FRESNO –After a nationwide search, John T. Tran, MD, FAPA, was recently appointed Chief of Psychiatry at UCSF Fresno and Vice Chair of Psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine.
As chief, Dr. Tran provides leadership for the clinical, educational and research components of the Department of Psychiatry at UCSF Fresno. In addition, he will serve as medical director for the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health.
“Dr. Tran’s experience with serving diverse communities, particularly aging community members, as well as his understanding of the complexities involved with overseeing a large community mental health center uniquely qualify him to head up our psychiatry department,” said Michael W. Peterson, MD, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “We look forward to the leadership he will provide to our psychiatry residency program and we are excited about the partnerships he is forming to enhance behavioral health care services in Fresno County.”
“This role is very much in line with my interests in academic medicine, teaching, research, caring for patients and serving the community,” said Tran. “I am honored that UCSF Fresno invited me to serve in my role and I will do everything I can to do the best job possible.”
About one in six adults live with mental illness and one in 14 children has a serious emotional disturbance. Unfortunately, the San Joaquin Valley’s ratio of mental health professionals to population is among the lowest in the state, according to a February 2018 Healthforce Center at UCSF report, “California’s Current and Future Behavioral Health Workforce.”
Dr. Tran recognizes the tremendous need for mental health services in the community and San Joaquin Valley. His initial plans at UCSF Fresno include working with Fresno County to improve clinical care for moderately to severely-ill mental health patients; collaborating with UCSF Fresno colleagues to enhance psychiatry services within departments such as emergency medicine and Community Medical Center’s cancer center, which will open in the near future.
The UCSF Fresno Psychiatry Residency Program recently added two new slots, raising the number of residents trained per year from four to six, starting in July. Tran hopes to see that number grow in the future with the aim of retaining more psychiatrists to serve the community.
Tran previously held faculty positions at Washington State University and University of Washington School of Medicine.
Dr. Tran earned his medical degree from St. Louis University, School of Medicine and completed residency training in Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Tran completed his fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at University of Washington. He completed his research fellowships at the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center and the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center in Seattle, Washington. He is board certified in psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry.
Tran is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Vietnamese.
He is married with one high-school age daughter. His hobbies include table tennis and photography.
His daughter was supportive of the family relocating from Washington state to Fresno. She pointed out that it was an important opportunity for her father to serve as a role model for underrepresented groups.
Craig Campbell, MD, served as interim chief of the Department of Psychiatry during the search for a permanent chief. Dr. Campbell will continue his roles as director of the UCSF Fresno Psychiatry Residency Program and director of University Psychiatry Associates, the practice site of psychiatry faculty at UCSF Fresno.
