Curriculum
What to expect
PGY-1
Intern year is the foundational year, during which residents build the breadth of their knowledge base through immersive experiences. Continuity care is one of our top priorities, so throughout intern year residents return to the clinic at least once a week to see their primary care patients at Mercy Family Health Center and build relationships with their patients.
PGY-2
The second year of residency is the transitional year. Residents will move from the urban site to the rural training site in Grass Valley. Equipped with a solid foundation from intern year, PGY2s build their level of responsibility for patient care and for the education of junior residents and medical students. The amount of time spent outpatient at the continuity clinic (Chapa-De Indian Health) increases significantly, as residents grow more comfortable and confident in their skills as a primary care physician.
PGY-3
The third year of residency is a transformative year, when residents evolve from trainees into independent clinicians ready for graduation from the program. More emphasis is placed on the personal responsibility of the resident in patient care. This includes office-based procedures, practice management, and collaborating with other members of the health-care team.
Quality Driven, Team-Based Training
Curriculum
Our program is a community based program but our faculty are both academic and community trained, which leads to a diversity of teaching styles and experiences. Unique training opportunities embedded into our program include a longitudinal weekly medication assisted substance use treatment program, a global health rotation (which can also be a Reservation experience), a longitudinal community medicine elective and many other core experiences. We embrace the philosophy that the “clinic is the curriculum” with access to a robust multidisciplinary team including clinical pharmacists, behavioral health, physical therapy, dentistry and an excellent diabetes program. Community based sub-specialists provide further depth to the educational program.
Dr Ronald Chambers, DIO
Dr. Ronald Chambers is the DIO of the Sierra Nevada Family Medicine Residency Program and the Program Director of the Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Chambers grew up in Shasta Lake, CA with the lifelong desire to become a fourth generation family physician. He went to UC Santa Barbara for undergrad, attended medical school at George Washington in Washington DC, performed his residency at Dignity Health Methodist Hospital, completed fellowships in Faculty Development, Program Director Development, and earned the title of Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the Program Director for the Dignity Health Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program, Chair of the Family Medicine Department, Chief of South Sacramento Hill Physicians, Medical Director for Mercy Family Health Center, Medical Director for Mercy Human Trafficking Clinic, Physician Advisor for the Dignity Health Human Trafficking Response, Clinical Faculty for UC Davis, and Clinical Associate Professor for California Northstate University. He has worked in the Surgeon General's Office on Healthy People, the UCSF Gladstone Institute on HIV research, and participated in multiple global health medical trips.
Dr. Glenn Gookin, Program Director
Glenn Gookin, MD/PhD, Program Director: Glenn Gookin graduated from University of California, Irvine with a PhD in Environmental Toxicology in 2011. While completing his doctoral work, he continued his work in the development of a student run free clinic which sparked his interest in family medicine. He made a tough decision to transition career paths and coasts, leaving basic science research for primary care when he attended medical school at the University of Central Florida. He returned to California for residency, completing his family medicine training at the Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento program in 2018. Having grown up in a rural mountain community in Southern California, he was drawn to the beauty and vibrant small town communities of Grass Valley and Nevada City. He worked as a hospitalist at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital full time for two years before transitioning to a dual role as a primary care provider at Chapa-De Indian Health while still taking hospital call for adults and pediatric patients. He co-wrote a HRSA grant that allowed for the rural residency program to get up and running in 2018, with successful accreditation in 2021. He completed a National Institute for Program Director Development Fellowship in 2022 to assume the role of Program Director.
Dr. Julie Garchow, Associate Program Director
Julie Garchow, MD, Core Faculty, Associate Program Director: at Chapa-De Indian Health. Dr. Garchow attended medical school at State University of New York at Buffalo. Her residency was in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, Davis. She is board-certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is the Physician Lead for the Chapa-De MAT and OB programs. Dr. Garchow is proud to practice full-spectrum family medicine, where she provides patient education combined with compassionate and evidence-based medicine. As a Native multicultural woman, she strives to give back and help the underserved in her community. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, podcasts, cats, gardening, and cycling.
