Family Medicine Residency Program Overview

What is Special About the Specialty of Breadth?

The specialty of breadth -  Why do we become family physicians?  Is it the rush of adrenaline with a midnight delivery?  Is it the satisfaction of relationships formed over years of diligent care?  Is it the challenging spectrum of chief complaints that present each day?  What about the anguish of accompanying a family through diagnosis and treatment of terminal illness?  Is it the ability to move from private practice, to group practice, to academic practice?  To practice in the office, the hospital, neither or both?  The answer to all of these is yes - the career of a family physician is not a destination, but a journey.  We hope you choose to join us in Chattanooga to begin your journey as a family physician.

History of Our Program

Founded in 1995 by our chair, J. Mack Worthington, with the goal of bringing the ideals of family medicine to the campus of a tertiary care medical center, our department has not wavered in its determination to offer broad, evidence-based training to our residents and medical students.  Over the past 16 years our faculty has expanded to include individuals certified not only in family medicine but also obstetrics, geriatrics, hypertension, mental health, addiction medicine and sports medicine.   

The UT Family Practice Center in Chattanooga

Since moving from its temporary site at the local health department the Department of Family Medicine has been housed in the UT Family Practice Center, a freestanding 36,000 square foot facility adjacent to Erlanger Medical Center with a patient population that exceeds 25,000.  We have on site capabilities to do xray, ultrasound, laboratory testing, EKG, audiometry, and spirometry.  Our procedure suites allow us to perform endoscopy and colposcopy.  Faculty members perform vasectomy, circumcision, dermatologic excisions, injections of both large and small joints, as well as dermatologic procedures and intrauterine device insertions. The UT Family Practice Center is also home to the student health clinic and the university sports medicine program for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, an exciting new venture for both our department and our practice.

The Department of Family Medicine sponsors two training programs, the Family Medicine Residency and the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship.  The Family Medicine Residency Program offers six positions for each of the three years of training.  The Geriatric Medicine Fellowship is a one year fellowship program offering additional experience and training in geriatric medicine.  Applicants for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship should be in their last year of, or have already completed, a Family Medicine or Internal Medicine Residency.

Patient Care

Are you a patient seeking a primary care physician?

Our office is centrally located at East Third Street and Central Avenue, just off the Erlanger campus. We currently accept most insurance plans in both our resident and faculty practices.  All care administered by our resident physicians is provided under the supervision of a board certified attending physician.  Please contact us with questions, or to schedule an appointment, at (423) 778-8837 or Visit our Practice Website