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 four Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME accredited residency programs: Emergency Medicine; Ear, Nose, and Throat; Family Medicine; and Internal Medicine. The residency programs function under the Kansas City University-Graduate Medical Education (KCU-GME) Consortium, gme@kansascity.edu.
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
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 $51,990
- PGY 2 $54,240
- PGY 3 $56,120
- 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
How to Apply
Program ID: 1102800203
- Audition rotations are required and serve as your interview. 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 2 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. Alisha Wright, Program Director
Meet Dr. Wright
Dr. Doug McDonald, Assistant Program Director
Meet Dr. McDonald
Dr. Matthew Grounds
Meet Dr. Grounds
Dr. Kyle Kennedy
Meet Dr. Kennedy
Dr. Cody McMillan

Dr. Chad Boulware
Meet Dr. BoulwareEmergency Medicine Residency Team

Justin Orren, DO
PGY 3

Kiara Pendergraft, DO
PGY 3

Nina Pinjala, MD
PGY 3

Christina Schramm, MD
PGY 3

Zachary Vincent, DO
PGY 3

Gregory Wallis, DO
PGY 3

Mira Abdel-Sattar, DO
PGY 2

Connor Bridge, DO
PGY 2

Jesse Cooper, DO
PGY 2

Dallin Elmer, DO
PGY 2

Alex Miller, DO
PGY 2

Kimberlee Yassa, DO
PGY 2

Jordyn Catapano, DO
PGY 1

Darren Dalbey, DO
PGY 1

Fred Ly, DO
PGY 1

Shayne McGowan, DO
PGY 1

Mathew Pultz, DO
PGY 1

Robert Steele, 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 $51,990
- PGY 2 $54,240
- PGY 3 $56,120
- PGY 4 $58,450
- PGY 5 $60,745
- 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
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. Larry McIntire, Program Director
Meet Dr. McIntire
Dr. Kent McIntire, Assistant Program Director
Meet Dr. McIntire
Dr. Hallie Baker
Meet Dr. Baker
Dr. Talon Maningas

Dr. Scott McClintick
Meet Dr. McClintick
Dr. Mark Van Ess

Dr. Renee Walker
ENT Residency Team

Kellee Neal, DO
Chief Resident
PGY 5

Vanessa Halvorsen, DO
PGY 5

Kindall Martin, DO
PGY 4

Matthew Girgis, MD
PGY 3

Randall Hansen, DO
PGY 1
Welcome to the KCU-GME Consortium/Freeman Program in Family Medicine! We are a recently accredited residency training program located in Joplin, Missouri. We welcomed our first resident class in July 2022.
Although the program is new, the health system and program leadership have a long track record of successful graduate medical education. My professional path started in a tiny town in northwest Oklahoma, where I learned to be a comprehensive, community-minded family medicine physician. After 11 years there, an opportunity to transition to a career in teaching presented itself. During seven years with OU-Tulsa, I discovered the perfect career for me – teaching new physicians who had chosen family medicine as their life’s work. I was privileged to serve as director of the family medicine program there for almost six years, during a time of amazing change and innovation.
When the opportunity in Joplin arrived on my doorstep, I was impressed by the long tradition of community collaboration and the fruit this collaboration has borne: a new medical school, a planned dental school and several well-respected GME programs, to name only a few examples. This reflects deeply felt and shared core values: compassion, excellence, passion for community and professional responsibility to those served. I have been here since 2019 and can say that the experience has matched my expectations. It is an incredibly fertile environment for building a primary care residency.
We are looking for applicants who share those core values and will bring optimism, flexibility and resilience to their resident experience. If working as part of team to build something which will last long beyond your resident life sounds like the kind of challenge you would enjoy, then come take a closer look!
Barbara H. Miller, MD, FAAFP

