Artesia General Hospital and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Permian Basin have partnered to train family medicine resident physicians in Artesia, New Mexico, beginning July 1, 2026. AGH will serve as a rural training site for the TTUHSC Permian Basin Family Medicine Residency, where residents spend their final years of training in a community setting under the supervision of attending physicians.
This marks a new chapter for Artesia General Hospital. Few rural community hospitals take on the role of training physicians, and stepping into it reflects how far AGH has come in building its capacity to teach. It also carries a real hope for the region: that doctors who learn their craft in a community like ours will choose to stay and build their careers here. The partnership with TTUHSC Permian Basin is built to last, with the goal of welcoming new residents year after year and making AGH a lasting part of how physicians are trained in this part of the state. For a hospital that has served this community since 1939, it is a natural next step.
The two resident physicians, Dr. Zobia Aijaz and Dr. Elmer Carrillo Baro, will gain hands-on experience in a setting that offers remarkable range. For our region, the partnership is an investment in the future of local health care, and a reflection of what a nonprofit, community-owned hospital exists to do.
What Residents Will Experience at AGH
The TTUHSC Permian Basin Family Medicine Residency operates one of roughly 34 rural training tracks in the United States. The program uses what is known as a 1+2 model. Understanding that structure helps explain the experience residents will gain. As a training site within the TTUHSC Permian Basin Family Medicine Residency, AGH becomes part of a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the national body that sets the standards for physician residency training in the United States. That accreditation means residents at AGH train under nationally recognized educational standards, with the same oversight and quality expectations found at major teaching hospitals.
How the 1+2 Model Works
During their first year, residents complete foundational training at a core program site. Then, for their second and third years, they move to a rural training site to complete their education in a community setting. AGH now joins that rural network, which spans communities across West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.
This design is intentional. Residents gain the depth of a larger teaching hospital early on, then apply and broaden those skills where the need is greatest. By the time they finish, they have experienced the full spectrum of family medicine, from the hospital floor to the rural clinic.
For AGH, becoming a training site reflects years of groundwork. In June 2025, the hospital earned accreditation to offer Continuing Medical Education locally. That step strengthened its role as a center for medical learning. Welcoming resident physicians is the natural next chapter in that story.
Why Artesia General Hospital Is a Strong Place to Train
Residents could train anywhere. What makes AGH distinctive is a clinical breadth that is unusual for a hospital of its size. Residents here will not be limited to routine cases. Instead, they will encounter the kind of range that prepares a physician for anything.
Advanced Surgical Technology
AGH operates two robotic surgical platforms, which is uncommon for a community hospital of its size. The Mako system supports orthopedic procedures at the AGH Bone and Joint Center. The recently added da Vinci 5 represents the newest generation of robotic-assisted surgery. For residents, working in an environment with this level of technology means gaining exposure to tools they will encounter throughout their careers.
A Full Range of Specialty Services
Beyond surgery, AGH offers a depth of specialty care that many rural hospitals cannot. Residents will train alongside colleagues in endocrinology, urology, behavioral health, hyperbaric wound care, and sleep medicine. The hospital is also home to the Vibrant Women’s Clinic and a dedicated hospitalist program, which is itself a feature many smaller hospitals lack. Together, this combination of community-based practice and broad specialty exposure gives residents experience that translates to any setting they eventually choose.
Meet the Residents
Two resident physicians will train at AGH, each at a different stage of the program. We are pleased to welcome them to Artesia and to Southeast New Mexico.
Zobia Aijaz, MD
Dr. Zobia Aijaz joins AGH as part of the TTUHSC Permian Basin Family Medicine Residency, where she is in the later stage of her training. She brings a strong academic and clinical foundation to family medicine. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles indexed in PubMed, on topics ranging from hematology and oncology to cardiology and complex clinical cases. Her training has also spanned a wide range of specialties, including cardiology, pulmonary and sleep medicine and psychiatry. That breadth gives her exposure to the conditions family physicians encounter every day. Dr. Aijaz also has a notable record of service, including volunteer work in neonatal resuscitation education and blood bank and clinic care.
Elmer Carrillo Baro, MD
Dr. Elmer Carrillo Baro joins AGH as part of the TTUHSC Permian Basin Family Medicine Residency. He brings an unusually deep well of clinical experience to his training. That includes years providing comprehensive primary, emergency, and community-based care in underserved settings before continuing his medical career in the United States. His background spans the care of pediatric, expectant, and adult patients. It also includes hands-on procedures and community health outreach such as health fairs and screenings. Dr. Carrillo Baro is fluent in Spanish, an asset that will serve many patients and families across Southeast New Mexico.
