Medical students join program that encourages them to stay in Rockford after graduation
Integrated Family Medicine Residency Program accepts two medical students
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford welcomed two medical students into the college’s Integrated Family Medicine Residency Program on October 13, 2025. The program was developed to keep medical students in Rockford after graduation in the hope that they will put down roots here and continue to practice in the area.
The first student is Laura Berger, a fourth-year medical student from Lenzburg, Ill. She has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The second fourth-year medical student is Cheyenne Carr from El Paso, Ill. She has a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Both students are expected to participate in the nationwide program that matches medical students to residencies in March and will graduate in May of 2026.
To address the need for more family medicine physicians in the Rockford area, the college started the IFMRP that gives medical students extra training in family medicine and obstetrics while still in medical school. The program also provides a financial incentive to stay in Rockford for their residency training following graduation thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. Since the program began in 2023, five medical students have entered the college’s Family Medicine Residency Program through the IFMRP.