Orange County Native stays in Fresno to Join Faculty at UCSF Fresno
For as long as she can remember, Nancy Dang-Orita, MD, wanted to be a physician. It is a career that satisfies her longing to help others in a way that is intellectually stimulating and challenging. She will be among the more than 100 residents and fellows completing training and graduating from UCSF Fresno this June. Dr. Dang-Orita is completing a two-year fellowship in Infectious Diseases (ID).
According to the World Health Organization, infectious diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. Some infectious diseases can be directly or indirectly spread from one person to another. Examples of infectious diseases include COVID-19, measles, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, Valley fever, and others.
During residency, Dr. Dang-Orita says she was drawn to Infectious Diseases.
“I found these cases to be the most intriguing and generally have good outcomes,” she said. “Namely, the patient typically gets better after you diagnose and treat them.”
Dr. Dang-Orita earned a bachelor’s in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine and then took two years off between completing her undergraduate education and medical school to become a more competitive applicant. During that time, she worked, volunteered, and went on a medical mission to gain more experience. She applied, was accepted, and earned a medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada. She completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno.
In January, during fellowship training, Dr. Dang-Orita gave birth to a baby girl.
While her path to becoming a physician was not always easy, she persevered and is proud to become the first doctor in her family. She also is grateful for the constant love and support she received from her parents and husband.
When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and watching her daughter grow and learn new things every day. When there’s time, she also enjoys baking.
Originally from Orange County in southern California, Dr. Dang-Orita is staying local to join the faculty in Infectious Diseases at UCSF Fresno, a division within the UCSF Fresno Department of Medicine.
As her medical education comes to a close, Dr. Dang-Orita says the people she takes care of and the people she works with have been the best aspects of training at UCSF Fresno.
“The pathology seen at UCSF Fresno is so diverse and complex,” she said. “The variety of cases that I see is beyond anything I could have imagined before I started my training here. The ID Division is like a small family, and everyone is so supportive of each other..”