Alinea Stevens, MD
Alinea Stevens, MD/MPH, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health : Dr. Stevens is the Medical Director and a physician at Chapa-De Indian Health. She strives to provide compassionate, high-quality care to every patient. Her approach involves looking at the whole person and getting to know each patient individually. This includes understanding each patient’s physical, behavioral, dental, and vision health and understanding the social factors that influence their health. Her professional interests include Prenatal Care, Pediatrics, and Substance Use services. She graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, then attended residency in Family and Community Medicine at University of California, Davis. She has completed a psychiatry fellowship in primary care and is also board certified in Addiction medicine. Outside of the clinic she is a loving mother and spouse, a violaist, a pilot, and an advocate.
Benjamin Oldach, DO
Benjamin Oldach, DO MPH, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: Dr. Oldach attended Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in Family & Community Medicine at Methodist Hospital of Sacramento. His approach to patient care focuses on collaboration,working with patients to find the care plan that works for them in a pragmatic approach that will fit their life and goals. He believes all people are entitled to high-quality care, Chapa-De allows him to live out this belief. He enjoys teaching students and residents about the interactions between the patient as a whole person and the conditions we treat. He is excited to help residents develop a broad perspective for medicine and prepare them to be excellent family physicians across the spectrum of care. His professional interests include Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, health behavior change, primary care, hospital medicine and substance use disorders. When not in the clinic, Dr. Oldach can be found on the local foothill and high sierra trails running. He also enjoys hiking, camping, and playing with his menagerie animals.
Marlowe Dieckmann, MD
Marlowe Dieckmann, MD, MPH, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: Marlowe Dieckmann, MD, MPH, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: Dr. Dieckmann went to medical school at University of Louisville School of Medicine. Her residency in Family Medicine was completed at Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Dieckmann tries to empower her patients to be the healthiest version of themselves by defining what that means to them. Her approach to patient care includes creating an inclusive space. She treats patients of all ages and identities. She chose her residency program based on her passion for working with underserved groups. She has embraced graduate medical education and Chapa-De to be able to work in a practice that enables her to provide care to our most vulnerable and still see patients in the clinic and hospital. In her personal life, she enjoys being a mom, outdoor activities, and new adventures. --
William Jornlin, MD
William Jornlin, MD, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: William Jornlin, MD, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: Dr. Jornlin graduated from University of California, Davis. He completed his residency in Family & Community Medicine at University of California, Davis. His clinical practice style involves creating a setting where patients feel comfortable as the community he serves is very broad and diverse and every patient’s health needs are different. He believes it is important to meet patients where they are in their health journey so he is passionate about patient education and supervising. He encourages patients to take an active role in their healthcare. He chose to work in community healthcare to help the most vulnerable. He chose Chapa-De to practice and participate in resident education because he highly values the benefits of having a good support system for his patients. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing games, traveling, and concerts.
Karina Gookin, MD
Karina Gookin, MD, MS, Associate Faculty at Chapa-De Indian Health: Dr. Gookin attended medical school at the University of California Irvine. She completed residency at the Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Family Medicine Residency Program. Her chosen experiences in medical school, residency and a practicing physician have been motivated by her passion to work with underserved communities. As a medical student and resident physician she appreciated mentors who practiced what they preached so she strives to model high-quality, whole-person care in the clinic. She has a strong interest in women’s and adolescent health, especially providing guidance during transitional periods in patients’ lives. In her personal life she enjoys listening to music, dancing, and spending time with her family.
Nathan Claydon, MD
Nathan C. Claydon, MD, MBA, FACP, is a chief hospitalist in internal medicine at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. bio coming soon.
The Sierra Nevada Family Medicine
Residency Program is a three-year program that provides outstanding training for residents by providing excellent patient care with compassion and leadership skills.
