UConn School of Medicine has been selected by Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) and Waterbury Health to sponsor its physician residency training programs.

This September, Waterbury Health’s internal medicine residency program becomes part of the Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs sponsored by UConn School of Medicine, along with ECHN’s Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital’s family medicine and psychiatry residency programs.

UConn GME is among the largest sponsors of residency programs in the nation ranking in the top 10 percent in size for the country. The internal medicine residency program, previously sponsored by Yale School of Medicine, and the prior ECHN-sponsored family medicine and psychiatry programs will add 64 new resident physicians in training to the UConn family joining its robust 80 plus residency training programs annually training over 800 physicians and surgeons.

ECHN and Waterbury Health’s resident doctors will follow in the footsteps of over 7,000 thousand resident physicians who have graduated from UConn-sponsored residency programs since 1972.

Currently, UConn’s medical students have clinical training rotation experiences at both ECHN and at Waterbury Health locations. Now, UConn’s medical student and residency program teams will be working together with ECHN and Waterbury Health to grow greater synergies for training the state’s future health care workforce.

“The expansion of UConn medical school’s GME programs further strengthens our state’s physician training programs, the training opportunities available for our future doctors, and the health care of our communities,” says Dr. Bruce T. Liang, dean of UConn School of Medicine.

“I want to thank our UConn GME leadership Dr. Kiki Nissen and Dr. Steven Angus for their hard work continuously enhancing and expanding our UConn residency programs to meet the growing demands of our state, our citizens’ health needs, and future doctors’ training opportunities. Thanks to everyone at ECHN and Waterbury Health for entrusting UConn School of Medicine with sponsorship of their wonderful residency programs and ensuring a seamless transition for the residents, residency program directors, and teaching faculty to the wider UConn medicine family,” concluded Liang.

About Our Graduate Medical Education
Graduate medical education (GME) at UConn Health is a robust and expanding enterprise dedicated to training the next generation of physicians. As one of the largest GME programs in the nation, UConn sponsors 852 residents and fellows across 85 programs, placing it among the top 10% of sponsoring institutions in the country. This is a significant achievement for the State of Connecticut and a testament to UConn’s commitment to excellence.

Our Mission and Approach:
GME’s primary goal is to provide high-quality, comprehensive, and culturally relevant educational programs that improve the health of Connecticut’s citizens. UConn achieves this by fostering inclusive clinical learning environments rich with the resources needed to graduate highly qualified physicians. Our approach focuses on:

• Academically Rigorous Programs: We develop programs that promote professional development and prepare skilled, ethical, and compassionate physicians ready to meet the challenges of an evolving healthcare landscape.
• Scholarly Activity: We actively encourage research and scholarly activity among our residents, fellows, and faculty, fostering a culture of inquiry and innovation.
• Collaborative Partnerships: We work closely with our five major affiliated sites—UConn John Dempsey Hospital, Connecticut Children’s, Hartford Healthcare (Hartford Hospital and Hospital for Central Connecticut), and Trinity Health of New England—to integrate residents and fellows as essential members of the healthcare community. Collaboration is key to our shared goal of delivering safe, effective, and high-quality care. We are excited to welcome Waterbury Health and ECHN into the UConn School of Medicine family, further expanding our ability to train exceptional physicians and serve the community.