FRESNO – On March 16, medical school graduates in Fresno and across the nation will simultaneously open envelopes that reveal where they will spend the next several years conducting the postgraduate training necessary to practice medicine in the United States. The event is called Match Day and occurs every year in March.
“Match Day is a significant milestone in medical education,” said Michael W. Peterson, MD, associate dean and chief of medicine at UCSF Fresno. “It is a rite of passage for medical students as they learn where they will spend the next three to seven years of their lives living, working and caring for patients in a community, and fine-tuning the skills necessary to be excellent patient care providers. We look forward to welcoming the physicians who will start their training with us later this summer.”
UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program will celebrate Match Day with two events on Friday, March 16, at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research, 155 N. Fresno Street.
- 8 to 10 a.m., Rooms 136-137: Celebration of the conclusion of clinical training for the fourth graduating class of medical students from the UC San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) as they await their residency notifications. Match Day envelopes will be presented to the medical students promptly at 9 a.m.
- Noon to 1:30 p.m., Amphitheater: UCSF Fresno program directors announce the incoming medical residents and fellows who matched with UCSF Fresno and who will begin their training this coming summer.
“UCSF Fresno is the largest physician-training program between Sacramento and Los Angeles,” said Lori Weichenthal, MD, assistant dean for graduate medical education at UCSF Fresno. “Our goal is to give residents, fellows and all of our learners experiences and opportunities that motivate and inspire outstanding physicians to stay here in the San Joaquin Valley to provide high-quality care.
“It is only fitting on Match Day that we celebrate the medical students we have trained and the residents and fellows who will begin their training with us in June,” Dr. Weichenthal said.
Ten SJV PRIME medical students will be matching with residency programs this year. Five of them will be presented with their Match Day envelopes in Fresno on March 16. The students include:
- Arturo Gasga, who was born in Reedley, CA, grew up in Acapulco, Mexico, and graduated from Fresno State
- Anthony Lim, who grew up in Lancaster, CA, and graduated from California State University, Bakersfield
- Angel Mendoza, who grew up in Livingston, CA, and graduated from UCLA
- Emmanuel Mendoza, who grew up in Hughson, southeast of Modesto, and graduated from UC Davis
- Yolanda Tinajero, who was born in Sanger, grew up in Corcoran, and graduated from UCLA.
“An aim of UC San Joaquin Valley PRIME is to train physicians for our medically underserved region and to increase the diversity of the physician workforce,” said Kenny Banh, MD, assistant dean for undergraduate medical education at UCSF Fresno. “All of these graduating students have an ultimate interest in practicing medicine in the Valley or working with underserved populations. We are incredibly proud of them as they wrap up their training at UCSF Fresno and we’re excited to celebrate their future.”
As part of the Match Day process, medical school graduates typically register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The NRMP utilizes a mathematical algorithm to place applicants into residency and fellowship positions. Medical school graduates then begin residency training, usually in June or July, at the hospital or program where they “matched.” A similar “match” occurs for fellows and sub-specialty training each year in December.
All UCSF Fresno residency programs that participated in the Match filled available positions – representing a 100 percent match rate for the eighth year straight.]
The UCSF Fresno residency programs that participated in the NRMP match received 5,280 applications and conducted 1,057 interviews for 89 positions. UCSF Fresno fellowship programs that took part in the October/December NRMP match received 1,082 applications and conducted 165 interviews for 18 positions. The remaining programs filled available positions through another matching service or through interviews.
UCSF Fresno currently offers residency training in eight medical specialties, one oral and maxillofacial surgery dental residency, fellowship training in 17 medical sub-specialties and three residency programs for physician assistants.
SJV PRIME BACKGROUND: The San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education is the sixth and latest addition to the University of California programs in medical education. The program prepares medical students to be excellent clinicians and patient advocates for underserved communities, especially in the San Joaquin Valley. It was established in 2010 as a partnership among the UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Merced, UCSF Fresno and the UCSF School of Medicine. The first class of students started in 2011. Currently, there are 35 students in the SJV PRIME, with more than 60 percent coming from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and the majority having socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. All of the SJV PRIME students call the Valley home. SJV PRIME has graduated three cohorts for a total of 16 graduates who are currently training in residency programs. Acceptance offer letters are being extended now to students who will represent the incoming cohort and who will start training as part of the SJV PRIME in August.
