FRESNO – The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is starting two new fellowships this summer – one in maternal/child health and another in emergency medicine education – to give two talented physicians advanced training in the above sub-specialties.
This year’s maternal/child health fellow is Christina Chavez-Johnson, MD, who recently completed residency training in family medicine at UCSF Fresno. Chavez-Johnson is the grandniece of civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. Deena Ibrahim, MD, who completed the UC Irvine Emergency Medicine Residency Program, has been selected for the fellowship in emergency medicine education.
Fellowships offer specific training in an area of expertise beyond residency and generally last one to two years. The addition of these two new programs brings the total number of sub-specialty fellowship programs at UCSF Fresno to 14, offering training for nearly 50 medical fellows each year.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to offer these new programs,” said Joan Voris, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “We have been involved in medical education since 1975, training physicians in a number of specialties and sub-specialties, and we have considerable knowledge to impart.
“Our new Emergency Medicine Medical Education Fellowship will train physicians specifically for leadership roles in medical education programs such as ours,” Voris said. “The new Maternal Child Health Fellowship will contribute to improved continuity of care for women and children in the Central San Joaquin Valley. It is a proven fact that the health of women before, during and after pregnancy greatly contributes to their long-term health and that of their entire family.”
The Maternal Child Health Fellowship (MCH), which began this month and is based largely at the Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno, is a collaboration between the Family Medicine Residency and Obstetrics/Gynecology Residency programs at UCSF Fresno. The one-year MCH program is aimed at providing fellows with an entire spectrum of training in maternity care.
Fellows participate fully in the care of their patients and receive hands-on training in operative delivery, ultrasound, and high-risk pregnancy management. Approximately 8,000 infants are delivered at CRMC each year, one-third of which are high-risk.
Fellows also will train at Selma Community Hospital, where they will gain first-hand experience with providing rural care. Fellowship applicants must have completed a residency program in family medicine and be board-certified or board eligible. Applicants also should have a demonstrated interest in maternal-child health. Ivan Gomez, MD, is the current program director. Thomas Lauck, MD, is the incoming director.
The Emergency Medicine Education Fellowship, which begins in August, is a one-year program with an option to train for two years. This fellowship is based at CRMC, which has the third busiest Emergency Department in the state. The aim of the program is to develop the knowledge and skills essential to effective educators, while allowing time for the fellow to participate in curriculum development and educational research.
Training includes theories of learning, development of teaching methods, educational program administration and career development, as well as clinical responsibilities. Fellowship applicants must have graduated from a U.S. or Canadian emergency medicine residency program and be board eligible or board certified. Applications to the program must be submitted by Nov. 15 annually and should be accompanied by curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendation. The director of the program is Kenny Banh, MD. Associate Fellowship Director is Stacy Sawtelle, MD.
