Transitional Year Residency

Ginger Poulton, MD, MSEd, DipABLM, is board certified in Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine. She is a former educator for Teach for America and a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School. Ginger completed her family medicine residency at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville and joined MAHEC’s faculty in 2013, and has enjoyed working in a variety of roles at MAHEC since then.

Currently she is the Assistant Program Director for the Transitional Year Residency Program, the lead physician for the Community Health Worker Project at MAHEC and the Family Medicine Clerkship Director for the UNC School of Medicine for the Asheville campus. Additionally, she is the Program Director for the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum which is offered to all MAHEC residents.

Outside of work Ginger is an active runner, cyclist and sports enthusiast. She loves adventuring outdoors with her husband and sons in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.

I am a true product of the MAHEC program, having completed my FM residency here in 1987, then joining the faculty in late summer of that same year. I have stayed here due to the fine caliber of the faculty, residents, and staff I have the privilege to work alongside every day.

I did take a one year LOA in the early 1990’s, to spend some time pursuing interests in outpatient care of HIV/AIDs. There I worked with the Family Medicine Department and the ID Department at East Carolina University School of Medicine. I learned a lot, but boy was I ready to return to the cool beauty of these WNC Mountains!

I was born in the Mid South- in Arkansas; and spent my “growing up” years in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri. As the daughter of a preacher and a teacher, I learned the value of education and service, lessons that led both my brother and me into vocations of medicine. After attending college at Arkansas (now Lyon’s) College, I graduated from Medical School at University of Missouri, Columbia, MO., as did my older brother. My brother is now a physician in Chattanooga, TN.

It is a privilege to live and work in this progressive southern community, with a fine medical community that embraces education. We enjoy working for MAHEC and living close by on our “urban farm” where we have a few chickens, a bunny, dogs, and get to experience the joys of being able to walk to good food and fun activities. Outside of work we enjoy traveling, cooking, working in our local church’s community garden and trying to stay fit and healthy. We rejoice in watching our 2 adult children blossom and find their way in the world!

Within MAHEC and Medicine, I find great joy in caring for patients I have now known for MANY years, seeing families grow up into their own families, providing family maternity care, doing and teaching gynecologic procedures, and helping residents and students learn and find their passion in Family Medicine. I am excited by our increased ability to provide international experiences, and our local commitment to providing care to the underserved, through our office and through our community volunteer efforts.

I’ve been fortunate to call WNC home for the past 10 years as a radiologist with ARA Health Specialists. I’m formally trained as a neuroradiologist, but also spend part of my working days in an emergency radiology setting. It’s been tremendously rewarding to be able to participate in the care of so many in our community, and meet great colleagues across a whole breadth of specialties. I can honestly and proudly say that I love what I do. Before landing here, I spent my entire life in various parts of New York State, growing up in Buffalo (go Bills!), studying undergraduate at Cornell, and completing medical school, residency, and fellowship in NYC. Outside of work, I enjoy(ed) traveling across the corners of the world with my wife. Nowadays, I’m in another phase of life where I temporarily traded in plane tickets for car seats and soccer practices with our children. I also enjoy running, having covered 25,000 miles across WNC. My proudest running achievement was finishing the Boston Marathon within the top 2% of all runners.

Primary Location: Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists
Medical School: Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Residency: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Fellowship: Brigham and Women's Hospital

While you or a loved one are receiving care within our hospitals, you may have the opportunity to encounter specialists like me. I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and wanted to be a doctor since the age of 6. I excelled in academics and sports and attended Wake Forest University for undergrad. I then spent a year in Spain through a grant with the Spanish government. I returned to Wake Forest for medical school and fell in love with emergency medicine. I attended the University of Cincinnati (first EM residency in the country) and graduated with aspirations in medical operations and education. I love the outdoors and teaching.

Medical School: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Residency: Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

In 2017, I had the privilege of moving back to Asheville with our growing family to work at Mission Hospital as a Hospitalist, where I have thoroughly enjoyed working as an attending on the hospitalist teaching service with MAHEC residents.

