Train in an environment with a deep commitment to delivering high-quality, safe, and patient-centered care.
Thank you for your interest in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Wellstar Paulding Medical Center.
The mission of our program is to train physicians who will deliver exceptional, compassionate, and evidence-based worldclass health care to the community. Guided by the motto “Neighbors caring for neighbors”, Wellstar Paulding Medical Center is deeply committed to delivering high-quality, safe, and patient-centered care.
Residents will train in a supportive educational environment that emphasizes academic rigor, clinical excellence, scholarly inquiry, community engagement, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Our faculty is committed to your success. Upon residency completion, our graduates will be well-prepared for diverse careers in internal medicine.
We look forward to welcoming our inaugural class of 10 interns in July 2027.
To eliminate conflicts between inpatient and outpatient education, the curriculum is structured in a block of 4 weeks of inpatient rotations followed by 2 weeks of ambulatory time.
During the ambulatory rotation, residents will spend time in both continuity and subspecialty clinics. This block integrates community engagement by incorporating volunteer activities at organizations focused on mitigating social determinants of health.
Individualized educational experiences include electives in Cardiology, Pulmonary, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Oncology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Rheumatology, Research, and Hospital Medicine.
The education of our residents is our highest priority. Didactic sessions provide protected time dedicated to enhancing and enriching clinical skills. In addition to receiving instruction, residents will strengthen their public speaking and teaching skills through regular conference presentations.
(Interspersed throughout the noon teaching hour)
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Our curriculum structure allows for ample research time and opportunities. Residents will receive support and mentorship from faculty, program leadership, a dedicated GME biostatistician, and the Wellstar Research Institute.
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Only applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) will be considered. Applicants must be registered with the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).
What are your application requirements?
Work eligibility
Medical School Eligibility
Applicants must be a graduate or pending graduate of the following schools:
We also accept applications from graduates of a medical school outside the U.S. or Canada who meet at least one of the following requirements:
Yes, we utilize signals to identify applicants with a strong interest in our program.
Applications will be reviewed in a holistic manner.
Dr. Arinze received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Kennesaw State University and her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine, chief residency, fellowship, and chief fellowship in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). During her time at VUMC, she developed a passion for resident education, well-being, and mentorship. She joined Wellstar in 2018 and served in various roles as Core Faculty, Internal Medicine Clerkship Director, Infectious Disease Subspecialty Education Coordinator, and Associate Program Director for Scholarship and Subspecialty Rotations at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and received numerous teaching awards. Dr. Arinze subsequently transferred to Wellstar Paulding Medical Center to serve as the Inaugural Internal Medicine Residency Program Director.
Her professional interests include graduate medical education, HIV medicine, Hospital Medicine, and teaching clinical reasoning. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys, running, traveling, and playing the piano.
Dr. Lucas Hopkins serves as Associate Program Director of Ambulatory Services for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Wellstar Paulding Hospital. He joined Wellstar in July 2020 as an Internal Medicine resident and completed residency training in June 2023. Following graduation, he served as Chief Resident at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital from 2023 to 2024 before transitioning into his role as Core Faculty at the Wellstar Kennestone GME Internal Medicine Clinic.
Dr. Hopkins also serves as the Medical Director of the Wellstar Center for Healthcare Simulation and the Wellstar Anatomical Sciences and Research Lab. He is also a practicing hospitalist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Georgia. His professional interests include resident mentorship, ambulatory medicine, addiction medicine, medical simulation, and physician development. He is passionate about designing innovative educational curricula that equip residents to provide exceptional patient-centered care while developing into future leaders in medicine.
Originally from Greenville, North Carolina, Dr. Hopkins now lives in Atlanta with his wife, two children, a dog, and a cat. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing the banjo, gardening, and is an avid outdoorsman.
Dr. Aidenojie Ihenyen is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician leader with more than a decade of clinical experience in Hospital Medicine and over seven years of healthcare leadership experience. He currently serves as Medical Director of Hospital Medicine at Wellstar Paulding Medical Center, where he collaborates closely with executive and physician leaders to advance quality of care, operational excellence, physician engagement, and patient-centered outcomes. Dr. Ihenyen has been a dedicated member of the Wellstar Paulding Medical Staff for more than nine years. He earned his medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Benin, Nigeria. He subsequently obtained a Master of Science in International Health Policy and Management from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he distinguished himself through academic excellence, leadership, and service. During residency, he received the Certificate of Scholarship Award in recognition of outstanding scholarship and exemplary team commitment and was inducted into the prestigious Gold Humanism Honor Society. A strong advocate for physician leadership development and lifelong learning, Dr. Ihenyen is a graduate of the Wellstar Physician Leadership Academy. He also earned a Certificate in Physician Leadership, jointly awarded by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL). He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), reflecting his commitment to excellence in clinical practice, professionalism, and medical education.
Dr. Ihenyen is passionate about healthcare quality improvement, operational transformation, graduate medical education, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His leadership philosophy emphasizes the development of high-performing teams, continuous process improvement, and the delivery of safe, innovative, and patient-centered care. Through his work in hospital medicine and medical education, he is dedicated to preparing the next generation of physicians while advancing clinical excellence across the Wellstar Health System.
Outside of his professional responsibilities, Dr. Ihenyen resides in Acworth, Georgia, with his wife and three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, mentoring future physician leaders, and serving his local church and community.
Situated in northwest Georgia and within proximity to Atlanta, Paulding County provides a diverse range of opportunities for dining, shopping, entertainment, and outdoor recreation.
