Methodist Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program Celebrates Generous Donors

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In 2024, Covenant Health Methodist Medical Center opened a first-of-its-kind Family Medicine Residency Program and Clinic in Oak Ridge. The program is designed help meet growing primary care needs in Anderson County and beyond.

In conjunction with the launch of the program, Methodist Medical Center Foundation and Covenant Health Office of Philanthropy offered generous individuals and organizations in our community the opportunity to partner with the hospital to support this resource.

To date, more than $260,000 has been contributed to support the residency program and clinic. The funds are part of an endowment that will provide support for the residency program in perpetuity. The goal is to grow the endowment to $400,000.

A Heartfelt “Thank You” to Our Donors

A receiption at the residency program facility and clinic in late May honored the generous donors supporting the endowment to date. Covenant Health and Methodist appreciates the commitment to improving healthcare in our region exemplified by these individuals and organizations:

  • Jim & Priscilla Campbell (in honor of Barry Bingham, MD, and Misty Cottrell, MSN, FNP-C)
  • Dr. James & Marcedes Schindler (in honor of Drs. Melvin, Robert and Keith Schindler, and Katie Prins)
  • Ralph Aurin (in memory of Belinda Aurin)
  • The Jeremy Biggs Family
  • Wilma Brantley (in memory of Dr. Richard Brantley)
  • CNS/Y12
  • ORAU
  • UCOR
  • UT-Batelle
  • Diane Willis (in memory of her mother, Juanita Fogle, a long-time nurse at Methodist)

Donors and their families received personal thanks from Jeremy Biggs, CAO, Covenant Health Methodist; Chip Bryant, Covenant Health Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer; and Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health President and CEO. In addition, James Schindler, MD, director of the Family Residency Program, and current medical residents Yen Quach, MD, and Rusul Alani, MD, shared thanks and comments about the impact of the program on the future of medical practice in the region.

Partnerships for a Thriving Medical Legacy

“Like many in our world, we have people at Covenant Health who see a challenge and create a game plan for solving it. With the retirement of many family physicians and a shortage of new family medicine dactors, leaders at Methodist and Covenant saw an emergent need that would impact the delivery of healthcare services in East Tennessee,” said Bryant. “Generous donors have partnered with us to help address that need, and we are very grateful. We look forward to growing that partnership with additional future contributions from this community and beyond.”

Learn more about the Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program at www.covenanthealth.com/methodist-family-residency-program/.

To learn how you can partner with Methodist Medical Center Foundation and the Covenant Health Office of Philanthropy., visit www.covenanthealth.com/philanthropy-giving/.

Group photo of 12 members of the Aurin family, including eight adults and four children
Members of the Aurin family were on hand to celebrate the exam room named in honor of Belinda Aurin.
Photo of Dr. Larry Bingham, Misty Cottrell, Jim Campbell and Amelia Campbell
Larry Bingham, MD, and Misty Cottrell, MSN, FNP-C, behind the counter at the nurses’ station named in their honor by Jim Campbell and his wife, Priscilla. Campbell is in the foreground with his daughter, Amelia.
Woman holding photo of her mother, who is wearing a nurses' uniform
Diane Willis holds a photo of her mother, Juanita Booker Fogle, near the exam room named in her mother’s honor. Fogle was a long-time registered nurse with the hospital, serving from 1952 – 1992.
Man and woman standing outside medical exam room provided by donor Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Brian Cook and Wendy West stand beside the exam room donated by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
Three men standing outside medical exam room
The CNS/Y-12 National Security Complex is a proud supporter of the Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program. Gene Patterson, CNS/Y-12 (center), is joined by Jeremy Biggs, Methodist Medical Center CAO (left) and Chip Bryant, Covenant Health Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer.
Two men and a woman standing outside medical exam room
Jeremy Biggs, Methodist CAO (left), Shannon Potter and Chris Caldwell outside the room sponsored by UCOR
Donors Dr. and Mrs. James Schindler standing outside precepting room
Dr. James and Marcedes Schindler alongside the Preceptor Room, named in honor of the doctors in their family. Dr. Schindler is the founding director for the Methodist Family Medicine Residency program.
Jeremy Biggs standing outside Jeremy Biggs Family exam room. Biggs was thanked for his support of the Methodist Family Residency Program.
Special thanks to Jeremy Biggs for leadership in developing the residency program and for his donation to the endowment.

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Covenant Health

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Covenant Health is a not-for-profit, community-owned, healthcare enterprise committed to providing the right care at the right time and place. Covenant Health is the area’s largest employer and has more than 11,000 compassionate caregivers, expert clinicians, and dedicated employees and volunteers.