Specialty: Family Medicine with Prenatal Care
Medical School: SUNY Health Sciences Center at Syracuse
Residency: Tripler Army Medical Center
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
"Ahhhh, Hawaii was nice, but Williamsport wins hands-down when it comes to Family Medicine education," states Dr. Verzella, who has been a full-time teacher since graduating from residency in 1985. He has been teaching here since 1989, after four years at Ft. Bragg, N.C., in the Army Family Medicine Residency program there. He continues to teach and has now assumed the role of Program Director. Of major interest is his development of clinical templates for patient care and documentation, billing, and coding. In his free time (what free time?), Dr. Verzella is an avid sports fan and amateur astronomer.
Specialty: Family Medicine with Obstetrics
Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine, American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
In the Spring of 2015, Dr. Kirschner headed to Williamsport to start her residency training in family medicine and she’s still here! She fell in love with the comradery within the residency, the scope of practice offered in family medicine locally, and the town of Williamsport. The training she received during residency allowed her to be comfortable teaching and practicing in all aspects of family medicine. She especially loves the obstetrical part of her practice where she can form relationships with moms, help them bring their children into the world, and then watch their children grow. She also enjoys working in teams focused on innovating and improving the residency and became Associate Program Director in 2021.
Outside of her passion for medicine, Dr. Kirschner enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and their two cats watching Philadelphia sports teams. She loves traveling to Cape May to spend time with extended family and enjoys cooking and baking.
Specialty: Family Medicine
Medical School: UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Residency: UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
A 1991 graduate of the Williamsport Family Medicine Residency Program, Dr. Anderson worked at Loyalsock Family Practice in Williamsport for 22 years. During that time she kept involved in the residency program by working as an outpatient preceptor and colposcopy instructor for the residents. She then transitioned to full-time faculty within the residency program and is now an Associate Medical Director. Dr. Anderson cares for patients of all ages, seeing patients in nursing homes and making home visits. Her favorite parts of “family doctoring” have been the time spent delivering babies, and then babies to those babies! She now enjoys caring for two, three and four generations of families. She is especially passionate about women's health issues, interconception care, 4th trimester care, lifestyle medicine and geriatrics/end-of-life care, but she truly enjoys all aspects of family medicine. When not at work, Dr. Anderson keeps very busy with her family. She and her husband have four grown children—one of whom decided to accept a position to teach in a family medicine residency program! Also very involved in her church, Dr. Anderson volunteers in the health ministry department by teaching healthful cooking classes and leading out in seminars such as Diabetes Undone, singing in the church choir, and serving as the head deaconess coordinating care for those in need. She also enjoys traveling, gardening, and biking.
Specialty: Family Medicine with Prenatal Care
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Residency: St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program--Utica
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Dr. Boahene is a native of New York but feels right at home in Pennsylvania! After completing her Master of Public Health degree, she spent 5 years managing clinical research projects in Philadelphia at both The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania. Prior to that, she worked as a medical reporter in Washington, DC. She joins the faculty after completing medical school and residency in Upstate New York. While there, she gained vast clinical experience working with a diverse, primarily limited English proficiency, as well as foreign born/refugee patient population. As a result, Dr. Boahene is a strong advocate for health equity and has research interests in eliminating health disparities and improving maternal-child health. Her philosophy is that family medicine is a “team sport” and its foundation requires excellent communication between patients, families, and clinical providers. In this context, Dr. Boahene enjoys practicing traditional outpatient along with inpatient medicine and prenatal care. When she is not working, you will find her relaxing with family and friends, traveling, or pursuing hobbies in culinary arts, writing, music and dance.
Specialty: Family Medicine with Prenatal Care
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Dr. John Boll is a native of Pennsylvania who joined the faculty after working in an underserved setting in eastern Tennessee for ten years. While practicing in a town of 1,500 people, Dr. Boll was able to care for a broad range of medical conditions from newborn and obstetric care to providing home visits and end-of-life care. He also was very involved in the management of a community health center and directed a community garden on his property in Tennessee. He brings this broad experience to the residency and can offer a different perspective in regards to providing medical care from this experience. Dr. Boll enjoys providing care to the entire family and has seen the value of developing meaningful relationships with his patients. Building these relationships enables patients to trust the medical care provided and for the physician to better tailor evidence-based care to the needs of the patient. In addition, Dr. Boll likes to read and research medical questions and is always looking for ways to improve his patient's’ care. Apart from his activities in the residency, Dr. Boll and his wife, Jennifer, have five children who are active in music and sports.
Matthew Groff, MSW, LCSW – Assistant DirectorSpecialty: Behavioral Health
Education: Marywood University – Master of Social Work
Prior to joining the faculty at UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency, Matt has been practicing psychotherapy for over 15 years. He has worked in various hospital systems, community mental health agencies, and private practices with clients facing a range of mental health concerns. His approach is nonjudgmental, experiential, warm, humorous, gentle, accepting, and empathetic. Matt encourages an environment that is supportive, open, and allows people to lean into their experiences. He strives to assist others to be comfortable and forthright about their thoughts and feelings, and to make important changes that move them towards an enriched, full, and meaningful life. He values helping others to develop a new relationship with themselves and their various emotional, psychological, and behavioral experiences. He allows a safe and supportive environment for others to feel heard, understood, and validated. Matt takes a holistic approach when working and considers the entirety of each patient’s interconnected experiences. His areas of interest include emotional disorders, family systems, primary behavioral health integration, and clinician resiliency and well-being.
