More than 100 residents in eight medical specialties, fellows in 13 sub-specialties, five Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery dental residents, and three physician assistants in a Postgraduate Training Program completed training at UCSF Fresno this year.
UCSF Fresno is succeeding at retaining physicians in California and the Central Valley through efforts to develop aspiring doctors and medical students from the region, recruiting residents from across the U.S., and retaining these physicians after they complete their training at UCSF Fresno.
UCSF Fresno graduates will continue to provide patient care, teach, or continue their medical education locally, throughout the state, and across the U.S. Seventy-two percent of the graduates are staying in California, and 44% are staying in the Central Valley.
More than 600 faculty, staff, family, friends, and graduates filled Fresno City College’s historic Old Administration Building Theater to celebrate the UCSF Fresno Class of 2024 on June 13. Graduates from the Community Medical Centers General Dentistry Residency Program also participated in the commencement ceremony.
“Commencement is a joyous occasion,” said Stacy Sawtelle Vohra, MD, Interim Designated Institutional Official and Emergency Medicine Residency Program Director at UCSF Fresno. “The completion of residency training is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication devoted to the practice of medicine. It is a time for heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for the contributions of our trainees to our residency and fellowship programs and for their service to our community.”
“For some of the graduates who completed medical school during the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time celebrating a medical education graduation in person,” said Ivan Gomez, MD, Acting Director of Clinical Affairs, and Chief of UCSF Fresno Family and Community Medicine. “We are excited to celebrate the occasion with them and look forward to the contributions they will make to the field of medicine and to improved patient outcomes thanks to the knowledge and training they received at UCSF Fresno.”
The recipient of the 2023 Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching, Ivance Pugoy, MD, UCSF Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, delivered the keynote address. Dr. Pugoy shared memories and lessons learned over the past 15 years at UCSF Fresno.
He spoke of gratitude, appreciation, the genuine care and concern of faculty for UCSF Fresno learners, and learners with a passion for medicine and keen awareness of cultural diversity and sensitivity.
“I have encountered on many occasions when our residents used all their tools and life experiences to serve as ‘cultural brokers’ for the patients they serve,” said Dr. Pugoy.
He recalled a time when a resident persuaded a patient to have a life-saving treatment because the patient trusted his doctor who was of the same cultural background.
“I hope if there is one thing I was able to share with all of you, who have already been so successful in your lives, is that as you journey through your careers, you will gather the same collections of stories from the wonderful mentors, residents, and medical students you meet along the way,” Dr. Pugoy concluded.
As a regional campus of the UCSF School of Medicine, UCSF Fresno carries out its training and patient care through a network of affiliated partners including Community Health System, VA Central California Health Care, Family HealthCare Network, Inspire Health Medical Group (formerly Central California Medical Group and University Centers of Excellence) and many other clinical sites. For nearly 50 years, UCSF Fresno has been recruiting, training, and retaining physicians in the San Joaquin Valley. Today, UCSF Fresno is the most significant regional contributor to the physician workforce.
The shortage of physicians in the San Joaquin Valley is well documented and has a profound effect on Valley community members. Recently released information from the California Health Care Foundation’s Central Valley Health Policy Survey emphasized Valley residents’ views of the region’s health care experiences and concerns. Fifty-six percent of Central Valley residents say the region does not have enough providers and 78% are less likely to have a primary care doctor or regular health care provider than residents in other parts of the state.
Another California Health Care Foundation Survey revealed one in four Californians reported they or someone close to them has required care for serious mental illness, and one in five reported similarly for substance use issues.
UCSF Fresno Class of 2024 Highlights:
- 72% of all UCSF Fresno graduates are staying in California, 44% are staying in the Central Valley
- 100% of the graduating Psychiatry residents are staying in California; 83% are staying in Fresno
- 100% of the Family and Community Medicine graduates are staying in California; 42% are staying in the Central Valley
- 88% of the graduating Internal Medicine residents are staying in California; 58% are staying in the Valley
- 100% of the OB-GYN residents are staying in California; 50% are staying in Fresno
- Both Infectious Diseases fellows are staying to join the faculty at UCSF Fresno
Among the graduates:
For as long as she can remember, Nancy Dang-Orita, MD, wanted to be a physician. It is a career that satisfies her longing to help others in a way that is intellectually stimulating and challenging. She is among the more than 100 residents and fellows completing training and graduating from UCSF Fresno this year. Dr. Dang-Orita is completing a two-year fellowship in Infectious Diseases (ID). Originally from Orange County in southern California, Dr. Dang-Orita is staying local to join the faculty in Infectious Diseases at UCSF Fresno, a division within the UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine.
Jessica McFarland, MD, wanted to be a doctor because her parents were physicians, and she grew up shadowing them in their clinics. Inspired by their connection to their patients and wanting to make a difference in people’s lives, the San Jose, California, native took part in medical immersion trips to Panama and Nepal during college. The experiences abroad taught her about health care disparities and confirmed her calling to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. McFarland is among the more than 100 residents and fellows graduating from UCSF Fresno this year. She is completing a two-year fellowship in Infectious Diseases (ID) and will join the faculty in Infectious Diseases at UCSF Fresno, a division within the UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine.
