Shelly-Ann Fluker, MD, FACP, named Primary Care Track Program Director for the IM Residency Program

The Department of Medicine is pleased to announce that Shelly-Ann Fluker, MD, FACP has been named program director for the J. Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program’s primary care track. Fluker will be taking over the position from Stacy Higgins, MD who has held the program director role since 2006.

Fluker is an associate professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. She has served as the assistant director for the primary care program since 2010, is a core faculty member for the residency program, and is an instructor for the School of Medicine’s physician assistant program. She also serves as the associate medical director of the nationally-recognized Grady Liver Clinic.

She received her undergraduate degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her doctor of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her primary care and chief residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

As the program director, Fluker will lead a team that will guide the administrative, clinical, and educational oversight for the primary care program residents. Her team will provide leadership for program administration, innovative curricular planning, and program evaluation; ensure compliance with all ACGME and regulatory requirements; lead recruitment efforts; mentor residents; participate in graduate medical education scholarship; and work closely with the residency program director and program directors from participating advanced programs.

Please join us in recognizing Stacy Higgins, MD for her incredible leadership during her 15 years in the primary care program director role. During her tenure, she has helped hundreds of program graduates go on to practice general internal medicine at Emory and across the country. She secured three Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants for primary care training and education in support of innovative educational initiatives. Most recently, she successfully ushered the program through its major transition to the X+Y schedule format. Under Higgins’ leadership, the program’s national reputation has grown thanks to its focus on health equity and advocacy, dissemination of scholarly activity, and wellness and resilience.

In 2016, Higgins was awarded the Evangeline Papageorge Distinguished Teaching Award from the School of Medicine which honors outstanding dedication to medical student teaching. She also received the W. Lester Henry Award from the American College of Physicians for improving diversity and access to care in 2016, as well as the Award for Educational Mentorship from the Society of General Internal Medicine in 2014.

Please join us in congratulating Fluker on her well deserved new role and in thanking Higgins for her dedication and accomplishments during her many years of service.

There will be a call for applications for the primary care associate program director position in the coming weeks.