Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center Celebrates Largest Internal Medicine Residency Class To Date
6/26/2026
POPLAR BLUFF, MO - Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC) is
celebrating the graduation of its 2026 class of internal medicine residents and welcoming the
next generation of physicians-in-training who will continue their education in Poplar Bluff.
This year, nine residents successfully completed the three-year internal medicine residency
program, the largest graduating class to date.
"This program has been one of the greatest joys of my career,” said Matthew Riffle, M.D.,
Internal Medicine Residency Program Director. “Walking alongside these young physicians as
they grow in confidence, competence and compassion has been a privilege. Helping them take
their first steps as independent clinicians and seeing them go on to fellowships, research and
community practice has reminded me, every day, why I fell in love with medicine in the first
place.”
Several graduates have matched into competitive fellowships across the country, including
subspecialties such as sleep medicine, critical care, with one graduate heading to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland to pursue advanced training and research in
genetics. Additionally, two are staying at PBRMC as hospitalists.
The 2026 graduation also marks a milestone transition in program leadership. Dr. Riffle, who
launched the internal medicine residency program in 2021 and has served as program director
since its inception, will retire this year after more than 35 years of practicing internal medicine in
the Poplar Bluff community. “This community trusted me with their care for decades, and then
trusted me again with their future physicians,” Dr. Riffle added. “I am deeply grateful for that
trust and for the opportunity to help build something that will continue to serve Poplar Bluff long
after I hang up my white coat.”
With Dr. Riffle’s retirement, Interventional Cardiologist Roland Njoh, M.D., will assume the role
of program director for the internal medicine residency. “It is an honor to follow Dr. Riffle and to
build on the strong foundation he created,” said Dr. Njoh. “Our residents are the future of
medicine in this region and beyond. My goal is to support them with the same dedication and
humanity that Dr. Riffle has shown challenging them academically, standing beside them
clinically and reminding them that at the heart of every decision is a patient and a family who are
counting on them.”
As nine residents graduate, PBRMC will welcome eight new internal medicine residents on July
1, who will begin their three-year journey of training in Poplar Bluff. These incoming physicians
will join a growing community of nearly 20 residents, training across inpatient units and
outpatient clinics while caring for patients throughout Southeast Missouri and preparing for their
medical careers.
For more information about Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center’s internal medicine residency
program, visit PoplarBluffGME.com.
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