Dear Prospective Colleague,
Welcome to Altoona Family Physicians! Since 1975, (For over 50 years) AFP has been a leader in family medicine education with an outstanding national reputation for education, leadership, and producing well-rounded family physicians. I am excited to offer you the opportunity to explore our family medicine residency program.
Under the direction of UPMC Graduate Medical Education, I am honored to have been appointed as program director effective February 17, 2025.
I bring a unique combination of qualities and experiences to the role. I am a 2020-2021 graduate of UPMC Altoona Family Physicians. During my training, my passion was for the rural setting, with my continuity patients being at our rural Williamsburg office. I served as Chief Resident of the family medicine residency during the PGY2 and PGY3 levels. During the Covid Pandemic, I took the lead role to ensure outpatient and inpatient schedules were able to keep up with patient demands. My leadership skills were further enhanced in my clinical leadership roles during my Obstetrics fellowship at Spartanburg Regional Health System in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I have also served as a residency faculty member at Penn State College of Medicine's Family and Community Medicine Residency Program and enjoy the opportunity to teach aspiring physicians. I am excited to teach as well as direct in the graduate medical education environment. I envision the opportunity to continue my passions of operative obstetrics, osteopathic education, administration, research and Women's Health.
It is fortunate that our former program director for the previous 18 years, Dr. Donald Beckstead, M.D., FAAFP, remains as a mentor as well as a faculty member. It is my distinct pleasure to follow him in offering leadership to an accomplished group of seasoned faculty and highly qualified residents.
I wish to continue our commitment of excellence, dedication to education, and focus on resident development. This level of excellence has been continuously earned by the exceptional residents who make AFP great. In fact, many of these residents have chosen to remain in the area, and over 80% of the family physicians in the Altoona area are AFP graduates. We also have several graduates on our hospitalist staff, and many of our graduates have pursued fellowships in specialties such as Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Sports Medicine, Obstetrics, and others.
Having been trained by many of our faculty members, I can confidently say that they are second to none in their commitment to the residents and their education. We are on the cutting edge of educational innovation and are constantly evaluating and improving our curriculum. Resident feedback is important to us and guides all of our decision making.
From a generous salary and benefits package to an emphasis on trainee wellness, our residency program provides trainees with the time and support to focus on their education. I am sure you will find that Altoona is a great place to work and live, and I am proud that you are considering AFP as part of your future. I look forward to meeting you, and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Kathleen E. Woods, D.O.
Program Director
UPMC Altoona Family Physicians Family Medicine Residency