A Personal Connection to the Mission
For AGH Chief Executive Officer Joe Salgado, MD, the partnership carries personal meaning. Dr. Salgado is a family medicine physician who completed his own training and chose to return to the community he grew up in. He understands, firsthand, what an experience like this can do for a young doctor.
“This is a milestone moment for Artesia General Hospital and for health care in Southeast New Mexico. As a family medicine physician who came home to practice in the community I grew up in, I know what an experience like this can do for a young doctor, and for the patients they will one day serve. We are honored to welcome Dr. Aijaz and Dr. Carrillo Baro, and we are proud to partner with TTUHSC Permian Basin to help build the next generation of physicians for the communities that need them most.”
CEO Joe Salgado, MD
Artesia General Hospital
“This collaboration creates meaningful learning opportunities for resident physicians while also helping address the health care needs of rural communities across our region. It reflects TTUHSC Permian Basin’s mission to train physicians where they are needed most.” said Dr. Ikemefuna Okwuwa, TTUHSC-Permian Basin, Family Medicine Residency Program Director.
Dr. Ikemefuna Okwuwa,
TTUHSC-Permian Basin,
Family Medicine Residency
Program Director.
Growing the Next Generation of Local Physicians
One of the most meaningful things a community hospital can do is help grow its own physicians. That is exactly what this partnership sets out to do.
Research backs up the approach. Family medicine residents who spend at least half of their training in rural settings are five times more likely to practice in rural communities, according to research published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. When a resident spends two formative years in Artesia, they build relationships with patients, colleagues, and the community. Those connections often become the reason a physician chooses to put down roots.
The need is clear. Nearly every county in New Mexico, including those across Southeast New Mexico, is designated as a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area by the federal government. The deeper challenge is retention: research shows that more than 45 percent of the primary care residents New Mexico trains leave to practice elsewhere, a higher rate than the national average. That is what makes where a physician trains so important. Family medicine residents who spend at least half of their training in rural settings are five times more likely to practice in rural communities, according to research published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education. In other words, training physicians in a community like ours is one of the surest ways to keep them here.
The need is clear. New Mexico produces only about 95 new medical residents each year, roughly a third of the per-state national average, even as demand for primary care keeps growing. Most of the state, including Southeast New Mexico, is designated as a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The American Academy of Family Physicians recognizes rural training tracks as one of the most effective ways to address that need.
In other words, training local physicians is one of the surest paths to keeping local physicians. Every resident who trains at AGH represents a step toward a stronger, healthier Southeast New Mexico.
What This Means for Patients
Patients sometimes wonder what it means to be cared for by a resident physician. The answer is reassuring. A resident is a fully qualified physician who has graduated from medical school. They are completing advanced training in a chosen specialty, in this case family medicine.
At AGH, every resident works under the supervision of an experienced attending physician. This means patients benefit from two sets of trained eyes. A resident brings current medical knowledge and energy. An attending physician provides oversight and deep experience. Many patients find that residents spend additional time listening and explaining, which can make care feel more personal.
In short, welcoming residents does not change AGH’s commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care. It strengthens it.
The Path Forward
This partnership is a beginning, not an endpoint. AGH views physician training as a long-term investment in the health of Southeast New Mexico. By becoming a place where physicians learn, the hospital creates more reasons for those physicians to stay. In turn, the community keeps more of the talent it helps develop.
As the program grows, AGH and TTUHSC Permian Basin will continue to share updates with the community. For now, the focus is on welcoming Dr. Aijaz and Dr. Carrillo Baro and giving them an experience that reflects the very best of rural family medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a family medicine residency?
A family medicine residency is a three-year training program that physicians complete after medical school. During residency, doctors gain in-depth, supervised experience caring for patients of all ages before they practice independently.
Will residents treat patients at Artesia General Hospital?
Yes. Residents will help care for patients as part of their training, always under the supervision of an experienced attending physician. Patients receive the benefit of both the resident’s involvement and the attending physician’s oversight.
When do the residents start?
The first residents are expected to begin training at AGH on July 1, 2026. That date aligns with the start of the academic year for residency programs nationwide.
Why is this partnership important for the community?
New Mexico produces relatively few new physicians each year, and much of the state faces a shortage of primary care. Training physicians locally increases the likelihood that they will stay and practice here, which helps address that need over time.
Who can I contact to learn more?
For more information, contact Public Relations Director Khushroo Ghadiali at 915-494-5878 or visit artesiageneral.com.
Artesia General Hospital has cared for Southeast New Mexico since 1939. To learn more about our services, our providers, and our commitment to growing health care close to home, visit artesiageneral.com or call 575-748-3333.