Welcome From the Program Director

Welcome to the proposed Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (ONMM) Residency Program at Baptist Memorial Hospital – Desoto (BMH-DeSoto). Thank you for your interest in our program in Southaven, Mississippi. We are very excited about our newly established program (anticipated inaugural class starting July 2025).  BMH-DeSoto is a 339-bed acute care hospital providing a wide range of health care services, including ancillary, cancer care, emergency and surgical, heart and stroke care, women’s and children’s services.  Desoto County Mississippi has become one of the 40 fastest-growing counties in the United States.  We are located 5 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, and surrounded by several smaller communities in north Mississippi. As the 3rd largest city in the state, we have been able to develop a unique ONMM program that gives each resident both urban and rural experiences. Our goal is to provide each learner with the tools they need to practice Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine in any community they choose after graduation.  We are hopeful that our graduate physicians will choose to stay and practice in the Mid-south area, maybe consider joining the Baptist Medical Group team.

The Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine program at Baptist Desoto will offer a great opportunity to work with Family Medicine and Transitional year residents as well as Osteopathic Medical Students from the new Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM) in Memphis with a valuable blend of inpatient and outpatient experiences. Residents will have their continuity clinic in our new Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine clinic on the campus of BMH-Desoto to develop hands-on expertise, while fostering strong interpersonal relationships with patients, staff and faculty. Each resident will have the opportunity to care for patients and receives medical education in both Baptist-owned medical facilities and Baptist’s community partner’s facilities throughout their training. This systematic arrangement will provide each resident with a wide variety of educational opportunities in multiple clinical settings and various patient populations.

In keeping with the three-fold ministry of Christ -- Healing, Preaching, and Teaching -- we offer an outstanding balance of academic learning and hands-on experience while providing quality healthcare to all. We are devoted to developing quality ONMM physicians dedicated to their patients, community, and life-long learning.  The exceptional ONMM physician is one who balances medical expertise, personal well-being, and community leadership. Our unprecedented curricular venture is designed to prepare every resident to be that exceptional physician for the next generation of medicine.

Sincerely,
Kelly D. Halma, DO