Beebe Healthcare Welcomes First-Ever Family Medicine Residents

LEWES, Delaware – The first four resident physicians in the first town of the first state donned Beebe Healthcare white coats for the first time on July 13 as the healthcare system celebrated the start of its Family Medicine Residency program with a ceremony at the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing.

It was a historic moment in Beebe’s 107-year history.

“You can see the future of healthcare in Sussex County on days like this – Beebe Healthcare is growing its own physicians to serve the rapidly growing population of Sussex County,” said David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, President & CEO, Beebe Healthcare. “Beebe is wholly invested in serving Sussex County and that means bringing more physicians to care for the people here.”

The R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education also welcomed its second cohort of medical students from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). These core clinical students will be doing rotations in Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Obstetrics, and Gynecology.

Undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education make up the three areas of the R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education at Beebe Healthcare. Thursday’s ceremony capped a multi-year journey that began in 2019.

“I’m so proud of everyone who has made this day possible here at Beebe and also the support from our community,” said Joyce Robert, MD, Founding Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency. “These resident physicians are so excited to be here and be a part of Team Beebe and the Sussex County community.”

Beebe’s first class of residents includes:

• Harrison Eckert, DO, who is from Orefield, Pennsylvania and completed medical school at PCOM.
• Monica Javadian, MD, who is from Aarhus, Denmark and Northern Virginia, and completed medical school at the American University of the Caribbean.
• Sofia Perez Delgado, DO, who is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Tampa Bay, Florida, and also graduated from PCOM.
• Jacob Valvis, DO, who is from Hockessin and Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from PCOM.

The residency program will give these physicians a place to call home as they fulfill their educational requirements and pursue invaluable experiential learning opportunities in the clinical environment.

In tandem, it will offer tremendous benefits to the people of Sussex County who rely on Beebe for their care. Once fully staffed, the Family Medicine Residency will facilitate a minimum of 7,000 additional primary care appointments for our patients. This translates to increased access to timely care for people with a wide range of medical issues and needs.

“As a physician in this community for more than 25 years, I’m so proud to be a part of this monumental moment for Beebe Healthcare,” said Jeffrey Hawtof, MD, Director of Medical Education at Beebe Healthcare. “On average, 50 percent of medical residents choose to remain in the communities where they train, long-term. This creates a powerful system of continuity in care for those we serve, and who depend on primary care providers over the course of their lifetimes.”

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness and restore optimal health for the people who live in, work in and visit the communities it serves. Beebe Healthcare has three campuses: the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus, which houses the medical center; the Rehoboth Health Campus; and the South Coastal Health Campus. Beebe Healthcare offers primary care as well as specialized services in the areas of cardiovascular, oncology, orthopaedics, general surgery, robotic surgery and women’s health. Beebe also offers walk-in care, lab, imaging and physical rehabilitation services at several locations throughout Sussex County, in addition to a home health program and a comprehensive community health program.

Additional information about the R. Randall Rollins Center for Medical Education’s programs are at beebehealthcare.org/medical-education.