certifications and COMLEX/USMLE 3 exam fees.
- Paid time off: 15 days, plus 1 week for conferences
How to Apply
Program ID: 1402800915
- Audition rotations are strongly encouraged. Download a rotation application.
- Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) applications accepted September 15 – November 15.
- Residents matched in March.
- Apply here or contact your school of medicine clinical education office.
- International Student Requirements
- Visas are not sponsored by our institution.
- Medical school graduation must be within two years of application.
- USMLE Step 1 must be 235 or higher.
- Must be available to rotate on service with our internal medicine team for a one-month evaluation.
Contact
Sarah Files, Medical Education Program Coordinator
Robert McNab, DO, Internal Medicine Program Director
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, MO 64804
417.347.6628
417.347.3775 (fax)
Internal Medicine Residency Faculty

Dr. Justin Wilberding
Meet Dr. Wilberding
Dr. Adam Fahrenholtz
Meet Dr. Fahrenholtz
Dr. Jeremy Goins
Meet Dr. Goins
Dr. Ashley Broce
Meet Dr. BroceInternal Medicine Residency Team
Shazia Naseem, MD
Co-Chief Resident
PGY 3

Ashley Scott, DO
Co-Chief Resident
PGY 3
Michael Caniglia, DO
PGY 3

Chris Miller, DO
PGY 3

Namrata Susarla, MD
PGY 3

Thomas Maloney, DO
PGY 2

Jon Patterson, DO
PGY 2

Moeez Qureshi, DO
PGY 2

Shelby Tinney-Edge, DO
PGY 2

Brittany Winkfield, DO
PGY 2

Melanie Akuna, MD
PGY 1

Zachary Anderson, DO
PGY 1

Sofiya Azim, DO
PGY 1

Adam Magiera, DO
PGY 1

Ashley Ryder, DO
PGY 1
About Freeman
Located in Joplin, Missouri, Freeman is a 460-bed, three-hospital system providing comprehensive healthcare and behavioral health services to an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Freeman is a physician-driven, community-owned, not-for-profit, full-service tertiary care center with majority market share in managed care contracts. Freeman provides comprehensive healthcare and behavioral health services, including cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurosciences, orthopaedics and women’s services, with more than 300 physicians representing 70 specialties.
About Joplin
See yourself in Joplin, Missouri!
A crossroads of culture lies tucked away in the Ozarks of Southwest Missouri. Interstate 44, Interstate 49 and Historic Route 66 unite in this up-and-coming area. Joplin maintains the lowest cost of living and highest bang-for-your buck local fare. Downtown blooms daily as artists, chefs and entrepreneurs invent new ways of resurrecting century-old structures. A city of 50,000 people, which burgeons to over 200,000 during the workday, Joplin serves as a hub of economic, health and cultural activity for multiple communities in the four-state area. Choose Joplin
Contact
Stephanie Lea, MOL, C-TAGME, Administrative Director of Medical Education
Robert McNab, DO, Vice President of Medical Education
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, Missouri 64804
417.347.6612
417.347.3775 (fax)