St. Joseph Medical Center residency program earns osteopathic recognition

Dr. Krista Schenkel, right, a Family and Community Medicine Residency Program faculty member, guides Dr. Nick Iaccarino during a procedure. Iaccarino, who was a resident when the photo was taken in 2021, has since graduated from the program. Michelle Mountz, practice site manager, served as a patient for the demonstration.

St. Joseph Medical Center’s Family and Community Medicine Residency program has earned osteopathic recognition from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, demonstrating its commitment to teaching and assessing osteopathic principles and practice at the graduate medical education level.

The osteopathic program track will benefit both osteopathic and allopathic residents.

“Osteopathic medicine is all about being holistic and focused on all aspects of care. That whole-person medicine is what primary care is moving toward,” said Dr. Christina Scartozzi, the program’s associate director. “Those residents who graduate with osteopathic recognition can choose to become board certified and continue to supplement their skills throughout their career.”

Dr. Alexis Reedy-Cooper, program director, said gaining osteopathic recognition is not something that every residency program is willing or able to do.

“The fact that we are able to do it is a testament to the osteopathic education we already had in place,” she said. “This was a big effort and big win for us. It is something we are very proud of.”

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