North Oaks Health Graduates First Class of Transitional Year Residents

North Oaks Health celebrated a major milestone Friday, June 12, with the graduation of the inaugural class of its Transitional Year Residency Program, part of the organization’s expanding Graduate Medical Education (GME) initiative.

The ceremony, held at Tope La Catering’s Ruby Room in Hammond, honored seven physicians who completed the rigorous one-year program designed to provide broad clinical training before advancing into specialty residencies and other areas of advanced medical education.

Members of the first graduating class are pictured above with Transitional Year Residency Program Director Abir Abdo, MD, and President/CEO Michele K. Sutton, FACHE. Clockwise from left, they include Jumoke Cadmus, DO; Shannon Deckert, DO; Navid Hasani, MD; Jacob Seabaugh, DO; Ololade Omole, MD; and Janson Nguyen, DO. Not pictured is Ming Huo, MD. During their training, the graduates gained hands-on experience across multiple clinical disciplines while caring for patients throughout the North Oaks Health system. 

“The graduation of our first Transitional Year residents is a proud and historic moment for North Oaks Health,” affirms North Oaks President and CEO Michele K. Sutton, FACHE. “These providers represent the future of healthcare in our region and beyond. By investing in graduate medical education, we are helping develop highly skilled physicians while ensuring future access to quality healthcare for the communities we serve.”

Abir Abdo, MD, Transitional Year Residency Program Director for North Oaks Health, adds, “Our graduates have demonstrated exceptional dedication, professionalism and compassion throughout their training. We are proud to have played a role in preparing them for the next phase of their medical careers.”

North Oaks Health welcomed the inaugural class of Transitional Year residents in July 2025. Throughout the program, residents rotated through key specialties including cardiovascular disease, emergency medicine, family medicine, otolaryngology, internal medicine and hospital medicine, receiving comprehensive clinical training at North Oaks Medical Center and other facilities across the North Oaks Health organization.

The graduation program featured welcome remarks from Sutton; leadership remarks from Dr. Abdo; and the conferring of diplomas and presentation of awards led by Saleta Costanza, who is Vice President of Graduate Medical Education and Designated Institutional Official for North Oaks Health.

Four awards were presented during the ceremony to recognize exceptional excellence among residents and faculty. Dr. Navid Hasani was named Resident of the Year, while Dr. Shannon Deckert received the Professional Development Award, and Dr. Ololade Omole was honored as the North Oaks Mission Champion. S. Tahseen Rab, MD, a nephrologist, was recognized as Faculty Member of the Year for outstanding commitment to resident education and mentorship. These honors highlight the dedication, professionalism and compassionate care demonstrated by both residents and faculty to North Oaks Health’s mission: improving lives. every time. every touch.

Costanza notes that the graduation reflects the continued growth and success of North Oaks Health’s GME initiative. “Our residency programs are designed to foster clinical excellence, collaboration and compassionate patient care,” Costanza said. “Watching these residents grow into confident physicians over the past year has been incredibly rewarding, and we look forward to continuing to expand opportunities for medical education at North Oaks Health.”

North Oaks GME program achieved initial accreditation as a sponsoring institution from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in July 2022. Currently, the program offers residencies in internal medicine and transitional year.

By 2030, the North Oaks Health GME program is expected to train up to 80 physicians at any given time, with additional residency programs in emergency medicine and family medicine planned in the coming years.

North Oaks Health will welcome its second class of Transitional Year residents in July 2026, continuing its commitment to educating the next generation of physicians while strengthening the Northshore’s healthcare workforce.

To learn more about residency opportunities at North Oaks Health, call (985) 230-6770.