UCSF Fresno Celebrates Commencement In-Person for First Time Since 2019
In June, 95 medical residents and fellows, four oral and maxillofacial surgery dental residents and one head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction fellow, along with eight physician assistants in three different programs completed residency training at UCSF Fresno in 2022. UCSF Fresno celebrated commencement in-person this year for the first time since 2019. Until recently, in-person gatherings were held virtually or postponed preventing further spread of COVID-19.
Many of the graduates stay in Fresno and the Central Valley to care for patients, teach future physicians and continue their medical education.
UCSF Fresno is focused on improving health in the San Joaquin Valley and central California through teaching, patient care, research and community partnerships. Historically, roughly 50% of UCSF Fresno graduates stay in the region to provide care.
Residency is the required hands-on clinical training (postgraduate training) when clinicians fine tune skills under the guidance of attending faculty members prior to practicing independently. Resiliency, dedication, determination and commitment to service are common among UCSF Fresno residents and this year’s class demonstrated those traits throughout their training during the most challenging of times.
“The past few years have been unlike any others we have encountered in our lifetimes, and this has increased the challenges of residency and fellowship training. We are traversing through new terrain – from responding to a pandemic to seeking to right health disparities and inequities and advancing social justice,” said Lori Weichenthal, MD, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Clinical Affairs and the Designated Institutional Official at UCSF Fresno. “We applaud and are thankful for the resiliency and dedication of our learners. We also applaud the strength and determination of their colleagues and our faculty and staff.”
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Research Michael W. Peterson, MD, joined Dr. Weichenthal in congratulating the graduates and acknowledged their contributions to medical student education and for contributing to the learning environment at UCSF Fresno.
“We are grateful for the knowledge you have shared with those who follow in your footsteps and trust that the opportunities to teach have enhanced and enriched your training, said Dr. Peterson. Just as you have left your mark here, we hope that you remember the knowledge and skills you acquired at UCSF Fresno and the lessons learned from the patients we care for. Congratulations on your achievements UCSF Fresno Class of 2022. Go with confidence and compassion to serve and improve our communities, the health of your patients and of our profession.”
As the winner of the 2021 Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching, the commencement keynote speaker was Mohammed Sani Bukari, MD. Dr. Bukari is a faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and director of the Sickle Cell Program at UCSF Fresno.
Numerous awards were presented during the ceremony, including the 2022 Henry J. Kaiser Award. Each year, the UCSF School of Medicine awards the prestigious Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching to four members of the clinical faculty. These awards recognize outstanding teaching, motivational skills and communications abilities. One of these prestigious awards is reserved for a faculty member at UCSF Fresno.
The winner of the 2022 Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching at UCSF Fresno is Brian Chinnock, MD, RDMS. Dr. Chinnock is a health sciences clinical professor and research director in the UCSF Fresno Department of Emergency Medicine.
UCSF Fresno 2022 Commencement Highlights:
- 50% of residents completing training in the Department of Emergency Medicine are staying in the Central Valley to provide care
- Nearly 40% of residents completing training in the Department of Family and Community Medicine are staying in the region to provide much needed primary care
- 60% of Internal Medicine residents are staying in the Valley
- Both fellows in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship Program are staying in the Valley
- 40% of residents completing training in the Department of Pediatrics are staying in the region
- 3 out of 5 graduating residents in the Department of Psychiatry are staying in the Valley. According to a California Health Care Foundation Report, there are 6.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 population in the San Joaquin Valley. The state ratio is 11.8 per 100,000 people
Graduates from Community Medical Centers’ General Dentistry Residency program also were recognized during the commencement program.
For a complete list of award winners announced at commencement and to read about some of the UCSF Fresno graduates who are staying to provide care, visit https://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/2022commencement/
