Since 1971, the Tallahassee Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program has attracted students from across the country and beyond to train as primary care physicians. Beginning with the efforts of long-time faculty and Tallahassee legend Dr. Alexander D. Brickler in 1979, the fellowship has also offered additional training in operative obstetrics to interested graduates of family medicine residency programs. More recently, the “Leaders in Maternal Health” (LMH) fellowship was added for those seeking to complement this obstetrical training with experiences in community health and other domains to better equip themselves for service in rural and underserviced areas.
OB Fellowship
Proudly honoring its founder, the Alexander D. Brickler, MD Fellowship in Obstetrics at the Tallahassee Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program continues the legacy started in 1979 of training family doctors for the practice of advanced obstetrics while caring for the communities of the Florida Big Bend area. Attracting applicants from across the country, the fellowship is based in the family medicine residency program with a mix of family medicine, FMOB, OB/GYN, and midwife faculty. Our goal is to train family medicine physicians in inpatient and outpatient obstetrics with particular attention to operative skills, including cesarean sections. This will enable physicians to practice as independent "Family Medicine with OB" providers in areas of need, including positions that require/offer privileges such as cesarean sections. Prior graduates work in private practice in both rural and urban settings, and also in residency faculty positions. We invite you to review the links for more information on the fellowship and how to apply. Please contact us prior to submitting an application to verify the availability of the positions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
2023 OB Fellows
Allison Akridge, DO
Allison Akridge, DO was born and raised in rural Alabama. She completed her medical school education at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Alabama. Following graduation, she then went on to complete her family medicine residency right here in Tallahassee at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
Dr. Akridge is excited to continue to serve Tallahassee and the surrounding communities. With a passion for women’s health and rural medicine, Dr. Akridge decided to complete additional training in Obstetrics. She plans to practice full scope family medicine with obstetrics in a maternity care desert after completing her Obstetrics fellowship. Dr. Akridge fell in love with Family Medicine because it allows her to provide care from the beginning to the end stages of life.
In her spare time, Dr. Akridge enjoys traveling, Gulf Coast beaches, attending concerts, house plants, audio books, and spending time with her husband/family.
Livia Nishi, MD
Dr. Livia Nishi, MD, was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She received her medical education at one of the top private medical schools in the state, which is also the starting point of Neymar and Pele, both renowned soccer players. During her time in medical school, her interest in high-risk pregnancy and women's health grew. After moving to the United States, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Health Science Center in the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine. However, she eventually decided to pursue family medicine and provide comprehensive care for families. Before successfully matching at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, she spent a year as a research trainee at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, specifically in the family medicine department.
During her residency, Dr. Nishi focused on women's health and participated in the Family Medicine Obstetrics training track. She also developed a quality improvement project using the IHI model to enhance structured improvement in women's access to contraception at her residency clinic. As chief resident, she graduated from the residency program and was honored with the Paul E. Tietze Memorial Award for delivering excellent and compassionate care, going above and beyond for her patients when needed.
After completing her residency, Dr. Nishi decided to pursue additional training in obstetrics and women's health at TMH. She chose this path not only because it aligns with her passion but also because she wanted to continue providing care to the patients she formed bonds with during their prenatal care and developed complicated pregnancies or required c-sections.
In her free time, Dr. Nishi enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and traveling. She also plays tennis and volleyball. Both Dr. Nishi and her husband have a deep fondness for amusement parks, especially Disney and Universal, and they have an extensive knowledge of Disney songs. In November 2022, they celebrated their wedding ceremony in Orlando, FL.
Troy Watson, MD
Troy Watson, MD was born and raised in a small town in Central Illinois. He early on developed an interest in family medicine, as his mother is a nurse practitioner in family medicine. Dr. Watson values the unique opportunity family medicine offers to provide a wide variety of services to a small community while also developing meaningful relationships with his patients.
Dr. Watson completed his medical school training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine - Rockford Campus where he was a member of the Rural Medical Education Department (RMED). After graduating from medical school in 2020, he went on to complete his three-year family medicine residency at Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, SC. With a plan to practice full-scope, rural family medicine including obstetrics, he moved to Tallahassee to continue his training at the Alexander D. Brickler, MD Fellowship in Obstetrics at TMH.
While not working, Dr. Watson enjoys exploring new places, being involved in a local church, having a good cup of coffee, hiking, and playing various sports.
2022 OB Fellows
Starr Harmon, DO
Starr Harmon was born and raised in Arkansas. With her mother being a well-respected family physician, she discovered early on in life that she was called to follow in her footsteps.
Dr. Harmon completed her medical school education at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 2018. Following graduation, she spent the next three years completing her family medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She remained at the residency as an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine where she supervised residents in the clinical and hospital settings. With a love for obstetrics and women’s health, she decided to move from Oklahoma to Florida to complete the Obstetrics Fellowship at TMH.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Harmon enjoys anything outdoors, especially hiking and camping, as well as enjoying time with her many dogs.
Valeriya Yabluchanska, MD
Valeriya Yabluchanska was born and raised in Ukraine. She received her medical education in one of the highly renowned medical schools in western Europe, at the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine. During her time in medical school, she served as a Chief of the Class and received a scholarship from the President of Ukraine for her academic achievements before graduating with honors.
Dr. Yabluchanska and her family came to the United States, first to the wonderful state of Mississippi, where she and her husband Andriy Yabluchanskiy, MD, PhD had their first son, Philip. They later moved and settled in Oklahoma where they welcomed their second son, Nikita. During this time, while managing two little kids, Dr. Yabluchanska worked as a patient’s services representative and medical assistant, while preparing and taking the US Medical Licensing Examination. Dr. Yabluchanska successfully matched to an outstanding family medicine residency program with a busy obstetrical and women’s health practice in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated residency with recognition and multiple awards, including AAFP Family Medicine Leads Scholarship Award, STFM Resident Teacher Award and Renaissance Award.
Upon completing her medical training in Virginia, Dr. Yabluchanska sought to enhance her training in obstetrics and women’s health. While looking for fellowship training, Dr. Yabluchanska chose the Alexander D. Brickler, MD Fellowship in Obstetrics for its high quality of care, high volume and variety of procedures that are offered to patients at TMH.
In her spare time, Dr. Yabluchanska enjoys cooking and baking, spending time with her family, watching British shows, traveling, discovering new places and taking up new adventures.
