Ponce Health Sciences University Program

Family Medicine Analyst Verified · Oct 14, 2026

Ponce Health Sciences University Program

Ponce Health Sciences University Program is a residency program specializing in Family Medicine, located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, directed by Waleska Pietri, MD and coordinated by Mrs. Ana M Maldonado, MS.. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at [email protected] or (787) 840-2575 x5757. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

A three-year, ACGME-accredited residency sponsored by Ponce Health Sciences University, which presents it as the first rural family medicine residency in Puerto Rico, operating within the university's clinical enterprise alongside its dermatology, orthopedic surgery and psychiatry programs. It offers four positions per year. Clinical training is distributed across affiliated hospitals including Hospital de Damas, Hospital Episcopal San Lucas, Hospital Menonita de Coto Laurel, Mayaguez Medical Center and Hospital Castaner. Rotations span inpatient family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics and critical care, together with cardiology, dermatology, rheumatology, nephrology, orthopedics, urology and otolaryngology, plus community medicine, behavioral health, health systems management and elective time. Faculty are drawn from the sponsoring university's family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine and surgery groups.

Who it fits

An applicant fluent in both Spanish and English who intends to practice primary care in rural, medically underserved Puerto Rican communities.

Research intensity

Moderate; the program names involvement in family medicine research as part of how it develops physicians, under a university sponsor, without describing a required scholarly product.

Career orientation

Primary Care / Community Practice.

Important

The program states that applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents, must obtain provisional Puerto Rico medical licensure, must have passed USMLE Step 2, must hold ECFMG certification if internationally trained, and must be proficient in both Spanish and English.

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