FRESNO – Steven Parks, MD, longtime chief of surgery and program director of the surgery residency at UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program, was recently recognized by his colleagues with an endowed chair named in his honor.
“UCSF Fresno has been a major part of my life for the past 33 years,” said Parks. “I am deeply humbled and eternally grateful to my colleagues and those who contributed to the endowment for bestowing me with this incredible honor.”
Associated with the most prestigious educational institutions, endowed chairs are distinguished faculty positions. To establish an endowed chair, monies are raised and invested for the purpose of funding the position in perpetuity.
The Steven Parks Endowed Chair - Surgery will enable UCSF Fresno to continue recruiting the finest physicians and medical educators to head its surgery program for years to come. It also will enhance UCSF Fresno’s competitiveness in attracting surgical and other medical residents. The Steven Parks Endowed Chair - Surgery is the second endowed chair at UCSF Fresno. James W. Davis, MD, program director of the acute care surgery fellowship at UCSF Fresno, began the campaign in 2002 during his personal time. With the help of the community and UCSF Fresno alumni, Davis successfully raised $500,000, the amount necessary to establish an endowed chair at the University of California. The goal is to raise $1 million, which will establish an Endowment of Excellence. This level of an endowment provides a stable, permanent source of funding and supports pioneering basic science investigations, clinical research and educational initiatives among other activities.
In 2002, Michael Peterson, MD, was named the first Central California Valley Medical Center (CCVMC) Endowed Chair in Medicine. CCVMC endowed the first chair at UCSF Fresno - known today as the Valley Medical Foundation Professor of Medicine - with a $1 million gift.
“We, at UCSF Fresno, will forever be in Dr. Parks’ debt for the numerous contributions he made to our medical education program and to training the next generation of physicians,” said Joan Voris, MD, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “It is only fitting that we name this endowed chair after him.” UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program 155 N. Fresno St. Fresno, CA 93701 Tel: 559-499-6400
Parks was a driving force in establishing a standardized system for trauma care in the Central San Joaquin Valley. He is well known and respected across the nation and internationally as a trauma educator and surgeon.
Parks was recruited to UCSF Fresno in 1976, following completion of a trauma surgery fellowship at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco General Hospital. He was named chief of surgery and program director of the surgery residency at UCSF Fresno in 1982.
He has served in a variety of capacities on a number of boards, committees, medical societies and other professional organizations, including the American Burn Association, The American Association of the Surgery of Trauma, and as a founding member of the American Trauma Society. He has been active with the American College of Surgeons, serving on the Board of Governors, chairing the Advanced Trauma Life Support subcommittee, and serving as a member of the Committee on Trauma. In addition, he was an executive committee member on the board of directors for the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.
Parks is a founding member and current president of Central California Faculty Medical Group. He also is a board member of the Community Medical Centers Foundation.
In 1995, Parks received the Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching. He received the award for a second time in 2005 as a Career Achievement Award.
Parks graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, and completed a rotating internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He was a resident in surgery at Highland General Hospital in Oakland. Parks is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is certified with Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care.
