FRESNO – The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program will graduate 68 medical residents and fellows in a ceremony to be held Thursday, June 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at International Catering and Conference Center (4277 N. West Ave.) in Fresno. A social hour for the graduating fellows and resident physicians, their families and friends and UCSF Fresno faculty and staff members will be held at 5:30 p.m.
Approximately one-third of the graduates are expected to stay in the Fresno vicinity and Central San Joaquin Valley to care for area residents.
Among them:
- John Georgio, MD, a sports enthusiast and product of Fresno elementary, middle and high schools, completed his family medicine residency with an emphasis in sports medicine. Georgio will continue his medical training with a fellowship at UCLA. He plans to return to UCSF Fresno to develop a sports medicine program in conjunction with local high school, college and professional teams.
- Randy Shahbazian, MD, completed his residency in psychiatry this past January and currently works as a staff psychiatrist at North Kern State Prison in Delano. In addition to pursuing his career in psychiatry, he also continues to help farm the family’s 30-acre grape vineyard in Parlier, which was started by his great grandfather in 1906. Shahbazian and his wife live in Fresno.
- Sy Sophamixay-Essegian, DO, emigrated from Laos to the U.S. at the age of nine. Prior to becoming a physician, she was a nurse at University Medical Center in Fresno. Today, she is one of four Laotian doctors in Fresno. Sophamixay completed her residency in family medicine.
“I continue to be impressed with the caliber of doctors UCSF Fresno attracts,” said Joan Voris, MD, associate dean. “And I can say with all confidence that having completed their training with us makes them even finer physicians. I am particularly proud that so many remain in the area to practice. The more training opportunities we can offer locally, the greater the number of doctors who are likely to stay and care for Valley residents.”
Graduation highlights include:
- Welcome remarks by Joan Voris, MD, Associate Dean, UCSF Fresno
- Graduation address by Ivy Darden, MD, Program Director of Internal Medicine, UCSF Fresno
- Presentation of the prestigious Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching. Of the four Kaiser awards presented by the UCSF School of Medicine, one is given to an outstanding faculty member in the Fresno program.
- Other awards include: Outstanding First-Year Resident, Outstanding Resident Teacher, Outstanding Attending Teacher, Outstanding Non-Physician Teacher, Borba Award for Outstanding Research, and the Dizon Community Service Award.
For more information about the UCSF Fresno graduation ceremony, please call (559) 499-6518.
