Dr. Forugh Homayounrooz is the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Stamford Hospital/Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She joined the program in 2017. She is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. She received her Medical Degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Medical Residency at Hospital of St. Raphael, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Dr. Homayounrooz later completed Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. She has participated in national faculty development courses in ABIM, ACGME, ACP, AAIM and APDIM. Her passion is in the fields of medical education, patient safety, quality improvement, resident wellness, diversity equity and inclusion and women’s health. She has worked regionally and nationally in development of high value care and wellness curriculum for resident physicians.

Greetings!

Thank you for your interest in the Stamford Hospital’s Residency Program in Internal Medicine. I'm delighted to share my excitement and enthusiasm at the fact that our residency program is at Stamford Hospital, an institution in which our mission and values perfectly correlate with the goals of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). These goals include enhancing the safety and quality of patient care in teaching hospitals, meeting the educational needs of residents, creating, and fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

Our residency program is a relatively small program. This affords us the unique opportunity of tailoring an individualized educational plan for all of our residents and ensuring that each resident learns to maximize their strengths and reach their potential.

We have an effective Faculty Advising Program that has resulted in scholarly activity for our residents; in fact, all of our residents are required to engage in a research or quality improvement project. In addition, our program is very successful with placing graduates in prestigious fellowships because of the professional mentoring that occurs in this program. Our Intensive Care Unit is nationally renowned which provides our residents with a comfort level comparable to that of a fellow in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine upon graduation.

Moreover, we are a community-based, university-affiliated residency program that enjoys a meaningful relationship with Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Medical students rotate through Stamford Hospital, and residents who match here will have plenty of opportunities to hone their skills as teachers.

The residency program has dedicated curricula on resident wellness, communication skills, procedures training with simulation, point of care ultrasound (POCUS) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Stamford Health offers an ideal environment that ensures residents, upon graduation, the ability to identify systems errors and devise and implement systems that positively impact patient safety and quality. Our residents are well prepared to meet the challenges of practicing medicine in today's environment.

The patient population is economically, culturally, and clinically diverse, offering an extraordinary experience in learning to deliver patient care. Our residents work at the Optimus Healthcare Clinic, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC) and provide care to a socioeconomically disadvantaged and historically marginalized population of Stamford and the surrounding area. The residents on ambulatory rotation gain vast experience in taking care of patients in a holistic manner.

Stamford Health is a member of the Planetree Alliance, which fosters and champions patient-centered care, and meets its mission of providing a broad range of high-quality health and wellness services focused on the needs of our community in outstanding fashion.

The institution places strong emphasis on quality, patient satisfaction, and on patient safety. It is extremely responsive to our residents' concerns and needs. Finally, Stamford, CT, is a vibrant community offering something for everyone, and has been ranked as one of the best places to live in America because of its diversity, economic opportunity and safety record.I invite you to submit an application through ERAS, and I wish you the best of luck as you navigate the process of applying to residency.

Regards,

Forugh Homayounrooz, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program