High-quality, evidenced-based patient care and teaching is at the center of everything we do at the Mission Hospital Medicine program and MAHEC. Internal Medicine residents training here will have a unique opportunity to learn from world-class educators at an academic center with state-of-the-art facilities yet still maintain the comfort and support typically associated with smaller community-based residency programs. I enjoy working with residents because of their eagerness to learn and willingness to put themselves out there and ask great questions. This allows me to teach core concepts of medicine that I hope will last a lifetime. Quite frequently I am challenged to refresh my own medical knowledge and to stay up-to-date with the most recent medical literature. Working with residents makes me a better and more well-rounded physician.

Asheville has an amazing combination of access to outdoor activities as well as world-class restaurants, art studios, and music venues, not to mention the opportunity to work in a nationally recognized health system. My hobbies include soccer, hiking, playing with my kids, and a great deal of dad jokes.

I grew up in a small Appalachian town called Olive Hill, KY. My mother went to nursing school as a single mother when I was in middle school. Volunteering in the nursing home where she worked seeded my desire to go into medicine. I was drawn to the human connection and desire to help people.

I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky, supporting myself by working as a Nanny and as a Client Sales Lead at Victoria Secret for four years. It was there that someone introduced me to Osteopathy. I was aligned with the tenets of osteopathy: 1. The body is a unit, the person a unit of body, mind, and spirit; 2. The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and self-maintenance; 3. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated; and 4. Rational treatment is based upon the understanding of the aforementioned principles. I applied to DO schools and happily found myself in another small town in Lewisburg, WV, attending the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.

I completed residency in Wheeling, WV, where I served as chief resident during my fourth year. I have been an assistant adjunct professor for Lincoln Memorial University and UNC Asheville. I love teaching and continuing my own education.

I have been happily married for 15 years. We love to travel and do anything that takes us outdoors, including our pup, Rusty. The mountains of Asheville called us here in 2020 when we needed more tranquility in a chaotic time. We found it here in the mountains.

Boone Marois, MD, is board certified in Family Medicine and seeking board certification in Lifestyle Medicine. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. Boone completed his Family Medicine Residency at MAHEC in Asheville, NC, and joined as faculty in 2024. He decided to stay at MAHEC for the robust community, educational atmosphere, and commitment to treating the underserved. He will be practicing inpatient medicine on the Family Practice Service in addition to outpatient medicine. He will also be assisting Dr. Poulton with the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum while piloting Lifestyle Medicine Group Visits for patients. His other clinical interests include Sports Medicine, Vitamin B12 Deficiency, and Medical Education. Boone and his wife, Lex, are Michigan natives but are putting down roots in Western North Carolina. Boone is an active runner, cyclist, and backpacker with a particular interest in Ultramarathons. Outside of work, you will usually find him on the trails, reading a book, or playing with his two cats.

I was born and raised just down the road in Fletcher, NC. I grew up in a medical family often accompanying my father to the emergency room and even into the OR. I determined that I wanted to be a radiologist around age 9. Best decision of my life. I attended Wake Forest Medical School. Radiology residency and fellowship in interventional radiology were completed at Vanderbilt. I was fortunate to find a job in Asheville and moved back home in July, 1991. My main hobby for the past 30 years has been cutting trees. I am the climber. I also enjoy every minute with my 2 sons fishing, hunting, riding motorcycles and time on the water.

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Transitional Year program at MAHEC. I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and studied Biology and Spanish at UNC Chapel Hill where I pole vaulted for their Track & Field Program – go Heels! I received my Masters degree in Physiology at Georgetown University before completing medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. I am looking forward to heading back to D.C. for my Dermatology residency at George Washington in 2025.

In my free time, I enjoy trying new restaurants and breweries, live music and stand-up comedy shows, and am excited to explore Asheville with my husband and our energetic black lab, Noosa.

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, attended Virginia Tech for my undergraduate studies and then returned to Richmond to join the MSTP program at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a Ph.D. student, I was lucky enough to focus my studies on one of my true passions, the immune effects of radiotherapy and immunotherapy for solid tumors. While in Richmond, I spent my spare time playing sports and music with family and friends and talking their ears off about patient advocacy in clinical trials and trauma informed care. Like so many others, my devoted interest in cancer studies was inspired by a family member and I am thrilled to continue my medical training at The University of Miami as a Resident in Radiation Oncology once my year here at MAHEC is over.

