For more than two decades, the Leon S. Peters Foundation has been a steadfast partner in strengthening health care across the San Joaquin Valley through its support of UCSF Fresno's Graduate Medical Education programs. The Foundation's philanthropy has helped prepare generations of physicians who now care for Valley residents, lead health care organizations, advance research, and train the next generation of doctors.
While earning a medical degree is a significant achievement, graduation from medical school is only the beginning of a physician's journey. Before they can independently practice medicine, physicians must complete an additional three to five years — or more —of residency and optional fellowship training in a chosen specialty. These years of graduate medical education are where physicians develop clinical expertise, judgment, and skills needed to provide exceptional patient care.
Today, UCSF Fresno is home to one of California's largest physician training programs, with nine residency programs and numerous fellowship programs. Together, these programs educate more than 300 residents and fellows annually, as well as 300 rotating medical students, including students in the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME).
Philanthropy plays a vital role in graduate medical education by supporting the experiences and opportunities that transform medical school graduates into skilled, compassionate physicians. While traditional funding supports the core structure of residency and fellowship programs, philanthropic investment enables institutions to enhance training through leadership development, research opportunities, educational innovation, wellness initiatives, and community-building programs. These investments strengthen the learning environment for trainees while helping address physician workforce shortages and improve access to care in the communities they serve.
The Leon S. Peters Foundation's support continues this legacy by funding a wide range of educational and professional development opportunities for UCSF Fresno residents and fellows, including new resident orientation, scholarships for visiting medical students, travel grants, wellness initiatives, and the annual Leon S. Peters Resident and Fellow of the Year Awards.
This past year, Foundation support provided travel grants to residents and fellows across six residency and fellowship programs, including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Hematology/Oncology. These grants enabled trainees to attend regional and national conferences, scholarly programs, and specialty meetings aligned with their academic and clinical interests. By helping offset travel and conference expenses, the Foundation expanded opportunities for trainees to present research, learn from leaders in their fields, and bring new knowledge and best practices back to the San Joaquin Valley.
One recipient, Chase Atiga, MD, a Hematology/Oncology Fellow, used his travel grant to attend and present at the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Fellows Scholars Program in Orlando, Florida. Reflecting on the experience, he shared, "As a future malignant hematologist and transplant specialist, the opportunity to learn directly from leading leukemia experts while networking with fellows and future colleagues from across the country was incredibly valuable. It was an experience I could not have gained elsewhere and one that will have a lasting impact on my development as a physician."
The impact of this partnership extends far beyond the campus and clinic. Approximately 40 percent of UCSF Fresno graduates choose to remain in the Central Valley, helping address physician shortages and improve access to care for local communities. Seventy percent of graduates stay in California to practice. Investments in graduate medical education not only enhance physician training but also support recruitment and retention efforts, helping ensure that talented physicians choose to practice in the Valley long after completing their training.
As UCSF Fresno continues its mission to train the physicians our region needs, we are deeply grateful for the Leon S. Peters Foundation's continued support and longstanding partnership. For more than two decades, the Foundation's philanthropy has helped strengthen physician training and expand opportunities for residents, fellows, and medical students. Together, we are investing in the next generation of physicians and a healthier future for the San Joaquin Valley.
For more information about supporting UCSF Fresno visit fresno.ucsf.edu/give.