Enid Picart, MD, grew up interpreting for her parents during their emergency room visits. With no medical insurance and no access to primary care, the Emergency Department was their only opportunity for medical care. From SJV PRIME medical student to practicing physician, Dr. Picart fulfilled a childhood goal to care for underserved communities. She is completing a four-year residency program in Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno and will stay to provide care for patients in the Emergency Department at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center. She also will continue to work as a volunteer physician with Mobile Health and Learning (Mobile HeaL), UCSF Fresno’s mobile medical clinic designed to bring health care services to local communities where it is needed most while providing learning opportunities for future health care providers.
Roman Roque, DO, MPH, was born in the Philippines and moved to California’s Bay Area with his family at the age of 12. His father was a community physician in the Philippines and a maternal uncle was a physician and professor. Both were some of his earliest inspirations. Dr. Roque is among the more than 100 residents and fellows completing training and graduating from UCSF Fresno this year. He is finishing a four-year residency program in Psychiatry and after graduation, he will join the VA Central California Health Care System's Substance Use Disorders Program as a staff psychiatrist and serve as clinical faculty with the UCSF Fresno Department of Psychiatry.
Bhavi Vohra, MD, originally from Santa Clara, California, took what she calls a non-traditional path to becoming a physician. After working nearly three years in the bio-tech industry, she went back to school in search of more fulfillment. She earned a master’s in medical science, followed by a medical degree. Dr. Vohra considered becoming a pediatrician because of positive experiences as a child with her own pediatrician. However, clinical rotations during her third year in medical school solidified her future. It was then she realized she wanted to be in the operating room and to work with women. She is completing residency training in OB-GYN at UCSF Fresno. After graduation and before starting work at Kaiser, Dr. Vohra plans on expanding and growing Central Valley Bhangra, the dance studio she and her husband started in Clovis. Dancing is how they met. And now they are sharing their passion for dancing and creating a fun and supportive environment for children and adults to learn about the Punjabi culture.
Numerous awards were presented:
Jeff Thomas, MD, Chief Medical Quality Officer, Community Regional Medical Center, presented the Community Medical Centers Resident and Fellow Awards and Teaching Awards:
Outstanding First-Year Resident: Katherine Jones, DO, UCSF Fresno Internal Medicine Residency Program
Outstanding Resident Fellow Teacher: Rameen Atefi, DO, UCSF Fresno Internal Medicine Residency Program
Community Health System Teaching Excellence Award: Gregory Simpson, MD, Professor, UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology,
Outstanding Non-Physician Teacher: Kaitlyn Loi, PharmD, BCPS, Community Regional Medical Center
Danny Davis, Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical and Operations Officer, Community Health System, presented the newly created Community Health System Research Excellence Award:
CHS Research Excellence Award, Brian Chinook, MD, Professor, UCSF Fresno Department of Emergency Medicine
Wessel Meyer, MD, FACEP, MBChB, Associate Chief of Staff for Education, VA Central California Health Care System and UCSF Clinical Professor presented the VA ICARE Award:
VA ICARE Award: Roman Roque, DO, MPH, UCSF Fresno Psychiatry Residency Program
Nathan Thomas Maue Dreyfus, MD, Emergency Medicine Resident and Resident Council Member, presented the Leon S. Peters Resident and Fellow Awards:
Leon S. Peters Resident of the Year: Rameen Atefi, DO, UCSF Fresno Internal Medicine Residency Program
Leon S. Peters Fellow of the Year: Aseel Al-Bayati, MD, UCSF Fresno Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship
Marisol de la Vega Cardoso, Senior Vice President of Administrative Services, Family HealthCare Network, presented the newly established FHCN Excellence in Primary Care Awards:
FHCN Excellence in Primary Care Award: Justin Kamkar, DO, UCSF Fresno Family and Community Medicine Residency Program
FHCN Excellence in Primary Care Award: Keerat Singh, DO, UCSF Fresno Family and Community Medicine Residency Program
Marina Roytman, MD, UCSF Clinical Professor, Director of the UCSF Fresno Liver Program, and Immediate Past President of the Fresno Madera Medical Society presented the Steven N. Parks Leadership Award:
Steven N. Parks Leadership Award (FMMS): Jessica McFarland, MD, UCSF Fresno Infectious Diseases Fellowship
Eyad Almasri, MD, Assistant of Research at UCSF Fresno presented the Borba Resident, Fellow and Faculty Research Awards:
Borba Faculty Research Award: Mohammed Fayed, MD, Associate Professor, UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine, Pulmonology
Borba Research Award: Khalid Abdullah, MD, UCSF Fresno Internal Medicine Residency Program
Borba Research Award, Bashar Tanous, MD, UCSF Fresno Internal Medicine Residency Program
Ivan Gomez, MD, FAAFP, Interim Director, Clinical Affairs at UCSF Fresno, presented the Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching:
Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching: Gregory Simpson, MD, Professor, UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology
UCSF Fresno is committed to developing an outstanding physician workforce that reflects Valley communities and improves patient care and access in the region and state. By offering Valley students, medical residents and fellows with opportunities to complete their education and training in the San Joaquin Valley, we increase the likelihood they will stay here to practice where they are needed most. The goal is to recruit, train and retain highly skilled clinicians and patient advocates for the region and California.
