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Message from the Associate Dean
physician leaders and patient advocates ready to meet the needs of the Valley’s diverse populations and the health challenges that exist in the region.
Each year, UCSF Fresno trains nearly 300 residents, fellows and physician assistants to join the physician workforce, and roughly 50% of our graduates remain in the Central Valley and about 70% stay in California to care for patients, teach future physicians or continue their medical education. But this is not enough. With just 47 primary care physicians per 100,000 population, the San Joaquin Valley continues to fall short of the 60 to 80 primary care physicians recommended by the Council on Graduate Medical Education; and with a rapidly growing population and one-third of physicians at or near retirement age, we simply can’t keep pace. It takes at least 11 years or more to produce a practicing physician after high school, including four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school and three to seven years of residency depending on the specialty. UCSF Fresno provides training every step of the way.
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Our focus is on training the highest quality physicians to improve health and expand access to care in the diverse and medically under-resourced San Joaquin Valley. We do this through physician training, outstanding patient care, exceptional clinical research and community partnerships. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are at the heart of UCSF and the School of Medicine. As a regional campus, UCSF Fresno emphasizes DEI and promotes physician wellness.
UCSF Fresno’s pathway to practicing physicians starts with our Junior Doctors Academy, Doctors Academy, Summer Biomedical Internship Program, ROAD for the San Joaquin Valley and Mini Med School. These programs inspire, motivate and prepare students for careers in medicine. UCSF’s San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) admits medical students from the Valley who are committed to providing culturally appropriate care in the region and working with underserved populations. By training them here and offering them the opportunity for residency training, they are much more likely to stay to practice. Our residency and fellowship programs train not only outstanding clinicians but
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed challenges and disparities that exist in the San Joaquin Valley like never before – from the shortage of physicians to the lack of physicians who look like, understand and come from the communities they care for. Faculty, learners and staff at UCSF Fresno responded. • Faculty, residents and fellows at UCSF Fresno treated more COVID-19 patients in Fresno than in many other areas of California. • UCSF Fresno brought new treatments to the region before they were available more broadly. For example, UCSF Fresno, in partnership with Community Regional Medical Center, was the first in the area to make remdesivir available as a treatment for COVID-19. • Thanks to federal funding, we started the UCSF Fresno COVID-19 Equity Project (CEP) in collaboration with the City, County and community-based organizations to make testing and ultimately, vaccines, available to communities of color and other underserved communities. CEP administered nearly 38,000 vaccines from Feb. 10, 2021, to June 30, 2021, and 72% identified as a person of color. Between Aug. 31, 2020, and June 15, 2021, CEP gave nearly 30,000 COVID-19 tests and 82% of those tested identified as a person of color. The partnerships we made, the research we pioneered, some of the physicians we trained and other accomplishments are highlighted in this annual report. In the face of repeated surges in the pandemic, we remain steadfast. UCSF Fresno is rooted in the community. We are committed to it. Every day and especially during the pandemic, UCSF Fresno steps forward to care for the Valley community. We are your doctors. We are your neighbors. We are your UCSF Fresno.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Peterson, MD, FCCP, MACP Y. Frank and Roxie Moradian Chair in Medicine UCSF Professor of Medicine UCSF Fresno Associate Dean
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