On a warm July morning, Benjamin Balin, M.D., saw his first patient in Wellsboro as part of the new UPMC Rural Family Medicine Residency. By the end of the month, he had cared for dozens more, from newborns to lifelong Tioga County residents. Just an hour west in Coudersport, Nick Ihnatenko, M.D., was doing the same at UPMC Cole. In his first few weeks, he had already seen about 70 patients, an impressive start, said John Boll, D.O., program director, UPMC Rural Family Medicine Residency.
“Nick jumped right in,” said Dr. Boll. “They were short-staffed at the time, so he was immediately able to make a real difference.”
Dr. Benjamin Balin
Drs. Balin and Ihnatenko make up the inaugural class of the residency, which launched in 2022 to help address a growing physician shortage in rural areas. Each doctor spent the first year of training at UPMC Williamsport and is now completing the final two years at UPMC Wellsboro and UPMC Cole. The program was created with the goal of training and retaining family physicians in rural Pennsylvania communities.
“About 20% of Americans live in rural areas, but only around 9 or 10% of physicians work there,” said Dr. Boll. “In our region, many rural doctors are nearing retirement age, and the need for new physicians is urgent.”
To help fill that gap, the residency takes a “place-based” approach, training doctors directly in the communities they’ll one day serve.
“It’s equal in quality to a university setting, but more personal and hands-on,” Dr. Boll said. “It teaches residents to be resourceful, adaptable, and deeply connected to their patients.”
Residents begin their first year at UPMC Williamsport, gaining experience in inpatient care, obstetrics, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. In their second and third years, they move to one of UPMC’s critical access hospitals, UPMC Wellsboro or UPMC Cole, to immerse themselves fully in rural practice.
“When you move out here, you’re not just a resident, you’re part of the care team,” said Dr. Balin. “You see the direct impact of your decisions on patients you might also run into at the grocery store or gas station. It’s meaningful.”
That sense of community is something Dr. Ihnatenko, a Philadelphia-area native, has quickly come to love.
“People have been so warm and supportive,” he said. “They’re excited about the program and what it means for their community. It’s rewarding to know you’re helping fill a real need.”
Outside of work, he has been enjoying the small-town lifestyle, hiking the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, attending high school football games, and chatting with neighbors at community events.
“I said to my wife, ‘You can’t get this anywhere else,’” Dr. Ihnatenko said.
Residents say they’ve felt supported not just by patients but by local businesses and hospital staff, too.
“The communities have just adopted them 100%,” said Dr. Boll. “Everyone understands how important this is.”
Next year, the program will expand to include two residents at each site, meaning more patients cared for and more physicians learning the heart of rural medicine where it matters most. For Dr. Balin and Dr. Ihnatenko, that heart is already clear.
“This experience has reaffirmed everything I love about medicine,” said Dr. Balin. “You’re not just treating patients, you’re becoming part of a community.”
And for Dr. Boll, that’s the program’s greatest success.
“We’re training physicians who will stay, who will build their lives here, and serve their neighbors,” he said. “That’s the future of rural health care and it’s happening right here in north central Pennsylvania.”
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