Aiken Regional Celebrates First Graduating Family Medicine Residents
Physician graduates along with Sireesha Vemuri-Reddy, MD, NIPDD, FAAFP, Designated Institutional Official (DIO), and Matta Reddy, MD, Family Medicine Program Director.
Aiken Regional Medical Centers is delighted to announce the graduation of its very first class of Family Medicine residents. As the inaugural Graduate Medical Education Program, the first six Family Medicine residents to graduate from Aiken Regional have helped pave the way for future generations of physicians in training.
“Just three years ago, we launched our journey into our first Graduate Medical Education Program to train Family Medicine residents,” said Matt Merrifield, CEO of Aiken Regional Medical Centers. “These six physicians helped build an incredible program for future residents, physicians in training, and I’m incredibly proud of this team, who they have become, and look forward to watching what they accomplish throughout their journeys as physicians.”
Aiken Regional’s Graduate Medical Education Program aims to help address physician shortage concerns within the CSRA and nearby areas of South Carolina. According to the American Medical Association, following residency training, 64.6% of family medicine residents practice in the same state in which they trained.
Graduate Medical Education Program
“These six individuals walked into this brand-new program without a blueprint, with the support of the faculty and their faith,” said Matta Reddy, MD, Family Medicine Residency Program Director at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. “They have thrived and have become an anchor for this program. They didn’t just finish their residency, they also built this program. They showed up when we needed them most and displayed continued dedication and resilience, and their feedback and support will continue to pave the way for all residents who come after them.”
The graduating Family Medicine physicians have demonstrated dedication, compassion and a thirst for knowledge to every patient and every team member they have worked alongside. Below are the members of the first graduating physicians from Aiken Regional’s Family Medicine Residency Program and where they plan to practice:
- Marwa Abdel Meguid, MD, will remain at Aiken Regional as a hospitalist
- Mohammed Almamun, MD, will practice in Virginia
- Nicolas Jaeggi, MD, will practice in New York
- Huma Nawaz, MBBS, will practice in Virginia
- Tarun Paravataneni, MBBS, will remain at Aiken Regional as a hospitalist and Director of Research
- Jamie Simmons, MD, will practice in Minnesota
“The future of medicine doesn’t just live in new treatments or technologies, it lives in these physicians,” said Sireesha Vemuri-Reddy, MD, NIPDD, FAAFP, Designated institutional Official with the Graduate Medical Education Program at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. “I encourage each of these incredible physicians to lead by example and with curiosity. Practice with courage. And remember, medicine is not just a science, it’s an art.”
“Their commitment to excellence in patient care has left a lasting impact not only on the hospital, but on the entire community,” said Merrifield.
Aiken Regional offers three-year (36-month) Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Graduate Medical Education postgraduate programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). There are 18 Family Medicine residents on staff and 30 Internal Medicine residents on staff and in training year-round. The first Family Medicine Residency Class completed their program June 30, 2025.