06/19/2026
🎉 BIG NEWS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK! 🎉
🏥 Family Health Network of Central New York, Inc. (FHN) is proud to announce the launch of a new Family Medicine Residency Training Program in partnership with Larkin Health System of Miami, Florida!
📅 Beginning July 1, 2026, FHN will welcome its first resident physicians as part of an ACGME-accredited Rural Track Program designed to train the next generation of family physicians in community-based, full-spectrum primary care.
🌟 Why This Matters
For FHN, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that has served Cortland and contiguous counties since 1972, the program represents a long-term investment in the region's health. Rural communities across the country face persistent shortages of primary care physicians, and residents who train in a community often choose to stay and practice there.
👩⚕️👨⚕️ At full enrollment, the program will train four family medicine residents at FHN, helping strengthen healthcare access for local families while preparing physicians to serve rural and medically underserved communities.
💬 "Access to healthcare begins with access to providers," said Kim Osborne, FHN President & CEO. "Through our new rural residency track, Family Health Network is helping address one of the greatest challenges facing rural America—building and sustaining a strong healthcare workforce."
At FHN, the residents will train under the guidance of Dr. Douglas Rahner, who will oversee their clinical education at the Central New York site. The program is directed by Dr. Ivan Rodriguez, Program Director of the family medicine residency at Larkin in Miami.
💬 “Family Health Network is excited to partner with Larkin Health System in training the next generation of Family Doctors in our rural track.” states Dr. Douglas Rahner, FHN’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our model of holistic team based care will serve as an excellent training environment for these residents. They will also learn how cutting edge innovation, such as our Mobile Medical Unit and use of Artificial Intelligence, can be integrated into comprehensive primary care for our community, particularly the underserved.”
💬 “Larkin is so happy to be partnering with Family Health Network on this rural family medicine program. It is one thing for national workforce programming evidence to say that bringing physicians-in-training to rural counties helps improve community health, and another thing to actually make it happen. Dr. Rahner, Ms. Osborne, and the FHN team are incredible people who are truly doing everything they can for the communities they serve. We can't imagine a better team of people training the next generation of physicians.” said Dr. Jack Michel, founder of Larkin Health System.
👏 Meet Our First Residents!
FHN is proud to welcome the program's two inaugural residents, both of whom bring extensive clinical experience to their family medicine training:
🌍 Hina Askri, MD grew up in Lahore, Pakistan, and earned her medical degree from Fatima Jinnah Medical University. She brings approximately 15 years of healthcare experience, including a four-year postgraduate fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynecology and clinical work caring for underserved patients in New York and New Jersey. She is drawn to outpatient primary care for the opportunity to build lasting relationships with patients and help them stay healthy through prevention and continuity of care.
🌍 Thayane Lemes, MD is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she earned her medical degree from Faculdade Souza Marques and completed dual residencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A permanent U.S. resident now based in Florida, she brings years of clinical experience, including work in reproductive health, and is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, an asset for serving FHN's diverse patient community. As a family medicine resident, Dr. Lemes approaches patient care by listening closely to her patients' needs, respecting their values, and building relationships grounded in trust. What she loves most about her work are the strong relationships she forms with the people she cares for.
As the residents complete their training in Central New York, they will provide care to FHN patients and families across the health center's service area, deepening the organization's capacity to meet community needs while shaping the next generation of rural family physicians.
About Family Health Network of Central New York, Inc.:
Established in 1972, Family Health Network of Central New York, Inc. (FHN) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) providing comprehensive, patient-centered care to the residents of Cortland and contiguous counties, with a particular emphasis on underserved areas. FHN offers family practice and primary care, pediatrics, women's health, family dentistry, and occupational health services to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. FHN is the only source of care in three of the five communities it serves. Its mission is to provide accessible, patient-centered, sensitive, high-quality healthcare while pursuing health equity for all.
About Larkin Health System:
Larkin Health System is an integrated healthcare delivery system accredited by The Joint Commission, with locations in South Miami, Hialeah, and Hollywood, Florida. Its network of acute care hospitals provides a full continuum of healthcare services across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Larkin Community Hospital's South Miami campus is a 146-bed statutory teaching hospital and one of Florida's largest by number of postgraduate physician training programs. Larkin's mission is to provide access to compassionate care of the highest quality in an educational environment.
🤝 FHN extends its gratitude to our partners at Larkin Health System and everyone who helped make this important milestone possible.
💙 Together, we're strengthening healthcare access, training future physicians, and investing in healthier communities for generations to come.
