Residency Program Members Selected for National and Local Leadership, Advocacy Roles

Three members of Highland Family Medicine’s Residency Program, Soumya Sridhar, M.B.B.S., M.Sc., Scott Hartman, M.D., and Prabjot K. Batth, M.D., have been selected for leadership and advocacy roles in national and local organizations.
Dr. Sridhar was chosen as one of only 21 academic family physicians for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine's 2024 Leadership Training for Residency Learning Networks. The networks are composed of multiple family medicine residency programs working together to accomplish mutually agreed upon objectives and obtain or create new knowledge.

“It is an honor to be selected for this prestigious group,” Dr. Sridhar said. “DFM’s strength in interdisciplinary care and our ability to provide excellent educational opportunities for residents certainly helped in my selection.”

According to Dr. Sridhar, the networks’ ultimate goals are to reduce health disparities and improve patient outcomes. Next steps will include defining quality metrics and best practices to improve on those metrics, as well as determining other family medicine programs to collaborate with.

“We are fortunate to offer residents an excellent educational experience here,” Dr. Sridhar added. “Residency learning networks give us the opportunity to provide additional educational opportunities to our existing robust clinical curriculum.”

Hartman to Become Medical Society’s First Openly Out President

When Scott Hartman becomes President of the Monroe County Medical Society (MCMS), he will become the organization’s first openly out president. He was elected to lead the organization during 2025-2026.

“While the MCMS has had a long history of including women and people of color in board and committee leadership, there hasn’t been as much of an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community in leadership roles,” Dr. Hartman said. “I believe that my election is a sign that the MCMS is advancing equity and inclusion among all people.”

Dr. Hartman became involved in the MCMS to pursue opportunities to help make health care experiences better for patients and for clinicians at the same time. As president, he plans to continue advancing the Medical Society’s initiatives to eliminate race-based medicine.

He also wants to help young people see the value in organized medicine and in participating in organized medicine. “I will be encouraging younger physicians to become MCMS members,” he said.

Batth Extends Advocacy Work as MCMS Resident Member

While Dr. Hartman will assume the MCMS role in 2025, Prabjot K. (“P.K.”) Batth is currently serving as a resident member of the organization.

This position provides the opportunity to speak up on policy and other discussions from a resident’s perspective. “When it comes to policy changes, residents can sometimes be overlooked,” Dr. Batth said. “Through this membership, residents have a seat at the table to voice concerns and be a part of the discussion.”

Dr. Batth’s MCMS work parallels her involvement with the Residency Program’s Political Advocacy and Leadership Track (PALT). Through PALT, which has been offered for two decades, residents develop advocacy skills to assume leadership roles in improving the healthcare system.

Dr. Batth is concentrating in sports medicine and its impact on mental health. She is particularly interested in decreasing gun violence, which can be a factor affecting mental health. Participation in organized sports can help improve people’s mental health, and it could have an impact on decreasing the amount of gun violence because sports provide an outlet. Dr. Batth is currently working on an abstract about how sports affect suicide rates.

“I am so proud of Soumya, Scott, and P.K. for their selections in these national and local positions,” said David C. Holub, M.D., FAAFP, Program Director, Family Medicine Residency. “I know that they are representing – and will continue to represent – DFM well and share with us what they learn and contribute. Their leadership and advocacy work will benefit DFM, Highland, and our patients.”
 

4/3/2025