In emergency medicine, seconds matter. A collapsed lung, internal bleeding, or a failing heart can escalate from critical to catastrophic in moments. Now, thanks to a generous donation from the Isnardi Foundation, UCSF Fresno’s Clinical Skills and Simulation Center has acquired four state-of-the-art ultrasound devices. In the Simulation Center, physicians training at UCSF Fresno will have the tools they need to practice and refine lifesaving skills, learning to see what's happening inside the body — and act on it — precisely when it matters most.
A Partnership Built on Sustained Commitment to the Valley
The foundation's dedication to the UCSF School of Medicine Regional Campus at Fresno spans years of transformative support, reflecting an enduring commitment to medical education in the Central Valley. To date, the foundation’s generous contributions to the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center have directly impacted UCSF Fresno’s ability to deliver high-quality immersive education to trainees and community partners.
This latest donation strengthens an area where UCSF Fresno has already established itself as a regional leader.
Over the past two years, the institution has made ultrasound education a strategic priority. It recently launched an Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography Fellowship — the first of its kind in the country — which trains physicians to serve as ultrasound leaders in academic and community hospitals nationwide. In addition, more than 50 faculty physicians have been trained in ultrasound, and ultrasound courses have been added to the curriculum across emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, surgery, and pediatrics.
The Isnardi Foundation's gift ensures that the infrastructure matches this ambition, providing the necessary equipment to offer robust, hands-on training to residents, fellows, and faculty members, and cementing UCSF Fresno's position as a center of excellence in point-of-care ultrasound.
“Partnership between the Isnardi Foundation and UCSF is essential because it allows academic expertise to synergize with flexible funding and mission-driven support, promoting health care education, research, and community impact to advance faster and in a manner that is pertinent to the Central Valley,” said José M. Barral Sánchez, MD, PhD, Vice Dean for the UCSF Fresno regional campus.
“Throughout the years, support from the Isnardi Foundation has allowed our Simulation Center to be a state-of-the-art facility, particularly in the areas of obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, interventional cardiology, and now ultrasonography,” Barral Sánchez said. “This latest gift will enable residents to master point-of-care ultrasound in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center. In this controlled environment, trainees can learn before facing real-life situations.”
Seeing What Matters When It Matters Most
Ultrasound in the Emergency Department is a quiet revolution. Unlike traditional imaging that can require transporting unstable patients to radiology, point-of-care ultrasound brings real-time imaging directly to the bedside. In the hands of a skilled clinician, it is almost like a direct window into the inner structures of the human body; it can reveal internal bleeding, a collapsed lung, heart failure, or pregnancy complications within minutes — information that can mean the difference between life and death.
Research supports this finding: Point-of-care ultrasound shortens the time to diagnosis and treatment, reduces the length of stay in emergency departments and intensive care units, and in many critically ill patients, improves survival. It's no longer an optional choice.
Emergency medicine residency programs across the country now recognize ultrasound as a core competency, essential to modern practice. At UCSF Fresno, an ultrasound course is a requirement for all medical students. Having the new equipment permanently available in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center will enhance the campus’ ability to offer the course more frequently and to more students.
Another benefit of the new machines, says Lee Hagerty, simulation education coordinator, is that they are identical to those used in the local hospital where UCSF Fresno residents and fellows practice.
“This ensures continuity between practice and patient care,” Hagerty said. “Trainees build skills on the same equipment they use with patients, which gives them confidence and competency, and better prepares them for high-quality patient care.”
Building Confidence Before the Stakes Are High
Learning ultrasound isn't just about understanding the technology; it's also about developing the judgment to interpret what you see under pressure and the confidence to act on it. That's where simulation training becomes so valuable.
At the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center, residents practice on ultrasound-compatible mannequins and standardized patients in scenarios that reflect real-world patient care. Studies show that when residents train with ultrasound in a structured, hands-on way, their diagnostic accuracy and procedural skills improve dramatically.
Even with these benefits, in busy clinical settings, opportunities for supervised ultrasound practice can be limited. With four dedicated machines in the Simulation Center, every resident across multiple specialties — including emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, and pediatrics — will now have the opportunity for repeated, deliberate practice.
This broad integration ensures learners across patient populations can build skills throughout their training — not just occasional exposure when time and equipment happen to align.
A Gift That Multiplies Across the Valley
The Isnardi Foundation's donation does more than upgrade equipment. It invests in a pipeline of highly skilled physicians who will care for patients throughout the Central Valley and beyond for decades to come.
“Having state-of-the-art equipment in our Simulation Center enables us to develop innovative curricula and pedagogical approaches, which, in turn, help us recruit physician educators of a high caliber,” says Barral Sánchez. “This investment also ensures that more physicians are trained in point-of-care ultrasound, a skill that can save lives. This gift extends far beyond our campus. It strengthens the health of the entire Central Valley.”
For more information about supporting UCSF Fresno visit fresno.ucsf.edu/give.