Golden Triangle Internal Medicine Residency Program

About the Program

The Department of Internal Medicine at Baptist Golden Triangle in Columbus, Mississippi is dedicated to training residents for careers in general internal medicine or further training in a subspecialty area.

The education structure of the program is centered on patient-based learning, a core schedule emphasizing pathology of disease as well as diagnostic processes and clinical management skills.

Our training program is designed to ensure competency in the key domains, as defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and system-based practice. We are a program that employs, educates and serves our community.

Residents benefit from more hands-on primary care and subspecialty experience through one-on-one work in clinical and community-based settings. Our Internal Medicine residents work within the Baptist Memorial Health Care system and will be fully prepared to practice medicine by mastering the required curricula, disciplines, and technologies to succeed as internal medicine doctors.

GTR Internal Medicine Residency Employee Agreement Draft

Learn More About Columbus, MS

Whether you are sports fan, a historian, or enjoy the outdoors, Columbus and the Golden Triangle area have many activities to offer.

Charming Southeastern town with Southern architecture, good food, a friendly atmosphere
Community located on the river for water sports and fishing
Beautiful PGA golf courses within minutes
SEC sporting events within minutes; Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi and University of Alabama
Columbus, Mississippi is located; 150 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi; 150 miles southeast of Memphis, TN; 100 miles west of Birmingham, AL
Direct jet service by a major airline to Atlanta
No. 6 Best Small Town Cultural Scene in USA Today

Learn more about the area.

Community Based Residency – How are we different?

Much has been said but little has been studied when it comes to community versus institutional-based residencies. The small amount of research on this topic has proven residents perform the same on boards with either training. At an institutional- based residency, residents tend to get more subspecialty exposure, while at a community- based program, there tends to be more hands- on primary care. Both approaches have specific advantages, but Baptist chose to utilize the community-based format as it better supports our system-based values of compassionate care and service; teamwork and trust; innovation and excellence; respect for the individual and the value of diversity.

Baptist Golden Triangle Sample 3-Year Schedule (PDF, 195 KB)

Research

Residents are required to complete at least two scholarly activities during their residency periods: one individual project and one group project. To support this effort, each resident will be assigned a faculty mentor experienced in the completion of published works. These mentors will provide guidance and structure as each resident will progress through a modified Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. Projects will be presented at the local or regional American College of Physicians meeting and within the Baptist system.

Rotations

Medical students have the opportunity to rotate through a clinical service at Baptist Golden Triangle. For more information about clinical rotations, email: IMRes.GT@bmhcc.org.

Benefits

Benefits include Baptist-funded health, vision, and dental insurance, annual paid-time off and sick leave, meals and professional leave for pre-approved meetings.

Baptist Golden Triangle residents enjoy the small, selective nature of the internal medicine program, where they can establish lifelong professional relationships with faculty and other residents.

View our benefits package

How To Apply

The program academic year runs from July to June. Applications to the residency program are accepted through the Electronic Resident Application Service (ERAS).

We participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), which occurs in March each year. Recruited residents can expect to begin their residency periods on July 1, with Orientation beginning one week prior.

Program Requirements

Regardless of location, all prospective residents must meet specific criteria prior to applying for the Baptist Internal Medicine Residency Programs.

Minimum Criteria

Graduation from an LCME or AOA school with:
- USMLE Steps 1 and 2 scores 220 or above; Passing on Step 2 Clinical Skills.
- COMLEX Steps 1 and 2 480 or above; Passing on COMLEX 2 Clinical Skills.
- Will consider for application students with Step 2 Scores pending.
US Citizen or Permanent Resident Status (Green Card) and J1 Visa.
Graduation from medical school must be within last the 4 years.

For more information, contact IMRes.GTR@bmhcc.org

Department of Graduate Medical Education
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle
2520 Fifth Street North
Columbus, MS 39703

Contact Us

Baptist Golden Triangle Internal Medicine Residency Program

2520 5th Street, North
Columbus, MS 39705
662-244-2084
IM.GT@bmhcc.org

Our Faculty

Christopher J. LeBrun, MD, FACP, Program Director

A native of Louisiana, Christopher Joseph LeBrun, MD, FACP is a board-certified physician specializing in nephrology. He earned his medical degree from the Tulane School of Medicine, followed by a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in nephrology at Madigan Army Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, respectively.