I chose MAHEC because of the people here and because of our shared values. I talked about by interests in clinical trials equity and in trauma informed care education for medical professional and during my interview, MAHEC was the only program to ask me about these. I could not be happier with my choice and I am so grateful to be here in Asheville.

Hey guys! My name is Casey Engel and I’m so excited to join MAHEC for my transitional year before returning to Virginia Tech Carilion for dermatology residency. I’m from Northern Virginia and went to the University of Virginia for undergrad and Virginia Tech Carilion for medical school. I was drawn to MAHEC for its comprehensive clinical training, supportive learning environment, and emphasis on community engagement. I'm passionate about pediatric and women's health dermatology, making MAHEC's diverse clinical rotations, including Ob/Gyn and pediatrics, a perfect fit for my career aspirations.

Outside of medicine, I love to hike and run with my dog Bodo, craft charcuterie boards, cook for friends, and travel. I’m excited to explore the mountains, breweries, and restaurants that Asheville offers!

Hello! My name is Matthew Gallardo. I am originally from Hattiesburg, MS. I graduated from Duke University in Durham, NC with a major in Chemistry and a minor in medical sociology. I then hopped over to Columbus, OH for medical school. I am thrilled to be making my way back to North Carolina for my Transitional Year at MAHEC and Dermatology Training at University of North Carolina!

MAHEC has so much to offer that I am excited to take advantage of during the next year. Opportunities for exposure to a wide variety of disciplines and patients will prepare me well for the rest of my training and broaden my perspective of clinical medicine. From cardiology to surgery to lifestyle medicine to dermatology, I can’t wait to emerge from MAHEC a well-rounded PGY2.

Asheville is also an incredible city that my wife and I have already come to love! I can’t wait to further explore the local hiking, breweries, and restaurants in the area (and quickly figure out which ones are dog friendly for our pup, Olive) as well as spend time in with our cats Frankie and Luna. I also enjoy all things Duke basketball, biking, and finding free time to play video games or watch movies.

My name is Danielle Hanuschak and I am very excited to be joining the MAHEC Transitional Year Program! Originally from the sunshine state of Florida, I completed my undergraduate studies at Florida State University (go Noles!), where I majored in Exercise Physiology. I then attended medical school at Florida International University in Miami. After my transitional year at MAHEC, I will be heading to Vanderbilt to continue my residency training in Diagnostic Radiology.

The Smoky Mountains were the setting for many of my family’s vacations, making Western North Carolina a special place with many great memories. What I love most about Asheville is the breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its vibrant art, music, and culinary scene. During my free time, I enjoy hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding, and tubing down the rivers. I look forward to experiencing everything Asheville has to offer while immersing myself in the excellent clinical opportunities provided by MAHEC

Hello, My name is Saad Jafri and I am so excited to be a Transitional Year resident at MAHEC! I grew up in Hampton Roads, VA, studied biology at Old Dominion University, and attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Following this year I will be traveling to University of Maryland to continue my training in anesthesiology!

In my free time I enjoy spending time outdoors, playing sports, trying new restaurants, watching movies, and going to concerts. I look forward to experiencing all that Asheville has to offer!

Hi everyone! My name is Stephen Kirchner, and I’m thrilled to be completing my transitional year residency at MAHEC. I was born in Washington DC, but grew up in the UK before returning to the states for undergrad, attending Duke University where I studied Biology. I stayed at Duke for an MD/PhD program, studying innate antiviral responses of the skin. After my year here at MAHEC, I’ll head west to University of Washington in Seattle for Dermatology Residency!

I’ve had the privilege of visiting Asheville many times through the years, and knew I’d love to train here. I’m excited to spend time hiking all along the Blue Ridge with my fiancé and dog this year. When not working, I’m often watching sports or playing board games with my family. I’m looking forward to a great year here at MAHEC!

