The University of California, San Francisco Fresno Medical Education Program recently received a substantial grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as part of the federal agency’s Primary Care Residency Expansion (PCRE). The $1.92 million award will expand UCSF Fresno’s pediatric residency training program by two residents a year for five years, beginning in July 2011.
“This grant will significantly boost UCSF Fresno’s efforts to continue training and retaining highquality pediatricians to care for San Joaquin Valley residents,” said Paul Francis, MD, interim chair of the pediatric residency program at UCSF Fresno. “A greater number of underserved patients will receive care as a result.”
Many of the pediatricians trained at UCSF Fresno – about 42 percent – remain in the Valley to care for local infants, children, teens and young adults. The UCSF Fresno Pediatric Residency Program was established in 1974. Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the Pediatric Residency Program at UCSF Fresno currently adds 10 residents a year to the three-year training program. The program emphasizes hands-on clinical training and community experiences that encourage research into local health problems such as Valley Fever, pediatric poisonings and a wide variety of other health-related issues pertinent to the Central Valley.
Pediatric clinical and educational programs take place primarily at Community Regional Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Central California.
A study released by the California Healthcare Foundation found 45 practicing primary care physicians per 100,000 people in the San Joaquin Valley, up to 77 percent less than the Council on Graduate Medical Education’s benchmark of 60 to 80 primary care physicians per 100,000 population.
Pediatric residents at UCSF Fresno participate in various community service programs, including working with local schools to provide free healthcare and sports clinics. Residents also assist the Fresno County Health Department with home healthcare visits and they promote early literacy through the “Reach Out and Read” program.
HRSA’s Primary Care Residency Expansion Program aims to increase the number of residents trained in primary care specialties, specifically family medicine, general internal and general pediatric medicine. A total of $168 million was awarded as part of the HRSA’s Primary Care Residency Expansion. Selected accredited residency programs may use the funds to increase enrollment by providing resident stipend support.
UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program, established more than 35 years ago, plays a substantial role in providing healthcare services to residents of California's San Joaquin Valley and training medical professionals in the region. The medical education program has trained approximately one-third of Central San Joaquin Valley physicians. UCSF Fresno currently trains approximately 250 medical residents in nine specialties, more than 30 fellows in 12 subspecialties and about 200 medical students on a rotating basis.
UCSF Fresno faculty and medical residents engage in a broad spectrum of research addressing health issues pertinent to the Valley. UCSF Fresno faculty and residents also care for the overwhelming majority of the region’s underserved populations. In addition, UCSF Fresno provides academic preparation programs for middle- and high school students interested in the health professions through the Doctors Academy and Junior Doctors Academy. UCSF Fresno is a key partner in UC Merced's planned School of Medicine and is expected to play a significant role in the training of medical students at the school.
UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. For further information, visit http://www.ucsf.edu.
