Boaz to host new medical training site for family doctors

Alabama faces a shortage of primary care providers in rural areas, and a new medical training program aims to address that gap in the state’s northwest corner.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has approved the UAB Marshall Family Medicine Residency. This new program will be based at Marshall Medical Center South in Boaz, Alabama.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Family and Community Medicine will lead the initiative. The residency plans to accept its first class of students in July 2027.

Once fully operational, the program will train 18 family medicine physicians each year. These doctors will undergo full-spectrum training that includes outpatient and inpatient care. They will also gain experience in community-based settings and care for patients across all stages of life.

Residents will not only train in Boaz. They will also rotate through Marshall Medical Center North in Guntersville, Alabama. This allows them to see a wider variety of clinical cases and patient needs.

The curriculum includes specific opportunities for advanced learning. Students can pursue advanced obstetrics training or cover sideline sports. Program leaders describe the focus as relationship-centered care and evidence-based practice tailored to rural health needs.

Chandler Stisher, M.D., will serve as the program director. He is a graduate of the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. Stisher noted that practicing in a growing community is rewarding because family physicians handle a broad range of health needs. He stated that their goal is to develop confident doctors prepared to practice where they are needed most.

Irfan Asif, M.D., is the chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for Primary Care and Rural Health. He said the collaboration between UAB and Marshall Medical Center reflects a commitment to educating new primary care physicians. He added that this step helps expand access to care in North Alabama and statewide.

This is the second new residency program the department has launched this year. In April, the accreditation council approved a separate UAB Family Medicine Residency with tracks in Birmingham and Selma. The Boaz program fits into a larger network of rural-based programs that includes the recently launched Goodrich Rural Innovation in Training for Alabama. That initiative was funded by a $10 million gift to strengthen rural residency training.

Physicians are more likely to practice near the communities where they received their training. By placing residents in Boaz and Guntersville, the program aims to keep new doctors in rural Alabama. The residency is currently recruiting first-year residents to start in July 2027.