Hi everyone! My name is Carla and I am thrilled to be joining MAHEC for my transitional year before heading to the University of Virginia for anesthesia residency. I am from Charleston, SC and went to Clemson University for undergrad – go tigers! I then returned to my hometown of Charleston to finish medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina. While at Clemson I came to love the Blue Ridge Mountains and hiking, so I’m super excited to get to live in Asheville!

While interviewing for residencies, I loved the emphasis MAHEC had on both inpatient and outpatient services as well as the variety of interesting electives to choose from. In my free time, I love to spend time outdoors, read, and bake! Some of my favorite hobbies outdoors are hiking, running, and playing tennis.

Howdy! I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and moved to the US with my family when I was 6. I grew up in Tennessee and South Carolina and later stayed in SC to major in biochemistry at the University of South Carolina (GO COCKS!). During this time, I worked at a children’s education center, raised money for women’s education efforts in Bangladesh, and learned resilience by rooting for one of the worst teams in the SEC.

I stayed at USC for medical school in Greenville, SC. I discovered a love of radiology through the opportunity to get to help every single specialty in medicine through imaging interpretation. I spent my weekends off in medical school visiting Asheville, and I’m beyond excited I get to stay and do my transitional year here! After my time here in Asheville, I will head to the University of Alabama Birmingham to do my residency training in Diagnostic Radiology!

When I’m not working, you can catch me biking on the beautiful trails around Asheville, furiously competing at pickleball, or unwinding with some of my co-residents at Sierra Nevada. I’m excited to get a chance to provide care for you and your loved ones this year!

My name is Nick Roberts, and I am excited to be completing my Transitional Year at MAHEC. I grew up in Tinley Park, Illinois, and attended Michigan State University. Following graduation, I joined the United States Marine Corps and served as a field artillery officer. After separating from the military, I attended the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, Tennessee. I will be completing my diagnostic radiology residency training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

In my free time, I enjoy fly fishing, swimming, and playing pickleball. I am eager for the opportunity to continue caring for patients across Appalachia.

Hey Guys! My name is Shane Stephenson and I am super excited to be joining the MAHEC Transitional Year program before heading to Wake Forest for my diagnostic radiology residency! I grew up going to summer camp in North Carolina, so I am thrilled to be heading back to the area. I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama before heading to Clemson University for my undergraduate degree. There, I completed my BS in Health Sciences before heading back to Alabama to the University of South Alabama in Mobile for medical school.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors; whether that be fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, running, or biking. I can’t wait to explore Asheville and the surrounding areas over the next year!

Hi everyone! My name is Mara Trifoi, and I could not be more excited to be joining the MAHEC family for my transitional year! I was born in Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania and raised in Wyomissing, PA after my parents moved to the United States when I was six years old. Growing up I enjoyed playing tennis and spending time outdoors. I attended Albright College where I received my undergraduate degree in Biology and discovered my passion for science and service. Following college, I had the opportunity to attend medical school at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA. In medical school, I was drawn to cutaneous oncology and forming long last relationships with patients which lead me to pursue a career in Dermatology.

MAHEC stood out to me for its supportive culture, exposure to rural healthcare, and diverse elective options. With my interest in rural health, I am eager to learn more about the challenges rural communities face and how we can work to improve healthcare access for these communities. I am also looking forward to the Lifestyle in Medicine elective and incorporating it into my future practice!

I am so ecstatic to be moving to Asheville, NC! Outside of the hospital, I enjoy spending my time hiking, running, and playing pickleball.

My name is Katie Weidner and I’m so excited to be part of the Transitional Year program at MAHEC. I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana. I attended Tulane and UVA before graduating from Louisiana State University where I studied mathematics. I also received an MA in liberal arts/linguistics from LSU before attending medical school at LSU New Orleans. I will be staying in North Carolina next year for my diagnostic radiology residency at Wake Forest.

In my free time I enjoy gardening, drawing, hiking, and spending time with my dog, Lily. Growing up, I spent many summer vacations in the Blue Ridge mountains and I’m looking forward to exploring Asheville during the upcoming year.