When not working, Matt enjoys quality time with his son, meditation, exercising, learning as much as he can, and a solid nap (which can be both intentional or unintentional, but highly recommended after all that work and play).
Specialty: Family Medicine and Prenatal Care
Medical School: Jefferson Medical College
Residency: Forbes Health System
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Preventive Medicine - Clinical Informatics
Dr. Heilmann's initial practice experience was in a small town in northwestern Pennsylvania—in a setting so rural that there was even a hitching post behind the office for patients to tie their horses to. That rural setting provided an opportunity to practice the full spectrum of family medicine, from delivering babies (some at home) to fracture management, to making house calls, performing office surgery and visiting nursing homes. Dr. Heilmann brings all of those experiences and skills to the residency; many of his precepting sessions and mini-lectures begin with the words "Well, when I was back in private practice." Lest it be said that he is just an "old-fashioned country doctor," however, he also has a keen interest in evidence-based medicine and coordinates the residency's Journal Club to teach and explore EBM principles and practices in detail. Dr. Heilmann has also been very active in designing computer programs for teaching and for automating various residency functions, and he serves in the role of CMIO for the Susquehanna Health Medical Group.
A '79 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Heilmann is a die-hard Fighting Irish fan (is there any other kind?); experienced residents know to tread lightly around him on Fall Mondays if the Irish have had a bad Saturday on the gridiron. Dr. Heilmann also puts the "family" in family medicine; he and his wife, Susie, are the proud parents of seven children. He is active in the Knights of Columbus; local community theatre; and a lector, cantor, and choir member at St. Ann Church. Dr. Heilmann has been very involved in organized medicine at the state and national level, having served for years on the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians board of directors and as chair of the Residents and Student Affairs Committee. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP).
Specialty: Family Medicine with Obstetrics
Medical School: Temple University School of Medicine
Residency: MAHEC Hendersonville Rural Family Medicine Residency Program
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Dr. Kaderli came to our residency program after serving as a faculty member in Western North Carolina, where he found a passion for academics and full-spectrum family medicine. He grew up in South Central Pennsylvania and returned to the state in 2020 to become a faculty member at UPMC Williamsport. He was specifically drawn to our program due to our commitment to full-spectrum practice, our commitment to the underserved and our community, and our emphasis on education and innovation.
Dr. Kaderli is passionate about advocating for the expansion of the scope of practice for family doctors nationwide, but especially in rural and underserved areas. He particularly enjoys the opportunity to practice inpatient medicine, obstetrics, and to teach a collection of motivated and talented residents. His areas of interest in academics include digital content creation, video curriculum development, and ultrasound.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Kaderli spends his free time with his wife, Kristin, chasing around their two children, and is an avid sports fan, cinephile, and lover of Thai cooking.
Specialty: Family Medicine
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Residency: UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Dr. Pham grew up and attended college in the greater Philadelphia area. He developed an interest in primary care during his time at Penn State Hershey Medical Center’s College of Medicine. After completing his family medicine residency at Williamsport in 2011, he decided to move back to central PA to work at a federally-qualified health center look-alike in Carlisle. Although he enjoyed his time there, he missed practicing inpatient medicine in an academic setting and interacting with residents and medical students. For these reasons, he enthusiastically accepted a faculty position at the Williamsport Family Medicine Residency in 2014.
Dr. Pham’s professional interests include practice management, preventative, and underserved medicine. Besides spending quality time with his wife and four children, he also enjoys music and sports. Over the past few years, Dr. Pham has also developed an interest in carpentry and home renovation.
Specialty: Family Medicine
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Residency: UPMC Williamsport Family Medicine Residency
Board Certification: American Board of Family Medicine
Dr. Tse was born and raised in Hong Kong, but has called Pennsylvania home for more than half his life. His passion for broad-spectrum family medicine burgeoned in medical school, during which he spent his clinical years in Danville, PA. This was solidified during residency right here in Williamsport, where he had the privilege to provide continuity of care for patients of all ages, and across multiple settings — from the clinic to inpatient units, and from the nursery to nursing homes. He strongly believes that the cornerstone of primary care is family medicine, and feels very fortunate to serve as faculty in a residency that shares the same philosophy.
Dr. Tse's professional interests include practice management, global health equity, and evidence-informed medicine. His academic focus include clinical content/resource development for digital platforms and multimodal teaching.
Outside the walls of the hospital, Dr. Tse is an avid traveler and a fervent foodie. Don't be surprised if you find him jetting off to Madrid for the weekend, searching for the best beyran on the East Coast, or doing a deep dive into the surprisingly dynamic food scene of Williamsport.
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