Barbara Miller, MD Program Director
Our Mission
KCU-GME Consortium/Freeman Family Medicine’s mission is to continuously improve the health and wellbeing of the people and communities we serve. Our goal is to have the highest quality care, the most engaged patients, the most prepared residents and the healthiest communities.
Program Aims
- To provide high quality primary care that is accountable, effective and efficient
- To engage patients in therapeutic relationships that are compassionate and constructive
- To prepare residents as lifelong learners and leaders committed to personal and professional growth and wellbeing
- To promote healthy communities through advocacy at local, regional and national levels
Our Strengths
- Commitment to and support from the community
- Focus on mental health training, including addiction medicine
- Strong institutional support from KCU, including access to learning materials from the American Medical Association, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, etc.
- Experienced Faculty who are enthusiastic about a new residency program
- Infrastructure already supporting successful residency programs
- Knowledgeable, experienced and respected program director
Our Curriculum
Longitudinal Experiences
- Continuity Clinic - Serving the underserved either at a federally qualified health center or a rural health clinic
- Self-Study/Board Preparation – Platform will be NEJM Knowledge Plus
- Didactics
- Nursing Home
- Scholarly Activity
Competitive Salary and Benefit Program
- Salary
- PGY 1 $51,990
- PGY 2 $54,240
- PGY 3 $56,120
- 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
How to Apply
Program ID: 1202800706
- Audition rotations are required and serve as your interview. 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 three years of application.
- USMLE Step 1 or COMLEX Level 1 – passing score. Must have passing score on Step 2/Level 2 by the ranking deadline in order to be considered by our program.
Application Information
ERAS ID / ACGME Program ID# 1202800706
Name: Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences-GME Consortium (KCU-GMEC) Program
Minimum Qualifications
- Applicants who have graduated from an accredited MD/DO school within the last three years will be considered.
- VISAs are not sponsored.
- Applicants will need to have passing scores on USMLE and/or COMLEX Steps 1 and 2, CS or PE by the ranking deadline.
- Submit at least three clinical letters of recommendation based on recent experience (not longer than three years ago).
Contact
Sarah Files, Medical Education Program Coordinator
Barbara H. Miller, MD, FAAFP, Family Medicine Program Director
Freeman Graduate Medical Education
1102 W. 32nd St.
Joplin, Missouri 64804
417.347.6612
417.347.3775
Family Medicine Residency Faculty

Mariam Akhtar, MD
Associate Program Director
makhtar@kansascity.edu

Bruce Akuna, DO
Meet Dr. Akuna
Logan Rice, MD
Meet Dr. Rice
John Paulson, DO

Brady G. Hesington, MD
Meet Dr. HesingtonFamily Medicine Residency Team

Beza Getahun, MD
PGY 1

Terrence Kelly, DO
PGY 1

Don Kulasekera, DO
PGY 1

Andrea Pelate, MD
PGY 1

Omar Rehman, DO
PGY 1
Locations

Freeman Hospital West
Freeman Health System is the area’s largest employer and largest provider of healthcare services. As the only locally owned, not-for-profit health system in the area, Freeman focuses on meeting the health and wellness needs of the community, as well as the needs of future generations. Caregivers, leadership and board of directors play an active role in identifying the health needs of the region. Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. Freeman Health System has won a number of awards from the American Heart Association, US News & World Report, CareChex®, Blue Cross Blue Shield and many more.
In addition to ever-expanding hospital services, Freeman Neosho Physician Group provides Neosho and surrounding communities with convenient access to physicians and an array of medical services, including primary care and specialty care, such as cardiology, OB/GYN, orthopaedics and ENT. Freeman Neosho Hospital also offers primary care services to people in southern Newton and McDonald counties at Freeman Clinic of Anderson and Freeman Seneca Family Medicine.

Freeman Neosho Physician Group

Access Family Care
Access Family Care came about from the vision of some forward-thinking community leaders in the mid- 1990s. This vision led to a small medical clinic in Pineville, MO, and has grown to a mission carried out by more than 200 employees in seven counties. ACCESS Family Care Medical & Dental Clinics in Joplin currently serves southwest Missouri residents with high quality primary medical, general dentistry and behavioral healthcare.
Children's Mercy, in Kansas City, MO, is a leading independent children's health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, breakthrough innovation and educating the next generation of caregivers. Their mission is to transform the health, wellbeing and potential of children, with unwavering compassion for those most vulnerable. Children’s Mercy is one of the best children's hospitals in America, according to the U.S. News and World Report, ranking in all 10 pediatric specialties.

Children's Mercy Adele Hall Campus

Nevada Regional Medical Center
Nevada Regional Medical Center is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital situated in Nevada, MO, a community of 8,500 residents. Serving a six-county area since 1937, Nevada Regional Medical Center has earned recognition as a respected regional medical center renowned for its comprehensive healthcare services, skilled and caring employees, state-of-the-art medical technology, and dedicated and talented medical staff.
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
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 $51,990
- PGY 2 $54,240
- PGY 3 $56,120
- 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
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. Rob McNab, Program Director
Meet Dr. McNab
Dr. Nathan Miller, Assistant Program Director
Meet Dr. Miller
Dr. Ashley Broce
Meet Dr. Broce
Dr. Adam Fahrenholtz
Meet Dr. Fahrenholtz
Dr. Jeremy Goins
Meet Dr. Goins
Dr. Justin Wilberding
Meet Dr. WilberdingInternal Medicine Residency Team

Zachary Anderson, DO
Co-Chief Resident
PGY 3

Melanie Akuna, MD
PGY 3

Sofiya Azim, DO
PGY 3

Adam Magiera, DO
PGY 3

Ashley Vincent, DO
PGY 3

Cali Clark, DO
PGY 2

Jason Lauderdale, DO
PGY 2

Lauren Miller-Gifford, DO
PGY 2

Megan Johnson, DO
PGY 2

Michael Weaver, DO
PGY 2

William Estep, DO
PGY 1

Omron Hassan, DO
PGY 1

Sean Hickey, DO
PGY 1

Sana Khan, MD
PGY 1

Shane Miller, 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)