Residency and Fellowship Programs

Welcome to the Lafayette Internal Medicine Residency Program!

I am delighted to welcome you to our residency program’s website, and I would like to thank you for your interest. I am excited to share what makes training here so special.

Our mission is to train compassionate, skilled, and culturally sensitive physicians who are prepared to serve diverse communities across Acadiana and beyond. We create an environment where residents grow not only as clinicians but also as educators, scholars, and leaders in healthcare.

Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of the Cajun Heartland, our residents care for a diverse range of patients, including underserved populations in both rural and urban settings, gaining invaluable hands-on experience.

Our program offers comprehensive training with rotations in general internal medicine and a wide range of subspecialties: endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, infectious disease, pulmonary and critical care, allergy and immunology, musculoskeletal medicine, rheumatology, hematology and oncology, geriatrics, palliative care, addiction medicine, and cardiology. This diverse experience equips residents with the knowledge and confidence to pursue careers in primary care, hospital medicine, fellowships, or academia.

We prioritize resident well-being with a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative environment. Mentorship, wellness initiatives, and work-life balance help our residents grow both professionally and personally, forming lifelong friendships along the way.

Our dedicated faculty, including both general internists and subspecialists, are passionate about teaching. Many are leaders in medical education, offering residents unique opportunities in academia. We actively support research, and our residents present at regional and national conferences.

Our program thrives under the leadership of Dr. Karen Curry, Section Chief of Internal Medicine, and Dr. James Falterman, Associate Dean and DIO, whose guidance shapes our vision and ensures a strong foundation for resident education.

We hope you’ll explore more about what our program and community offer. We’d love to train and grow with you in Lafayette, where culture, compassion, and clinical excellence come together.

Warm regards,
Farha Khan, MD
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program

Dear Prospective Resident:

Thank you for your interest in the LSU Lafayette Internal Medicine Residency. We are certain your interest will grow as you learn more about our program.

Our system is one of graded responsibility and independence. We are mindful of our resident's work and personal life demands.

We have 32 Internal Medicine residents who train in two distinct hospitals. Ochsner University Hospital and Clinic's campus is the primary site of training during your first year of training.  It houses a robust continuity clinic where you will follow patients over the course of your training. We also have a busy inpatient service at this hospital.  It provides care to a diverse population including the indigent. Morning report and didactic conferences are held every weekday on this campus.  Medical students from LSU- New Orleans are integrated into our inpatient and outpatient clinic services.

Ochsner Lafayette General, our second campus, offers training in a state of the art intensive care unit, houses the busiest emergency room in Acadiana, and an advanced certified primary stroke center. Rotations in hospital medicine, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation medicine are just a few of the other elective rotations offered here.

Our faculty are highly dedicated to the success of our residents. Over the past several years, we have updated and reviewed our core lecture series with a comprehensive review of Internal Medicine and strengthened our board review process with measured success. Our graduates are prepared to pursue careers as primary care practitioners, sub-specialists, or can continue careers in academic medicine.

Again, thank you for your interest.

Karen G Curry, MD
Section Chief, Department of Internal Medicine

Our Core Faculty | Internal Medicine

	Karen Curry, M.D. Section Chief
	Farha Khan, M.D. Program Director
	Shantell Ford, M.D. Associate Program Director
	Ashwin Narayana, M.D., MPH Associate Program Director
	S. Patrick Walker, D.O. Associate Program Director
	Gregory Ardoin, M.D. Internal Medicine
	Tina Benoit-Clark, M.D. Internal Medicine
	Melanie, Bienvenu, M.D., MPH Gastroenterology
	Cassie Clark, M.D. Internal Medicine
	Melisa Harrington, M.D. Nephrology
	Jay Jaikishen, M.D., FACP Internal Medicine
	Daniel Stout, M.D. Endocrinology
	Christopher Wexler, M.D. Infectious Disease