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Meet the Faculty
Our program currently employs 10 board-certified Family Medicine physician educators, each with different clinical interests. In addition, we have a full-time Behavioral Scientist on faculty and several community Family Physicians who precept on a part-time basis.
The full-time faculty are responsible for coordinating the educational experience of the residents and helping them acquire the knowledge and diverse skills needed to function as well-rounded primary care physicians in the future. In addition, there are many subspecialty physicians who provide training in their areas of expertise across the many disciplines of Family Medicine
Jenese Reynolds-Gibbs, M.D., FAAFP
Program Director
Dr. Reynolds-Gibbs is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine, and she completed her residency at UIC/Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, IL. After serving as chief resident, she worked as a faculty member in Flint, MI before joining the St. John Family Medicine Residency faculty in 2012. She has a special interest in women’s health including treatment of menopause/perimenopause, pediatrics and herbal medicine. Dr. Reynolds-Gibbs is passionate about resident and medical student education, participating in several committees through Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians.
Rachel O'Byrne, MDCM, FAAFP
Department Chair
Dr. O’Byrne completed her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan before attending medical school at McGill University in Montreal and completed her residency in Milwaukee at University of Wisconsin St. Luke’s Family Medicine. She moved back to Detroit in 2005 and joined the St. John Family Medicine faculty. Dr. O’Byrne’s interests include preventative health, dermatological care, and women’s health. She assumed the role of Chair of the Family Medicine Department in 2016.
Anna Farhat, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Dr. Farhat graduated from St George's Medical school and subsequently from the St. John Hospital Family Medicine residency program in 2015. She went on to work in private practice in Metro Detroit for 2 years. She has special interests in pediatrics, women's health, integrative medicine, and office procedures. She has been awarded “Mom-approved doc” by MetroParent 2 years in a row.
Jeanette Wilson, M.D.
Assistant Program Director
Dr. Wilson graduated from St. George's University School of Medicine and completed her residency at St. John Hospital Family Medicine residency program in 2018. She joined the faculty at our program after residency. Dr. Wilson practices both inpatient and outpatient Family Medicine, and her practice interests include pediatrics, adult medicine, women's health, and acute care. She has a passion for educating residents and medical students and participates in teaching hands-on workshops through Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and Wayne State University SOM.
Essa AlSharif, DO
Faculty
Dr. Alsharif graduated medical school from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee which is nestled in the Cumberland Gap of the Appalachian Mountains. He completed his residency through Hamilton Clinic by way of Michigan State University before completing a Community Medicine Fellowship with Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. He practiced in medical groups in Michigan then Florida before making his way back to Michigan to be near family. Excited to work in the academic sector now, Dr. Alsharif has special interests in addiction medicine, lifestyle medicine, public health as well as serving patients with high socio-economic needs. He loves educating residents and medical students alike. He emphasizes the human connection we should have with our patients, meeting them where they are.
Barry Scofield, M.D.
Faculty
Dr. Scofield has been a faculty member since 1998 and graduated from this program. He previously had completed an OB/GYN Residency in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where he practiced for 12 years. During that period, he also practiced in an emergency room once a week. Dr Scofield currently has a full balanced family practice. He is also very interested in office procedures for which he provides hands-on experience to students and residents at the Masonic site.
Kwame Francis, M.D.
Faculty
Dr. Francis grew up on the Caribbean Island of Antigua, received his medical education at Wayne State University in Detroit and subsequently did his residency training at St. John Providence Hospital. He has a passion for healing surpassed only by his passion for prevention. Dr. Francis takes a holistic, spiritually centered approach to medicine, caring for patients within the context of their families and social settings. Patient care is tailored to each patient’s specific needs, and much care is taken to listen to the patient’s concerns. He believes in empowering individuals and spends time educating patients, students, and residents. His passion for teaching lends itself well to his role as coordinator for the simulation curriculum and the Community Medicine rotation.
Chandrika Iyer, M.D.
Faculty
Dr. Iyer graduated from Calcutta Medical College, India. She did her residency in OB/GYN in India and then in Family Medicine at Ascension St. John Hospital. She joined the program in 2000 and currently is the Medical Director at the Masonic Medical Center. Her special interests are women’s health issues, office procedures, and urgent care. Dr. Iyer completed a faculty development program at the University of Michigan.
Veena Panthangi, M.D.
Faculty
Dr. Panthangi completed her Geriatric Medicine fellowship at University of Michigan and her family medicine residency at St. John Hospital. While working with patients in clinics, hospitals, and long-term care settings, Dr. Panthangi values a patient-centered approach, collaborating closely with families and care teams to ensure thoughtful, personalized treatment at every stage of aging. She is Board certified in Geriatric and Family Medicine and has been serving as a clinical instructor with the group since 2007.
Emily Tallent, DO
Faculty
Dr. Emily Tallent graduated from University of Colorado Denver with a bachelor's in science before attending medical school and graduating from Rocky Vista University in Colorado with a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine. She completed Family Medicine residency training in Fort Collins, Colorado and subsequently practiced full spectrum family medicine in rural Colorado prior to relocating to Michigan where she is originally from. Dr. Tallent has particular interest in osteopathic medicine, OB care including labor and delivery, treatment of substance use disorder, and medical education and teaching.
Lindsey Hunt, Ph.D.
Behavioral Science Faculty
Dr. Hunt received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2019. She went on to complete a fellowship in Health Psychology and Medical Education at Ascension Genesys in 2020. Dr. Hunt has clinical experience working with all ages both therapeutically and completing psychological assessments and worked with patients undergoing bariatric surgery for two years. Her interests include physician wellness, health equity, brief mental health interventions, parenting interventions, behavior change and patient centered communication. She is passionate about working with residents on ways to engage patients in their own care, fostering conversations about lifelong physician wellness and supporting resident research efforts.