ARH Residency Program Celebrates 100% Board Pass Rate For 2nd Consecutive Year

NEWS RELEASE - October 26, 2026

ARH Residency Program Celebrates 100% Board Pass Rate For 2nd Consecutive Year

Lexington, KY - Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) announces that all eight members of the 2026 ARH Internal Medicine Residency Program class have successfully passed their board certification exams on their first attempt. This marks the second consecutive year with a 100% pass rate.

Passing boards on the first attempt is considered a significant accomplishment in the medical field. A strong board pass rate demonstrates residents' dedication, the quality of a residency program's training and education, and that prospective residents will receive a rigorous, supportive clinical experience.

"We are incredibly proud of our graduating residents," said Dr. L. Bart Francis, ARH Internal Medicine Program Director and board-certified internal medicine physician. "Research has shown that patients cared for by board-certified physicians often have better health outcomes."

Dr. Jordan Kirk is currently a hospitalist at Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center in her local community. Dr. B. Clay Nickles will continue practicing in the mountains he has always called home. Their career paths represent the program's mission to train talented physicians who remain in the region to care for local patients.

"It has been a privilege to walk alongside these physicians through residency, and I could not be prouder of them," said Tammy Allen, ARH Designated Institutional Official.

Please join us in congratulating the ARH Internal Medicine Residency Program Class of 2026 as they begin making an important impact on the health of the communities they serve.

ARH Residency Program Class of 2026

Mahera Hasan, MD

Amna Khan, MD

Jordan Kirk, DO

Brian Clay Nickles, DO

Shivendra Tangutoori, MD

Anusha Tipparthi, MD

Mustafa Turab, MD

Brendan Whittaker, DO

###

About Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH)
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) traces its roots back to 1955, when the United Mine Workers of America opened the Miners Memorial Hospital system - a network of 10 hospitals dedicated to providing care throughout the coalfields of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Seventy years later, ARH has grown into a 14-hospital not-for-profit health system that serves more than 500,000 residents of central Appalachia each year. ARH hospitals in Barbourville, Harlan, Hazard, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky, and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, ensure that residents, tucked away in even the most remote areas, can access the highest quality of care without traveling hours from home. ARH's hospitals, clinics, multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores, retail pharmacies, and medical spas boast more than 6,700 employees with a network of more than 1,300 providers, making it the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.