Focus on UCSF Fresno Spring 2024

UCSF Fresno, SJV PRIME Students Celebrate Residency Placements on Match Day

Excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and anxiety were just some of the emotions medical students expressed on Match Day and leading up to the big event. The energy in the room was electric as students in the second class of the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) gathered with loved ones, faculty and staff on March 15 at UCSF Fresno for a breakfast celebration and to open the envelopes that would reveal the next step on their paths to becoming physicians.

Match Day takes place annually on the third Friday in March and is the time when soon-to-be medical school graduates across the United States simultaneously learn where they will spend the next several years conducting residency training (the hands-on clinical training under faculty supervision that is required prior to practicing independently).

Seven of the eight SJV PRME students who participated in this year’s Match will continue their medical education at University of California campuses. Two will stay at UCSF Fresno in Emergency Medicine.

“We are very excited for our second class of SJV PRIME students on National Match Day,” said Loren Alving, MD, director, UCSF SJV PRIME. “These students are from the Valley, completed two and a half years of medical school in the Valley, and are committed to serving in the Valley. We look forward to great things from them and to one day welcoming them as faculty and as colleagues once they finish their residency and fellowship training."

SJV PRIME is a tailored track for UCSF medical students committed to providing high-quality, diverse and well distributed medical care to improve health in the San Joaquin Valley — the region where they were raised and a region in need of physicians. There are 47 primary care physicians in the San Joaquin Valley per 100,000 population, in contrast to the recommended 81. SJV PRIME students possess a common desire to provide care and to give back to the communities where they grew up. They also share a calling to promote health equity and mentor Valley students who follow in their footsteps, just as they were mentored.

SJV PRIME soon-to-be-graduates Christopher Teran (left) and Jacob Perez-Stringer (right)

“I am looking forward to staying close to home with family and friends. I plan to practice in the Valley and hope to teach the next generation of SJV PRIME students,” said Jacob Perez-Stringer, who will start residency training at UCSF Fresno in Emergency Medicine this June. “Drs. Kenny Banh and Lily Hitchner have been great mentors during medical school and even before. They are the reason I fell in love with Emergency Medicine.” Perez-Stringer is a Valley native, attended Reedley High School, Reedley College and graduated from Fresno State.

“I am excited to be a part of the Central Valley community, the place where I grew up and I’m excited to be the best doctor I can be here. I hope to continue my efforts in mentorship and community outreach,” said Christopher Teran, who matched with UCSF Fresno in Emergency Medicine. Teran attended Patterson High School and Yale University.

Health and Human Services Region IX Director Jeffrey Reynoso, DrPH, MPH

Health and Human Services (HHS) Region IX Director Jeffrey Reynoso, DrPH, MPH, joined the morning Match Day celebration to express HHS’s appreciation for the SJV PRIME and to recognize the achievements of the students and faculty. “As a child of the Central Valley myself nothing brings me more joy than seeing eight fellow locals make the commitment to bring care back to our community.”

The UCSF Fresno campus community on Match Day

The SJV PRIME breakfast was one of two celebrations at UCSF Fresno on Match Day. The other was a lunchtime event where the campus community came together to recognize and applaud as the names of the physicians who will start training at UCSF Fresno later this summer were read by program directors. All available positions at UCSF Fresno were filled.

Seventy-nine new physicians including two SJV PRIME students and 23 physicians seeking advanced sub-specialty training will join UCSF Fresno later this summer.

“We look forward to welcoming 100 new doctors to UCSF Fresno who share our commitment to serving our community and advancing access to high quality medical care here in the Valley,” said Stacy Sawtelle Vohra, MD, Interim Designated Institutional Official and Emergency Medicine Residency Program Director at UCSF Fresno. “Collectively, they bring a wide diversity of experiences and have completed their medical education across the United States and internationally.”

The UCSF Fresno medical residency programs that participated in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) received 8,305 applications and conducted 1,067 interviews for 75 positions. The Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program’s Match Day took place in January. UCSF Fresno’s Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program received 135 applications and conducted 20 interviews for four positions. The UCSF Fresno fellowship programs that took part in the October/December NRMP match received 2,002 applications and conducted 293 interviews for 23 positions. Non-NRMP programs filled available positions through another matching service or through interviews and offers.

The Match Process

According to the NRMP, a record high number of applicants, over 44,000, registered in the 2024 Main Residency Match which included 6,395 certified training programs offering 41,503 first- and second-year training positions.

