The new UAB Marshall Family Medicine Residency will be based in Boaz at the Marshall Medical Center South. A new family medicine residency program is set to strengthen physician training and expand access to care in North Alabama. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has approved the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Family and Community Medicine’s new UAB Marshall Family Medicine Residency. The program plans to welcome its inaugural class of residents in July 2027.
Based at Marshall Medical Center South in Boaz and led by UAB faculty, the new 6-6-6 residency will prepare physicians to deliver comprehensive care in rural and community-based settings while helping address healthcare workforce needs.
"Family physicians play a critical role in improving access to healthcare, particularly in rural communities," said Irfan Asif, M.D., chair of the UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean for Primary Care and Rural Health. "This partnership between UAB and Marshall Medical Center reflects our shared commitment to developing the next generation of primary care physicians while expanding access to care for the people of North Alabama."
Residents will receive full-spectrum family medicine training, including outpatient and inpatient care, community-based experiences, and opportunities to care for patients across all stages of life. The program will also offer specialized learning opportunities, including advanced obstetrics training and optional sideline sports coverage. Program leaders say the curriculum emphasizes relationship-centered care, evidence-based practice, and a deep understanding of rural health needs.
UAB Heersink School of Medicine graduate Chandler Stisher, M.D., will serve as the program director. “Practicing in this growing community is so rewarding because family physicians have the opportunity to care for patients across the lifespan and address a remarkably broad range of health needs in both outpatient and inpatient settings,” explained Program Director Chandler Stisher, M.D., a graduate of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. “In a rural community where access to specialty care is sometimes limited, family physicians play an especially important role in providing comprehensive care close to home. Our goal is to develop confident, well-rounded family physicians who are prepared to practice wherever they are needed most, including communities where they may be among the few physicians available.”
In addition to a continuity clinic located within Marshall Medical Center South, residents will also train at Marshall Medical Center North in Guntersville for a broader range of clinical experiences.
The UAB Marshall program is the second new residency the Department of Family and Community Medicine has launched this year. In late April, the ACGME approved the UAB Family Medicine Residency training program with tracks in Birmingham and Selma.
“UAB remains dedicated to improving access to quality primary care for everyone in our state,” Asif said. “Develop additional rural residency training across our state to meet patient needs and prepare trainees to serve rural communities is critical to that mission. We want to enhance our Family Medicine Residency Program, allow for expansion to serve more Alabamians, and support long-term sustainability, growth and impact.”
The UAB Marshall Family Medicine Residency program is currently recruiting first-year residents to begin training in July 2027. For more information, contact Program Coordinator Tommy Ennis at