In its ongoing mission to increase equitable healthcare access throughout the region, Affinia Healthcare established its Healthcare Family Medicine Residency Program in June 2025.
On March 20, 2026, Affinia announced its inaugural class for the residency program, with residents from across the country.
Coming to serve the St. Louis community at Affinia’s Ferguson Health Center are:
Hira Adil (Khyber Girls Medical College, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
Basudev Chaudhary (Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal).
Sasha Dorestin (Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, West Des Moines, Iowa).
Ukasha Habib (Nishtar Medical University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan).
The residents will receive training, professional development and “gain real world experience” before becoming licensed clinicians, according to Dr. Kenneth Hemba, Family Medicine Residency Program director.
“We are thrilled to conclude the search for this first class and look forward to welcoming them to Affinia Healthcare,” said Hemba, who noted that more than 1,000 applicants sought the residency positions.
“There were many qualified candidates to choose from, and we believe we’ve selected an outstanding group of future leaders.”
Hemba said the Ferguson Health Center is in “an area which has seen a decline in access to equitable health services.
“Affinia opened [in Ferguson] as a result of a community health assessment identifying North St. Louis County as an area where unmet primary care needs were prevalent,” he said.
“Starting this residency program is an extended result of this assessment. The program is also a means for increasing the number of new providers.”
Many of the applicants were drawn to the residency program to “serve patients in underserved communities so they could continue leveraging their knowledge.”
Affinia Healthcare was awarded a grant in 2023 for the residency program to help develop future primary care physicians to serve in community health centers. It earned full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2025.
According to ACGME, accreditation is received through a voluntary process and review based on industry standards. The accreditation process ensures the program meets the standards for specialty practices to prepare graduates.
“By anchoring physician training in the community, Affinia’s residency program not only expands access to care but also builds a sustainable pipeline of highly competent providers committed to health access and long-term impact,” Kendra Holmes, Affinia president and CEO said following the Residency Program accreditation.
According to Affinia’s website, the Resident Program’s curriculum “balances evidence-based medicine with the art of compassionate care.”
“The cornerstone of training is Primary Care and Community Medicine (PCCM), spanning all three years of residency and focusing on longitudinal outpatient care.”
As part of the three-year experience, residents will have weekly protected wellness time, resident retreats, and social events.
Sessions on self-care, stress reduction, mindfulness, and work-life balance are included with the residency. There will also be instruction on debt management, retirement planning, and employment contract review. To learn more about the Family Medicine Residency Program, please visit www.affiniahealthcare.org/family-medicine-residency/. To schedule an appointment with Affinia Healthcare, please call (314) 814-8700.