By Barbara Anderson and Brandy Ramos Nikaido, UCSF Fresno Communications
In 1975, UCSF Fresno was established with the support of the VA and the California legislature. The mission was clear: to address the physician shortage in the San Joaquin Valley and meet the region’s growing health care needs. Fifty years later, UCSF Fresno is the largest academic physician training program between San Francisco and Sacramento to the north and Los Angeles to the south — and the leading contributor to the regional physician workforce.
Forty percent of UCSF Fresno graduates stay in the region to provide care and 70% stay in California.
Elected officials, community leaders, partners, friends, faculty, residents, and staff gathered at the UCSF regional campus in Fresno on May 9 to mark three major milestones:
- the 50th anniversary of UCSF Fresno
- to welcome UCSF Fresno’s new Vice Dean Dr. Jose M. Barral Sanchez, and
- to unveil the recently remodeled Clinical Skills and Simulation Center.
While there was much to celebrate, those in attendance also paused to remember the life and legacy of Vipul Jain, MD, chief of Medicine at UCSF Fresno, who passed away unexpectedly last week.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Jain’s family, including his wife, Ratnali, who is a member of the UCSF Fresno family in the Clinical Research Center, and their two sons,” said Marina Roytman, MD, Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs, UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine. “Our hearts are with them, as well as with his many close colleagues and friends.”
UCSF School of Medicine Dean Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD, expressed condolences as well. Dean King noted the exceptional work being done every day by people at UCSF Fresno like Dr. Jain and others.
“UCSF Fresno extends the School of Medicine’s mission of education, patient care, research, and community service across the Valley,” said Dean King. “We would not be here without the steadfast leadership and support of our elected leaders, which has led to significant investments, including funding for the UCSF Fresno building, the expansion of SJV PRIME, and the creation of SJV PRIME+, our joint BS to MD program with UC Merced.”
Congressman Jim Costa, Assemblymember Dr. Joaquin Arambula, and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria attended and State Senator Anna Caballero sent a representative. Each presented proclamations and certificates of recognition of UCSF Fresno’s 50th anniversary and for Vice Dean Barral Sanchez. Congressman Costa presented a Congressional Resolution.
“From small, inspirational beginnings to a vibrant regional campus of the UCSF School of Medicine, UCSF Fresno has stood as a model of academic and clinical commitment to the people of California’s heartland by training physicians, advancing health equity and building healthier communities,” said Rep. Costa in the Congressional Resolution.
Assemblymember Dr. Arambula presented a resolution in honor of UCSF Fresno’s Golden Anniversary, signed by him and fellow Assemblymembers Soria and David Tangipa and State Sens. Anna Caballero and Shannon Grove.
Clinical and educational partners also attended and shared words of welcome for Vice Dean Barral Sanchez, including Joyce Fields-Keene, President & CEO of Inspire Health Medical Group; Justin Preas, President & CEO, United Health Centers; and UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. Craig Wagoner, President & CEO of Community Health System, was unable to attend and shared a video message. Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval also attended.
Dr. Barral Sanchez emphasized his interest in hearing from stakeholders to learn about the needs, aspirations, and opportunities that build on UCSF Fresno’s history and shape its future. “It is truly an honor to join UCSF Fresno at such a pivotal time in its history,” said Vice Dean Barral Sanchez. “I am energized by the opportunity to oversee the regional campus during its next phase of growth and excellence.”
The evening capped off with food and drinks and viewing of the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center with demonstrations led by Co-Directors for Simulation Amy Kwok, MD, and Scott Reichelderfer, MD, and surgery and emergency medicine residents.
The UCSF Fresno Clinical Skills and Simulation Center was the brainchild of former UCSF Fresno Associate Dean, the late Dr. Joan Voris. Her vision became a reality when the Clinical Skills Lab opened in 2016. The Center has grown from an objective structured clinical examination, OSCE environment, to a GME- and UME-focused scenario-based simulation training and task training center. From January to September 2024, the UCSF Fresno Clinical Skills Lab and Simulation Center staff provided training for nearly 3,400 clinical skills participants. The new space will further enhance UCSF Fresno’s ability to provide simulation training and evaluation for future physician leaders.
Over five decades, the overarching goal of UCSF has been to improve health in the San Joaquin Valley. It accomplishes this by training exceptional physicians, providing the highest quality patient care, leading research discoveries that better the lives of people in the Valley, and cultivating partnerships that enhance medical care and benefit the community.
Established in 1975, UCSF Fresno is celebrating 50 years of training doctors and improving health in the San Joaquin Valley this year. A regional campus of the UCSF School of Medicine, UCSF Fresno offers training in eight medical residency programs, one dental surgery residency program and 20 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and non-ACGME sub-specialty fellowships. UCSF Fresno plays a vital role in expanding access to health care in the Valley, training physicians and medical students for the region and state, conducting research that addresses regional health issues, and academically preparing students from the San Joaquin Valley to pursue careers in health and medicine.
