Transitional Year Program Staff | TMC Health Medical Education Program

Program Staff

Program Director

David Teeple, M.D.

Dr. Teeple earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his internship in internal medicine at the University of Arizona. He completed a residency in neurology at the Barrow Neurological Institute where he served as chief resident. Upon completion of his residency, he completed a fellowship in Epilepsy at the Barrow Neurological Institute.Dr. Teeple is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in both neurology and neurophysiology. He has been with the Center for Neurosciences since 2008. He currently works as a full time Neuro-Hospitalist at Tucson Medical Center.

In his time in Tucson, Dr. Teeple has served as Division Head of Neurology at TMC from 2009-2023, he has been the proud director of the Stroke Program at TMC since 2009 helping develop TMC into an award-winning Comprehensive Stroke Center. He has previously served as President of the American Heart and Stroke Association Southern Arizona Division. He is also an Associate Professor in Neurology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Teeple has also been the program director for the THMEP Transitional Residency Program at TMC Healthcare since 2013.In his spare time, Dr. Teeple enjoys CrossFit, hanging out with his Dachshund Kevin, enjoying the beautiful southwest weather, and travelling with his family.

Assoc. Program Director

Erick Perez Sifontes, M.D.

I am Associate Program Director of the Transitional Year Residency Program, a role that I have held since March 2024. Originally from Venezuela, I moved to the United States in 2014, bringing with me a deep passion for medical education and the management of critically ill patients. I am dedicated to fostering efficiency and innovation in the medical field, with a particular focus on optimizing the learning experience during residency. I enjoy mentorship and giving residents the tools needed to succeed in their careers.Beyond my professional life, I live in Oro Valley, AZ with my husband and our two whippets, Hugo and Apollo. I am an avid traveler, having traveled to over 20 countries, and I am always planning my next adventure! My other personal interests include weightlifting, yoga, salsa dancing, concerts, and painting. I love living in southern Arizona and have fallen in love with the Sonoran Desert and all that it has to offer.I look forward to talking with you about our program!

Program Coordinator

Jennifer Sammons, C-TAGME

Our Transitional Year program offers a flexible curriculum and allows residents to tailor their training to their future career goals. Residents rotate in Tucson Medical Center’s main campus, the VA hospital and some outpatient clinics within the community.

Training Locations

Tucson Medical Center (TMC)

Tucson Medical Center has been Southern Arizona's locally governed nonprofit regional hospital for 75 years. TMC traces its roots to the world-famous tuberculosis center, the Desert Sanatorium, which opened in 1927. The sanatorium's owners donated the facility to the people of Tucson during World War II, and TMC was established as a community, nonprofit hospital in 1943. For more information on TMC's rich history, click here.TMC's buildings and grounds spread over 120 acres. Most patient rooms are private with a view, either a sun-drenched patio or a vista of mountains and distant horizons. TMC is licensed for more than 600 adult, pediatric and hospice beds. The hospital serves more than 30,000 inpatients and 122,000 outpatients yearly and has several emphasis areas, including maternal and child health, cardiac care, hospice care, neuroscience, orthopedics, diagnostic services and senior services. TMC also created the region's first emergency department dedicated specifically for kids.The hospital's more than 600 physicians represent 60 specialties, from anesthesiology to vascular surgery. Most of these physicians are board-certified. The physicians work closely with nursing, residents and other hospital staff to ensure that every TMC patient receives quality care.

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS)

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System provides all Veterans with outstanding health care, trains America’s future health care providers, and conducts important medical research. The Tucson VA Medical Center is a teaching hospital that provides a full range of health services for Veterans with state-of-the-art technology. SAVAHCS has been servings Veterans since its dedication on October 13, 1928, and they meet the health care needs of more than 170,000 Veterans in 8 Arizona counties and 1 county in New Mexico. SAVAHCS employs around 3,000 health care professionals and support staff and every year, they treat more than 8,700 Veterans as inpatients, perform more than 5,000 surgeries, and complete nearly 700,000 outpatient visits.

Sample block schedule & rotation