Partnership Brings First Family Medicine Resident to Maryland's Eastern Shore
This story is reprinted with permission from the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center
A strong partnership between the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center (ESAHEC), Choptank Community Health, and the University of Maryland Family Medicine Residency Program is creating new opportunities to strengthen the rural healthcare workforce.
From left: ESAHEC Executive Director Lisa Widmaier, Manasi Mahashabde, MD, and Dr. Jordan Burnette, DO.
This summer, the partnership welcomed its first family medicine resident to complete a Rural Health Elective on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Manasi Mahashabde, MD, a Virginia native and second-year (PGY-2) Family Medicine resident, spent three weeks immersed in rural healthcare through Choptank Community Health, gaining valuable insight into the unique needs of Eastern Shore communities.
The elective was designed to provide a systems-level understanding of rural healthcare, including the critical role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
At the Federalsburg Health Center, Dr. Mahashabde deepened her experience in full-spectrum family medicine and built her procedural skills, caring for patients across the lifespan, from pregnant patients and their newborns to adults. She also worked alongside Choptank's Community-Based team, seeing children in the schools and seasonal farmworkers through the mobile health unit, and spent time with a Community Health Worker (CHW) learning how social and economic factors shape health outcomes and access to care for rural patients.
Dr. Mahashabde shared, “The beauty of living and practicing medicine rurally on the Eastern Shore extends beyond its picturesque landscapes; it is found in the deep sense of community, connection, and shared commitment to one another, reflected in the everyday work being done across FQHCs, school-based clinics, and mobile health units. Regardless of one’s future career aspirations, I believe every medical student and resident should have the opportunity to experience rural healthcare firsthand and develop the skills needed to care for patients in these settings. I am incredibly grateful for this fully immersive experience and will carry the lessons I learned with me throughout my career.”
The rotation was precepted by Dr. Jordan Burnette, DO, Family Medicine Physician at Choptank Community Health and recipient of the 2026 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award. Dr. Burnette has mentored numerous University of Maryland School of Medicine students and is widely recognized for his outstanding commitment to clinical education and patient-centered care.
"Hosting our first resident is an important first step toward a rural training track built jointly by Choptank Community Health, the University of Maryland Family Medicine Residency Program, and UM Shore Regional Health” said Dr. Burnette. “If we want physicians practicing on the Eastern Shore, we should train them on the Eastern Shore."
“This initiative represents exactly the kind of partnership needed to address Maryland’s rural healthcare workforce challenges,” said Lisa Widmaier, Executive Director of ESAHEC. “When we give physicians meaningful opportunities to train in rural communities, learn from rural healthcare providers, and understand the unique needs of the patients and communities they serve, we create a stronger pipeline of healthcare professionals who are more likely to choose rural practice. Bringing family medicine residents to the Eastern Shore is an important investment in the future of healthcare access across rural Maryland.”