Graduating medical students typically register with the NRMP as part of the Match Day process. The NRMP utilizes a mathematical algorithm to place applicants into residency positions. Medical school graduates then begin residency training at the hospital or program where they “matched” as interns. A similar “match” occurs each year in December for physicians entering advanced sub-specialty fellowship training.

Background

UCSF Fresno, a regional campus of the UCSF School of Medicine, offers training in eight medical residency programs, one dental surgery residency program and 22 sub-specialty fellowships. In 2011, a partnership among the UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Merced, UCSF School of Medicine and UCSF Fresno started SJV PRIME with UC Davis as the degree-granting institution. UCSF became the degree-granting institution in 2018. The first class of students in the new UCSF SJV PRIME was admitted in 2019. In fall 2023, UC Merced, in partnership with the UCSF School of Medicine and its regional campus in Fresno launched SJV PRIME+, an eight-year baccalaureate to MD program, with 15 students. Both programs will run concurrently. SJV PRIME will continue as the medical school track. SJV PRIME+ is an expansion of SJV PRIME, starting at the baccalaureate level with students completing all eight years in the Valley.

What SJV PRIME students are saying:

“My coaches were great mentors that really had my back throughout medical school. Thank you Dr. O'Brien and Dr. Refaat! I hope to be part of medical education in the San Joaquin Valley.”

Kyle Shen graduated from Merced High School and UC Merced. He matched in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego.

Charis Turner (left) and husband Marcus Turner

“I was introduced to my specialty Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Dr. Loren Alving’s Neurology Clinic. A long-term goal is to expand access to PM&R care for underserved patients.”

Charis Turner grew up in Merced and attended UC Santa Barbara. She matched with the University of Washington Medicine in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). Her husband also is a UCSF graduate and a current Ophthalmology resident at UW.

“It's a bittersweet moment personally for me knowing the person who inspired this dream, my mom isn’t physically with me any longer, but I know she would be proud. I hope to pay forward the service and time that was offered to me in my medical education to one day provide the same support and mentorship for Central Valley medical students to come.”

Inderpreet Bal went to Kingsburg High School and graduated from Fresno State. She matched in Internal Medicine at UC Davis.

“I want to pursue a career in academic medicine and be involved in medical education. I also hope to continue working on community engagement projects promoting health equity and wellbeing.”

Kiranjot Kaur graduated from UC Irvine and matched in Internal Medicine at UC Irvine

“I hope to continue focusing on community outreach efforts and health equity research to address barriers in access to surgical care for patients from underserved backgrounds. I also hope to inspire and mentor other underrepresented minority students to pursue careers in surgery.”

Vanessa Mora Molina graduated from UC Santa Barbara and matched with UCLA in Surgery.

SJV PRIME Class of 2024 with UME/SJV PRIME staff

UCSF Fresno Provides One-of-A-Kind Training for Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon and All National Parks Through a Parkmedic Certification Course

The UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program trains resident physicians and fellows to provide high quality Emergency Medicine Services (EMS) and this includes a unique opportunity to help lead a course for National Park Service (NPS) rangers advancing the delivery of expert emergency care in harsh wilderness environments.

About 50 years ago, the UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program was established and for nearly five decades, rangers from national parks, as close as Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon – and parks across the United States – have been coming to UCSF Fresno every other year for a rigorous six-week Parkmedic Primary Certification Training Course to improve their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) skills.

Importantly, this course provides a compelling learning opportunity for Emergency Residents covering EMS care in austere environments and has been a decidedly successful resident recruiting resource for UCSF Fresno.

This January, 19 rangers participated in the training, which is an Advanced Emergency Medicine Technician (AEMT) certification but also includes an expanded pharmacological component and scope of practice that is tailored and designed for the NPS. UCSF Fresno is the sole provider of the training.

The one-of-a-kind training takes into consideration different environments of the national parks and the varying risks for patients, such as high altitude at nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the marine environment at Everglades in Florida or the desert of Death Valley National Park.

The training is provided by a team of UCSF Fresno physicians including faculty: Nicholas Black, MD; James McCue, MD; Gayle Kouklis, MD; and Geoff Stroh, MD – and a multitude of EM residents, led by Nathan Dreyfus, MD; Madeline Giegold, MD; Miles McDonough, MD; and Mathew Lippi, MD. The Wilderness Medicine fellow, this year Johnny Bauman, MD, also participates in the planning and execution of the course, in addition to an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course in spring.

Dr. Stroh, UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program Co-Faculty, praised the rangers participating in this year’s training course. “They are incredibly bright and incredibly diligent and just simply work hard. “This is a very, very intense course, and we pound a lot of information into their heads and then we make them demonstrate it.”

