Family medicine residency program faculty

is the program director of our family medicine program. Dr. Ansar graduated from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in 2001, and completed her residency at Columbus Regional Medical Center in 2006. She completed her fellowship at the National Institute for Program Director Development in 2010. She enjoys stargazing, arts and crafts, and any outdoor activity.

is board-certified in Family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute College of Medicine in the Philippines. Prior to relocating to the United States, she practiced as a primary care physician in the Philippines, caring for patients across diverse clinical settings. This experience provided her with a strong clinical foundation, cultural competence, and a deep commitment to delivering compassionate, patient-centered care. She completed her Family Medicine residency at Piedmont Columbus Midtown Family Medicine Residency in Columbus, Georgia. Her leadership and dedication to medical education were recognized through her appointment as Chief Resident, where she championed resident education, quality improvement initiatives, interdisciplinary collaboration, and physician wellness. Dr. Atienza joins the Medical Education Faculty at the Piedmont Columbus Midtown Family Medicine Residency Program, where she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of family physicians. Drawing upon her international medical background, and leadership experience, she is dedicated to fostering clinical excellence, evidence-based practice, compassionate patient care, and lifelong learning. Her goal is to cultivate a collaborative educational environment that equips residents to provide exceptional care to diverse communities with confidence, curiosity, and empathy.

is board-certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. He graduated from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, VA in 2012. Dr. Bury completed his residency at Martin Army Community Hospital in 2015. Dr. Bury served on active duty in the U.S. Army, as faculty and later as Program Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at Martin Army Community Hospital. He completed a fellowship in Leader and Faculty Development at Madigan Army Medical Center, earned his Master of Public Health from the University of Washington, and is an Associate Professor at Mercer University School of Medicine. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with his family.

is the director of Geriatrics education for the family medicine program. Dr. Foster graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in 1986, and went on to complete his residency at Columbus Regional Medical Center in 1986. He completed his fellowship in Geriatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1991 and completed his faculty development fellowship at the National Institute for Program Director Development in 2002. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, gardening, running, raising chickens and herding cats.

graduated from Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College of Ajmer, India in 1998. She completed her residency in Anesthesiology from Ravindra Nath Tagore Medical College in 2003 and her residency in Family Medicine from Columbus Regional Medical Center in 2016. Dr. Kumar enjoys playing board games and watching movies with family, hiking and walking, cooking, exploring the healing power of food and spices, blogging and painting.

is an ABFM board-certified physician in family medicine and ABPM board-certified in addiction medicine after fellowship at Tulane. Stephen earned a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) with concentrations in Epidemiology and Global Health. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM), and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). He completed his residency in family medicine at Piedmont Columbus Regional in 2022 and his fellowship in addiction at Tulane University in 2023. In his spare time, Stephen enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time outdoors with friends and family.

completed his residency in family medicine at Piedmont Columbus Midtown and an Addiction Medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nwaobi is a Ruth Fox Addiction Medicine Scholar and an AAFP Award of Excellence in Graduate Medical Education awardee. He is dedicated to providing comprehensive value-based medical care and the treatment for substance use disorders and related medical complications. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with family and friends, explore new destinations, and watch basketball, soccer and football.

is the Family Medicine Center’s director and associate program director in our program. Dr. Shukla graduated from Government Medical College in Surat, India in 1989. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine in India in 1993 and Family Medicine from Columbus Regional Medical Center in 2012. He enjoys playing and watching cricket, watching movies, and outdoor activities.

graduated from East Carolina University with a specialization in Healthcare Administration. As a dedicated military spouse, she has leveraged her expertise across the United States, contributing to esteemed residency programs at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, Martin Army Community Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia, and Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Elizabeth brings more than a decade of healthcare administration experience, including expertise in graduate medical education, credentialing, faculty affairs, onboarding, compliance, and commencement operations. She enjoys reading the Bible, spending time with her family, and being outdoors.

is part-time faculty in our clinic specializing in Sports Medicine and OMM. He is a graduate of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Virginia and completed his residency in Family Medicine as well as a fellowship in Sports Medicine at Palmetto Health. Dr. Abdullah also serves on faculty at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Auburn where he is Assistant Professor for Family Medicine, OMM and Sports Medicine.

is the associate director of our family medicine program. Dr. Bucholtz graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982, and completed his residency at Martin Army Community Hospital in 1988. Dr. Bucholtz completed his fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill where he focused on faculty development. He enjoys gardening, gadgets, the Steelers, traveling and sports.

is a part-time physician in our family medicine program. Dr. Cobb graduated from Texas A&M College of Medicine in 1984. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Martin Army Hospital at Ft. Benning, GA in 1987 and Fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Hughston Sports Medicine Center in Columbus, GA in 1993. He enjoys playing a variety of sports, gardening and other outdoor activities, and spending time with his grandkids.

has been with Columbus Regional for 55 years. She was around at the inception of the program and continues to oversee and partner with the Program Director, Faculty and Preceptors ensuring that residents and students receive proper training, guidance and support to ensure successful completion of residency requirements. The program benefits from having her as its institutional memory.