Episode 5: Maria Westerfield ’15
Dr. Maria Westerfield, MD is a graduate of the University of North Georgia, class of 2015. During her time there, she was actively involved on campus in the Honors Program and served as a Resident Assistant and biology lab TA. She was a member of Outdoor Pursuits and Lead Facilitator on the ropes course at Pine Valley, as well as Lead Counselor for the Summer Honors Program. She served in many leadership roles of various organizations on campus including the Honors Program Advisory Council, BBB Society, MED Society, and Phi Sigma Pi. Off campus she volunteered weekly at Helping Hands Community Clinic and with Homestead Hospice. Some of her favorite memories are being actively involved in intramurals on the drill field and meeting friends at Chow for meals. She is a proud recipient of the Rachel Ford Springer Honors Program Student of the Year Award in 2015.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude with her BS in Biology and minor in Spanish and then went on to attend Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, GA and is a Nathan Deal Scholar, with a commitment to serving rural Georgia upon completion of her training. Most recently, she has completed her Family Medicine residency at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, SC, where she served as Chief Resident and completed focal tracks in Sports Medicine, Obstetrics and Women’s Health, and Global Health. Dr. Westerfield was awarded the SC AAFP Most Outstanding Resident of the Year Award by her faculty and program. Currently, she is in her fellowship for Sports Medicine at Self Regional and actively covers DII college athletics and high school athletics. She continues to be passionate about the underserved populations and volunteers at a local free clinic in her spare time and has served on several international medical mission trips including the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Peru. Upon completion of her fellowship, her intent is to return to rural Georgia and practice both inpatient and outpatient primary care with a specialized skill set of Sports Medicine to offer to the community.