Rangers attend lectures during mornings for four weeks and have the information reinforced in the afternoons with hands-on training, including scenarios involving volunteers who act as patients during simulation exercises. As part of the advanced certification, they are given instruction in intravenous (IV) access and insertion of airway devices to manage breathing issues, among other skills sets. They also learn proper dosage and administration of more than 30 medications. The last two weeks of training are spent in the emergency department at Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and ride-alongs with American Ambulance.

A Parkmedic can be with a patient for hours before and during transport to a hospital, Dr. Stroh said. “For example, sometimes you have open fractures in the back country and it's two to three hours, up to a day, maybe overnight, before you can get that person to definitive care at a hospital. So, administering IV antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection or loss of a leg is crucial.”

Cody Hays of Yosemite National Park said the Parkmedic certification training at UCSF Fresno allows him to better help people in difficult situations. “Right now, I am an EMT basic. I can provide a very basic level of care to a person in a medical or traumatic problem and this course is going to allow me to provide that advanced level of care, anywhere from intravenous therapy and additional sets of drugs and advanced airways … which will help support people in those difficult situations for longer and better quality.”

Clara Maynard an EMT from the state of Washington, echoed Hays. “This program is really important to me because there is only so much I can do as a basic EMT in a remote environment. And I care for patients in really austere environments that are very far away from definitive medical care. And I’m very excited to learn skills where I can do more for my patients and really give them a better outcome.”

Maynard was one of nine participants in the UCSF Fresno Parkmedic training course this year who received a UCSF Danny Dresher Memorial Scholarship for Parkmedic Training. In January 2019, NPS back country ranger Danny Dresher completed the Parkmedic Primary Certification Course at his own expense. He later died in a tragic mountaineering accident in Alaska. The UCSF scholarship fund was established in his memory by the Dresher family to help pay tuition costs for NPS rangers who would not otherwise be able to attend the course due to limited financial resources.

The UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program has been in existence for almost 50 years. The training course is overseen by UCSF -Fresno faculty, including Dr. Stroh, who has been involved in the UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program since 1993, but many of the lectures are led by Emergency Medicine residents who choose to participate in the Parkmedic Program. Residents become EMS medical directors (under faculty supervision) for the EMS providers of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. They also manage the parks’ base hospital radio at CRMC, responding to back country emergency calls. This experience is a great learning environment to help teach EMS to residents.

An exposure to wilderness medicine attracts many residents to UCSF Fresno, in addition to the Emergency Medicine residency’s strong emphasis on clinical teaching and hands-on training at the only Level 1 trauma center and burn center for Central California, Dr. Stroh said.

Miles McDonough, MD, a fourth-year UCSF Fresno Parkmedic Program resident, oversaw much of this year’s Parkmedic Training lectures and simulation exercises, and said the Parkmedic program is a big reason he came to UCSF Fresno for Emergency Medicine residency. “It’s a pretty unique program in that there is no other Emergency Medicine training program in the country that works hand-in-hand with the National Park Service like we do. We have a long history – we’ve been doing it since the mid-1970s.” Residents and rangers alike benefit from the Parkmedic Program, Dr. McDonough said.

“In the ER, we’re doing definitive medicine, we have all the bells and whistles. We have all the resources we need. But for our Parkmedics who are doing similar skill sets, they’re in the middle of nowhere, no back up and they’re often alone. So, being able to understand our definitive medicine and being able to communicate that in a limited resource setting, definitively not only helps them in the medicine they need to practice but it helps us form a richer and deeper understanding of the principles of medicine in Emergency Medicine and how they are applied.”

Hays of Yosemite National Park said the Parkmedic collaboration between the national parks and UCSF Fresno deserves recognition. “This is the only course in the nation. It’s located in Fresno, California.”

SJV MedBridge and Local Community Colleges Support Students Toward Becoming Physicians

Community college students in the San Joaquin Valley have the unique opportunity to participate in hands-on activities at the UCSF Fresno Clinical Skills and Simulation Center. Students say it’s a perk of being enrolled in the San Joaquin Valley MedBridge Program and is
invaluable to their education.

The San Joaquin Valley - MedBridge Program (SJV-MedBridge) was developed by UCSF Fresno, in partnership with Fresno State, community colleges in the San Joaquin Valley, California Health Sciences University, and multiple medical education programs and launched in the fall of 2023. The program was made possible through Senate Bill 40, which was proposed by Sen. Melissa Hurtado, (then D-14) in 2021. A native of Sanger, Sen. Hurtado (SD 16) helped fund the establishment of the California Medicine Scholars Program, which is administered by the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

The SJV-MedBridge program aims to develop an outreach-focused program to connect community college students in the San Joaquin Valley to the resources, avenues, and mentors that will help them reach their goals and further allow them to explore the world of medicine.

