Jessica McFarland, MD, wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember. 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 will be among the more than 100 residents and fellows completing training at UCSF Fresno and graduating 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.
According to the World Health Organization, infectious diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. Some infectious diseases can be directly or indirectly spread from one person to another. Examples of infectious diseases include sexually transmitted infections, measles, Valley fever, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and others.
Dr. McFarland’s interest in Infectious Diseases started during an epidemiology course in college. She went on to take advanced courses in virology, microbiology and parasitology. But in college, Dr. McFarland said she struggled to achieve the academic standards to get into medical school right away. Knowing she needed to do more, she went to graduate school to get a master’s degree in Anatomy. She graduated, finishing at the top of her class, but was not admitted to medical school.
“At that point, I felt defeated, but I did not give up,” she said. “I applied to American University of the Caribbean and was accepted. I moved away from my husband and family to a new country to continue my journey to become a doctor.”
She worked exceptionally hard in medical school to come back to California and be accepted into a residency program of her choosing.
A month-long elective at Kern Medical Center during medical school renewed her interest in Infectious Diseases. And in residency at UCSF Fresno, she was encouraged by ID faculty and fellows. She enjoyed time in the HIV clinic providing primary medical care to the underserved HIV-positive community. She also spent time on the Infectious Diseases consult service where she was fascinated by the complex disease processes in Fresno.
When not working, she spends her free time with her husband and two children. We enjoy going to the lake, beach, mountains, anything outdoors and any opportunity to travel.
Dr. McFarland completed residency training in Internal Medicine at UCSF Fresno, earned a medical degree from the University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten, received a Master of Science degree in Anatomy from Saint Louis University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Public Health from Santa Clara University.
“I was constantly encouraged and supported by our ID faculty,” said Dr. McFarland. “Their influence over my career path is one of the main reasons I chose to stay on as faculty and work alongside them. Hopefully, one day, I will have the same positive impact on a resident’s training.”
