Eleven doctors recently completed their family medicine residency in Anchorage, with eight of them continuing to practice in Alaska -- four in small communities.

The program was started in 1997 to try to attract more family physicians to Alaska. The residency program involves three years of training and medical practice based at Providence Family Medicine Center in Midtown Anchorage, with about a dozen doctors in each class.

Of this year's graduates, at least six had extensive connections to Alaska before becoming doctors and entering the residency program for their specialty. Two are Alaska Natives.

This year's graduates and where they plan to practice next:

• Sean Cardinal -- Palliative care fellowship at Providence Alaska Medical Center.

• M. Jane Moore -- Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center.

• Kristen Solana Walkinshaw -- Alaska Family Medicine Residency in Anchorage as the fourth-year chief.

• Kimberly Corral -- Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue.

• Kristen Frank -- Kodiak Island Health Center.

• Tamara Huntington -- Edgar Nollner Health Center in Galena.

• Nathan Kasukonis -- Sitka

• Jessica Scott -- Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium in Juneau.

• Allison Kelliher -- Sells, Ariz.

• Cory Ecklund -- Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, Minn.

• Anne West -- North Carolina