Currently in its first year, the program has enrolled two cohorts for a total of 102 community college students from across eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley.

“It’s great. Honestly, this is probably the best thing that has happened to me because I’ve never been this close to where I want to be and being with a school like UCSF that is highly recognized is amazing,” said Malik Evans, a Fresno City College student who is working toward becoming a neurosurgeon. “Being able to see that I can come back to Fresno and have the opportunity to be at the University of California, San Francisco while serving my community is the best thing for me.”

Evans is enrolled in the program’s first cohort and is taking advantage of the opportunity to connect with UCSF Fresno staff and meet other students who are on the same path toward health care careers.

SJV-MedBridge aims to extend and highlight access to various workshops related to medicine and support transfer efforts from community colleges to a four-year institution, encourage and provide networking opportunities to and with experts in the premedical community while fostering a community-focused environment for individuals with a shared interest and passion for medicine.

“We try to eliminate as many barriers as possible to get into SJV-MedBridge,” said Sydney Farnesi, program supervisor. “Qualifications include interest in medicine, a completion of 12 units in community college within the San Joaquin Valley and students should not have a previous bachelor’s degree.”

Each month, students participate in a virtual session and an in-person offering including a simulation day at UCSF Fresno where they learn about CPR, wound care and ultrasound. In February, seven community college students were on campus exploring hands-on opportunities.

“I think hands-on is what is a foundation for getting the best education you can. It’s a lot different than sitting through a lecture having to retain that information,” said Isabella Alvarez, a Clovis Community College student.

Alvarez wants to pursue a medical career and hopes SJV-MedBridge will help her decide in which capacity. “With the hands-on experience you can really get to know if this is something you really want to do.”

The goal for SJV-MedBridge is to enroll 50 students each year. Current community college students in the San Joaquin Valley who are driven and seek opportunities to advance into the medical field with a goal of becoming a physician are encouraged to apply to the program. Applications for the next cohort will open in the Summer of 2024.

“If you’re interested, this is a great opportunity to get access and resources as well as plenty of connections to other students that are all on the same journey.” said Farnesi. “We’re really passionate about building that network and creating that cohort sense of belonging in this journey.

Inspire: Ibironke Adelaja, MD, Breast Cancer Surgeon, Teacher and Community Advocate

UCSF Fresno’s success and growth are a direct result of the dedication and inspiration of our faculty, staff, residents, fellows, students, alumni, partners, donors and friends. In each issue of Focus, we introduce you to the people who contribute to the greatness of UCSF Fresno.

Ibironke Adelaja, MD, an assistant clinical professor of Surgery at UCSF Fresno, is a breast surgeon who cares for women and men with benign and malignant breast disease. Becoming a surgeon had been a dream of hers since she was a little girl.

Her father grew up in Nigeria and on his side of the family, there are several medical doctors. Someone in the family being a physician wasn’t foreign to her, but growing up in Houston, she did not see doctors of color.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, about 5.7% of physicians in the United States identify as Black or African American.

Dr. Adelaja is proud to be in that percentage. Her interest in medicine blossomed during summer science programs she participated in at a medical center in Houston where the focus of the programs was math and science.

“My interest in medicine, science and trying to figure out how things work, including the body, stemmed from those summer programs growing up,” Dr. Adelaja said. “I loved science. I loved trying to figure out why this (the body) works this way.”

Her first interaction with a Black physician happened while she attended the University of Texas at Austin. He was working in the emergency room and encouraged her to pursue medicine as a career.

She received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin and her medical degree at Texas A& M University School of Medicine. She completed a General Surgery Residency Program at UCSF Fresno and a Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. In 2011, she received the Surgery Excellence Award for Teaching medical students at UCSF Fresno. In 2014, she received the Gallo Research Award for Scientific Excellence from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

After residency, Dr. Adelaja began working at the breast clinic in Fresno, where she saw a large number of Hispanic and Black patients with breast cancer. “I kept seeing women that looked like me, with advanced stage disease and it really bothered me because I saw women that weren't getting mammograms.”

