FMOL Health | St. Francis Earns Accreditation for Family Medicine Residency Program
November 10, 2025
Monroe, LA - FMOL Health | St. Francis has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to establish a new Family Medicine Residency Program, marking the latest advancement in the organization’s efforts to expand healthcare education and strengthen the physician workforce serving Northeast Louisiana.The new program builds on St. Francis’s growing graduate medical education portfolio and reinforces its long-standing role as a regional leader in healthcare excellence. With its first class of eight residents set to begin in July 2026, the program will prepare physicians to care for patients across every stage of life while deepening access to primary care throughout the community.
“Accreditation of the Family Medicine Residency Program is a major step forward for St. Francis,” said Thomas Gullatt, MD, President of St. Francis. “It represents the future of healthcare in Northeast Louisiana, one built on education, innovation, and the belief that the best care begins with those who live and train in the communities they serve.”
Residents will gain broad experience across inpatient, outpatient, and community-based rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics, behavioral health, and preventive medicine. Guided by experienced leaders, they will receive mentorship in evidence-based medicine, wellness, and leadership development, equipping them to provide excellent care throughout their careers.
“Our focus is on developing physicians who are both clinically excellent and deeply committed to service,” said Shaista Qureshi, MD, MBBS, DABFM, FAAFP, Program Director of the Family Medicine Residency at St. Francis. “Residents will train in an environment that values collaboration, compassion, and continuous learning, preparing them to meet the needs of patients and families across Northeast Louisiana.”
The Family Medicine Residency joins St. Francis’s accredited Internal Medicine Residency Program, reinforcing its leadership in physician training and supporting FMOL Health’s commitment to advancing academic medicine across the communities it serves.
For more information about the St. Francis Family Medicine Residency Program, visit fmolhs.org/research-education.
About FMOL Health | St. Francis
FMOL Health | St. Francis is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Monroe, Louisiana, with more than 1,800 team members committed to caring for those we serve. With a 321-bed medical center, acute-care hospital, freestanding outpatient center, over 25 outpatient clinics, and nearly 350 physician partners, for more than 110 years, St. Francis has provided comprehensive healthcare services for a variety of medical and surgical specialties. St. Francis offers Northeast Louisiana’s only Level III NICU, Level III OB, OB-ED, and Level II PICU services. St. Francis Medical Center leads the region in heart and vascular services, critical care, and complex and minimally invasive surgical procedures. The hospital offers a designated Level III Trauma Center, a Graduate Medical Education Program, Accredited Chest Pain Center, Accredited Primary Stroke Center and Centers of Excellence in the areas of bariatric surgery, minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive gynecology, breast health and specialized anesthesia. St. Francis is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit stfran.com.
About FMOL Health
FMOL Health is one of the largest healthcare systems based in Louisiana and is the leading healthcare provider for more than half the state’s population. The health system is a non-profit, Catholic organization sponsored by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the ministry serves patients in Louisiana and Mississippi through a network of hospitals, clinics, physicians and integrated health systems. The health system’s unified physician organization is comprised of more than 1,100 adult and pediatric primary care physicians and specialists. The system’s nine main campus hospitals include St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and Gonzales, Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Heart Hospital, and Women's & Children's Hospital in Lafayette, Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, and St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. For more information, visit fmolhealth.org.