Citlali Lopez and Nickie Yang, new students at the UCSF School of Medicine, and Jacob Perez-Stringer, MD, and Christopher Teran, MD, first-year residents at UCSF Fresno, are at different stages in their medical education. However, they share a common commitment to caring for vulnerable populations in Central California.
Yang from Fresno and Lopez from Madera are among the 12 students admitted this year to the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME). They started medical school at the main campus in San Francisco this month, alongside all other newly admitted UCSF medical students. Meanwhile, SJV PRIME graduates from the Class of 2024, Drs. Perez-Stringer and Teran, began their intern year of residency training at the UCSF regional campus in Fresno.
They represent two sets of UCSF learners, separated by four years but connected through the SJV PRIME — a tailored track at UCSF that offers medical students the opportunity to work in the Valley with underserved populations. The program addresses the shortage of physicians in the San Joaquin Valley and strives to make the physician workforce more reflective of Valley communities.
Yang and Lopez, both graduates of UCLA, gathered with peers on Aug. 11 for the UCSF 2024 White Coat Ceremony where they donned freshly issued white coats. They recited the Physician Declaration which reflects UCSF’s mission of preparing tomorrow’s physicians to advance health for all. Each student pledged to practice medicine equitably, collaboratively and with compassion, integrity and respect.
“The white coat you will don today is more than just a garment,” said UCSF School of Medicine Dean Talmadge E. King, Jr., MD. “It symbolizes the trust society places in you, the commitment you are making to patients and the dedication to lifelong learning and service. It is a visible representation of the values and responsibilities you are embracing as future physicians.”
Yang, who is Hmong, is an alumna of Sunnyside High School in Fresno, and a first-generation university graduate and medical student. She draws inspiration from her family’s perseverance. Refugees of the Vietnam War, her grandparents lived in small villages in Laos before seeking shelter in Thailand where her parents were born. The family moved to the United States in the 1990s where they assimilated to a new language, culture and society. “A collective of personal health experiences along with witnessing the cultural, language, and financial barriers that my family faced while navigating health care inspired me to pursue medicine with hopes of helping underserved communities in Fresno in the future,” Yang said.
Lopez, a graduate of Madera South High School, has deep family roots in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Mexico. She grew up translating for her mom at doctor appointments. Lopez both witnessed and experienced how social determinants of health, such as language barriers and occupational risks in the agricultural fields, as well as citizenship status, negatively affected the health of her family and community. It was these circumstances that motivated her to become a physician.
“I picked SJV PRIME because of its commitment to providing quality care for the underserved populations in the Valley,” said Lopez. “Returning to Fresno for clinical rotations is also a huge perk as I get to rely on my greatest support system, my family, while I finish medical school.”
This year’s matriculating cohort is the sixth admitted to UCSF SJV PRIME. “SJV PRIME students share a common bond, a commitment to serve the San Joaquin Valley’s medically under-resourced communities — the communities that they call home,” said Loren I. Alving, MD, director of the UCSF SJV PRIME. “Progressing from UCSF SJV PRIME medical student to residency training in the San Joaquin Valley to becoming a practicing physician in the region is the ultimate goal.”
Thirty percent of the students in the first two SJV PRIME classes to graduate with UCSF medical degrees matched with UCSF Fresno for residency training. Graduates who wish to pursue specialties not offered at UCSF Fresno or in the region, such as Neurology, Radiology, or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, must go elsewhere for training.
Among the SJV PRIME matches at UCSF Fresno are Drs. Perez-Stringer, from Reedley, and Teran, from Patterson. After earning medical degrees from UCSF, they began the next chapter of their medical education earlier this summer as first-year residents in the UCSF Fresno Emergency Medicine Residency Program.
Now, they are covering ICU and burn rotations, respectively, at Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Fresno, home to one of the state’s busiest Emergency Departments and the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center.
The interns along with Lopez and Yang are representative of the Valley’s diversity.
Growing up in the Valley, Dr. Teran recognized the significant need for physicians, especially as he witnessed the challenges his grandparents and others faced accessing health care due to language barriers. As a first-generation Mexican American, Spanish was Dr. Teran’s first language. Guided by mentors who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine, Dr. Teran successfully navigated the complexities of higher education, ultimately graduating from Yale University as the first in his family to earn a college degree.
Dr. Perez-Stringer attended Reedley College with the intention of becoming a nurse despite facing discouragement and uncertainty about pursuing higher education. He credits his “stubbornness” with keeping him on track. After transferring to Fresno State, he aimed to become a physician assistant. However, his experiences as a scribe at CRMC with the UCSF Fresno Department of Emergency Medicine and Inspire Health Medical Group motivated him to pursue a career as a doctor, specifically in emergency medicine.
As they begin their residencies at UCSF Fresno, Drs. Teran and Perez-Stringer look forward to advancing in their training. “You put in more hours. You take care of more patients. You have more autonomy. Attendings start to trust you more,” said Dr. Perez-Stringer pointing to key differences between medical school and residency.
“You can sign your own orders. I get to work with medical students. I was just there a year ago and now I can teach and learn,” he added.
“Some of the changes are subtle. Everyone calls you doctor now,” said Dr. Teran. “As a medical student, I’d correct them and say, ‘Thank you, but I’m not a doctor yet.’”
“Throughout medical school, you’re able to influence patient care, but now (as a resident) being able to provide direct patient care is gratifying,” Dr. Teran said.
“The start of interns at UCSF Fresno always is an exciting time,” said Stacy Sawtelle Vohra, MD, recently appointed Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Designated Institutional Official at UCSF Fresno. “Internship marks the next step in the medical education of new doctors, and we are grateful that they've entrusted us with their training. Seeing and contributing to their growth as clinicians is especially rewarding.”
The stories of these newly minted doctors and first-year medical students are still being written, but as members of the SJV PRIME family, their perseverance and common desire to serve the Valley are clear.
Yang aspires to be a family medicine doctor or neurologist and would like to study how social determinants of health impact health outcomes on a community level.
Lopez is interested in family medicine or OB/GYN as potential specialties. She is keeping her options open but plans on returning to Madera to practice.
After residency, Dr. Perez-Stringer is considering a career in critical care and would like to be a UCSF faculty member at UCSF Fresno.
Dr. Teran plans on practicing Emergency Medicine in Stanislaus County after residency and looks forward to contributing to the Valley community through mentorship and community outreach.
Just as they share a dedication to providing care in the Valley, SJV PRIME students and graduates also feel a strong calling to give back and mentor those who are following in their footsteps.
Drs. Teran and Perez-Stringer share these words of encouragement with their younger counterparts.
“Enjoy the journey. Enjoy your friends, classmates and fellow SJV PRIMErs,” Dr. Perez-Stringer said. “The days are long, but the years are short.”
“No matter where you are in your education or career, always keep in mind why you’re doing this, why you’re pursuing this career. There will be hard times along the way but also a lot of beautiful moments and triumphant successes,” said Dr. Teran.