As a physician, she also saw women who did not get yearly checkups to catch breast cancer at early stages. Too many of the cancers were at advanced stages, she said. “It really made me want to do more in terms of disparities. It made me want to be an advocate for those patients. Still today, when I walk in the room and there is a black woman that sees that I am her breast surgeon, it is amazing to see her face light up. I have had patients just straight-out cry and hug me before we've even began to talk about their breast cancer because they'll say they didn't know that there was a black woman breast surgeon in Fresno,” Dr. Adelaja said. “It is rejuvenating to see that and it also tells me representation really does matter. People know this is someone that looks like them who may have shared some of the same experiences they have shared and patients want to see that.”

Dr. Adelaja is a strong advocate of community involvement. She participates in volunteer activities such as performing sports physicals, preparing meals for out-of-town families of critically ill patients, informing her local community of health-related events, and national health awareness campaigns.

“Dr. Adelaja is the first fellowship trained breast surgeon in Fresno. She takes extraordinary care of her patients and has elevated the quality of care for breast cancer in the Valley, “said Jim Davis, MD, Steven N. Parks, MD, Endowed Chair of Surgery at UCSF Fresno. “She continues to teach residents and medical students in addition to a very busy practice and is a major contributor to our department.”

Scholarships Support Future Doctors for the San Joaquin Valley

The UCSF School of Medicine’s San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) seeks to recruit and train future physicians to address the unique health needs of the region’s diverse and underserved populations. Currently, students admitted to the program spend their first 18 months of medical school in San Francisco, then transition to the Fresno regional campus for the remainder of their education. SJV PRIME incorporates the unique expertise of UCSF, UC Merced, and UCSF faculty at UCSF Fresno, as researchers, educators and leaders in the field of health care in the Valley.

All SJV PRIME medical students come from or possess close ties to the Valley, so they are particularly motivated to ensure that high-quality, comprehensive, and well-distributed medical care is available to every patient, regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic level, or life circumstance. SJV PRIME helps us “grow our own” by training students from the Valley, in the Valley, and for the Valley.

We want our graduates to have the financial freedom to pursue their passions, yet most students who aspire to become physicians through SJV PRIME lack the financial means to do so. Student scholarships are crucial to ensuring that the brightest, most diverse, and most public service-minded students can attend UCSF and graduate from SJV PRIME with minimal debt. Establishing a new scholarship or giving to one that already exists makes a difference in the life of a talented, purpose-driven student who shares UCSF Fresno’s mission and culture of innovation, service, compassion and collaboration.

One of our exceptional SJV PRIME students is Alyssa Fuentes from Lodi, California. She is completing her first year in SJV PRIME and is grateful for scholarship support from generous donors. In the following Q&A, she shares more about herself and the impact of scholarship support.  

Please tell us a little about your background and how you first became interested in medicine.

I was born and raised in Lodi, a small agricultural town in the northernmost part of the San Joaquin Valley surrounded by my family, including many tios, tias, cousins, and grandparents. During high school, I developed a deep interest in science and writing. I earned my undergraduate degree at Stanford University in Human Biology with a concentration in Cancer Biology and Healthcare Disparities. Throughout my studies, I became increasingly aware of and interested in solving the unique health care crises faced by medically underserved populations. In my gap year after college, I worked as a Community Health Fellow in Pomona, California, where I was part social worker, part health advocate, and part translator and became very interested in Community Health.

What attracted you to UCSF?

I was attracted to UCSF because of all the great things I heard about their faculty and students. The entire culture of campus seemed like it would fit very well with who I am and how I want to approach medicine. I was also attracted to the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME). Being from the Valley, there are few opportunities after high school to learn about our communities from within those communities. SJV PRIME turned that on its head. I could spend my time in medical school learning and investing in the very communities I call home. That is very valuable to me.

What are your career goals and interests in medicine?

Right now, I see a future for myself in internal medicine, maybe oncology. I also have a vested interest in palliative care. I want to be able to increase access to these specialties in my communities at home. I also want to be able to create programs for kids like me to brush up against medicine early in their lives with the hope that this helps them develop their interests in health careers.

If you could thank your donors personally for their support of your financial aid, what would you say?

The cost of medical school is one of the most daunting and prohibitive parts of this career. Staring down hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt was something that, while I accepted it, added another layer of insecurity to my journey on top of being first-gen (first in my family to study medicine). Because of your support, I won't be starting off my career already behind. I am free to pursue my interests and education with the financial freedom that I didn't think possible on this journey. Thank you!

To learn more about how your gift to UCSF Fresno can help us continue the important work of educating the next generation of physicians for the Valley, contact Kathleen Smith, associate director of development, UCSF Fresno, at (559) 499-6426 or [email protected].