During his time at Madigan Army Medical Center as the Chief of Nephrology, Dr. LeBrun was the recipient of the prestigious Meritorious Service Medal, as well as numerous mentorship awards. Following his career at Madigan, he joined the faculty of the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), where he served as the Nephrology Fellowship Director and received the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year award (2005).

A teacher and mentor since 1996, Dr. LeBrun has treated patients in his private practice since 2005, while serving key roles such as Medical Director and as staff nephrologist in Columbus, Mississppi. Widely published, Dr. LeBrun has contributed to research projects and abstracts focused on kidney disease, treatments, and transplant. Likewise, Dr. LeBrun has lectured during Grand Rounds at multiple facilities for more than 20 years.

Christina Collins, MD

Christina Collins, MD is a member of the medical staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Golden Triangle where she serves as the Administrative Assistant program director and is core faculty. Since joining the staff, she has held the following leadership roles: Medical Records Committee – Chairman, 2017-2019; Cancer Committee, 2015-2019; Trauma Committee, 2012-2019; Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, 2013-2015; Vice Chair, Department of Pediatrics, 2012-2013; Infection Control Committee, 2011-2012; and Antibiotic Stewardship Committee, 2010-2011. She is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Collins is a summa cum laude graduate of Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. She received her medical degree from Louisiana State University of Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, where she also completed her residency in Internal medicine and Pediatrics.

Connie H. Scurti, DO, FACOI

Connie H. Scurti, DO, FACOI is a board-certified physician specializing in internal medicine. Dr. Scurti serves as the Assistant Program Director. She earned her medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine followed by a residency in internal medicine at the Ohio Valley Medical Center.

Dr. Scurti also practiced internal medicine at East Ohio Regional Hospital, where she treated patients at both the hospital and her office. She also served as Vice Chair of the Internal Medicine Department. Following her time at East Ohio Regional, she practiced at Sound Physicians and Holzer Hospital. At both East Ohio Regional and Holzer Hospital, she served as a mentor for medical students. She was also a faculty member for the internal medicine residency program at Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Core Faculty Members

Brad Brown, MD

T. Jason Dunn, DO

Ciro Rincon, MD

Peter Tofts, MD

Brad Brown, MD

Dr. Brown is board certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical center in 1984. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Baptist Memorial Hospital in 1988.

T. Jason Dunn, DO

Dr. Dunn received his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi and his medical degree from the University of Health Sciences in Kansas City, Missouri. He completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Alabama, Montgomery where he was voted “Resident of the Year” for 2001-2002. He then completed a fellowship in Nephrology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Dr. Dunn is board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, American Society of Nephrology, Renal Physician’s Association, and the National Kidney Foundation. Dr. Dunn has participated in or currently participating in nine research studies and serves on the medical executive committee at Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle.

Ciro Rincon, MD

Ciro Rincon, MD specializes in pulmonology and critical care medicine. He is board certified in both internal and pulmonary medicine and has published several articles in medical journals. He is a graduate of the Universidad del Zulia Medical School in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey followed by a fellowship in pulmonary disease and critical care at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2018.

Dr. Rincon received the Outstanding Resident Award for both his second and third year of residency in the Department of Medicine, Atlantic Health Systems, Morristown Medical Center. During his first year of residency, he received the Intern of the Month Award in June 2013.

Peter Tofts, MD

Dr. Peter Tofts is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Critical Care. He received his bachelors of science in Biological Sciences from the University of Warwick in Warwickshire, United Kingdom and completed his medical education at Warwick Medical School in Warwickshire. He completed his internal medical internship and residency at Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Weston, Florida and a fellowship in Pulmonary Critical Care at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York, New York.

Dr. Tofts' activities in research, presentations and publication vary while in medical training. His publication can be found in CHEST, Clinical Medicine Thorax, The Internet Journal of Health, Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine as well as presentation at national meetings around the country and abroad. His interests are in interventional pulmonary, critical care medicine, quality improvement and outpatient treatments for chronic diseases.

He is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Physicians, and serves on several medical staff committee boards at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.

Baptist Golden Triangle Internal Medicine Residency Program Residents