South Central Regional Medical Center’s Graduate Medical Education Program welcomed its newest class of internal medicine residents, commemorating their arrival with a White Coat Ceremony held today at the main SCRMC campus.  

The ceremony featured brief presentations from hospital officials and introductions of the GME faculty and teaching physicians. It also included the official presentation of white coats for all residents. 

“I’m excited to be in a community that has shown me so much love from the start. I’m really honored to be here, and I’m really excited to join a wonderful healthcare team and be a part of taking care of the people of Mississippi,” incoming resident Chauncey LaBoo, MD, MPH, said.  

In addition to LaBoo, other residents include So Jung Kim, DO; Muneeba Syed, MD; Roshni Ramachandran, MD; Ihtesham Shafiq, MD; Mustafa Al Batryni, MD; and Caitlin Lean, MD.  

The event drew a sizable audience of SCRMC physicians and employees, along with state and local officials and supportive community members.  

South Central first began its Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2025, making this year’s class the second group of residents chosen to attend the organization’s three-year program. Throughout their residency, participants will rotate through a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, gaining hands-on experience and learning directly from attending physicians at the bedside. 

“This event represents significant growth for our program, bringing our total number of residents to 20,” Designated Institutional Official, Deepu Thoppil, MD, said. “Each of these physicians completing their training brings their own unique set of skills, experiences and talents to our organization, which ultimately allows us to better serve our community.” 

The addition of this new class strengthens SCRMC’s commitment to investing in the future of medicine and expanding advanced clinical training opportunities statewide.