Anchu Ann Vincent moved with her family to Harlingen in 2022 to work as a medical records specialist at Harlingen Medical Center.

Vincent, a native of India, received medical training in her country before coming to Chicago in 2019 to continue her education. She is an MD and when coming to Harlingen, she had no idea her hospital was making plans to establish an internal medicine residency program. Such a program came via an announcement in mid-July as the Harlingen hospital introduced its first-ever graduate medical education program along with its first 13 internal medicine residents.

“I feel so grateful,’’ Vincent said in being part of the inaugural class of residents at Harlingen Medical. “It’s like we’re the face of the program.” 

Building a Community

The first class attracted students from all over the country – and the world. It took years of preparation to gain the necessary state licensures in providing medical education onsite and then establishing a teaching faculty of doctors to oversee the residents. Next came the recruitment of the first class and competing against other medical school-level schools for residents. 

With all of those goals accomplished, Wesley Robinson, the regional chief nursing officer for Prime HealthCare, says the new program will add 13 physicians to Harlingen Medical. It could also possibly bring more doctors to the area who will call the Rio Grande Valley home.

“We know statistically when someone practices or does a residency in a certain area, they tend to stay in that area,” said Robinson, an administrator with the parent company of the Harlingen hospital. “We believe this is going to bring numerous physicians to the Valley.”

‘My Dream’

The new program at Harlingen Medical adds to similar residency programs at other Valley hospitals.

Many of those are done in conjunction with UTRGV’s burgeoning medical school, which continues to extend its reach across the region. The Harlingen Medical program uses a different model. It was built from the ground up from a single hospital with no connection to a medical school. The number of residents to launch the program is unusually large and a credit to Harlingen Medical’s recruitment efforts.

“Everyone in the field is looking for residents,” Robinson said of the medical field. “To be able to bring in this many residents into our first program is a huge success.”

Gerardo Davila is one of those 13 residents and his story has a hometown feel. Born in Weslaco, Davila grew up in Monterrey and received his medical training in Mexico. He says being part of the inaugural class of residents at Harlingen Medical “is my dream” and fulfills a wish to provide medical care in the Valley. 

“I’m from here,” Davila said. “I have family in Harlingen. My goal is to help this community.”

Each of the 13 residents has at least six years of medical education in their backgrounds. All also possess Doctor of Medicine degrees. At Harlingen Medical, they will help treat all sorts of conditions and consult with specialists in the different healthcare fields. Overseeing their rotations will be eight practicing doctors who serve as the faculty staff for the residency program.

Developing Interests

The first class of physician residents at Harlingen Medical started their three-year residency in July. 

For the residents, it is a time of medical education when they can develop their specialties of interest. Vincent has interests in both cardiology and oncology. Davila has a focus on endocrinology, which is a branch of medicine that treats people with conditions that are caused by problems with glands and hormones. He mentioned diabetes and obesity as areas of particular interest. 

“We have problems in the Valley with those conditions,” Davila said. “So being here, working at a great hospital, I can help to bring a high quality of care to this community.”

For Vincent, gaining admission to the first residency program at Harlingen Medical reinforces the decision she and her husband made to move to the Valley two years ago. Like Davila, she plans to practice in the area when completing the residency program at the hospital. 

“The warmth and welcoming nature of the people here really impressed us in coming from Chicago,” Vincent said. “I’ve gotten immense support from the time we got here.”