FRESNO ‐ More than 100 physicians, including medical residents in eight specialties, fellows in 12 subspecialties and dental residents in oral and maxillofacial surgery, will graduate from the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program this year. Graduation will be held Thursday, June 8, at the William Saroyan Theatre, 730 M Street, Fresno. The event will begin with a social hour at 5 p.m., followed by the graduation ceremony at 6 p.m.
“UCSF Fresno is dedicated to training doctors, caring for patients, researching solutions to Valley health issues and working with the community to improve health beyond clinics and hospitals,” said Michael W. Peterson, MD, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “These pillars are the foundation for all of our training programs and it is with great pride that we send our graduating residents and fellows on their way to pursue their careers with the knowledge they are well prepared for the future.
“We are especially pleased that so many of our graduates will remain in the Central Valley to care for patients, continue their subspecialty training at UCSF Fresno or join the faculty at UCSF Fresno to teach the next generation of physicians,” added Dr. Peterson.
This year’s graduating class includes:
- Jessica Mason, MD, a theater student from Ventura County turned emergency medicine doctor, who is now at the intersection of medicine, education and entertainment. Dr. Mason educates physicians across the U.S. and globe as a contributor and producer for the popular podcast for physicians, Emergency Medicine Reviews and Perspectives, and shares health information with the general public via a humorous medical podcast called “This Won’t Hurt a Bit.” Mason is completing a fellowship in emergency medicine education and will be staying on as faculty at UCSF Fresno. She earned her medical degree at the USC Keck School of Medicine and completed residency training at MetroHealth Medical Center and The ough Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. She enjoys working on educational projects with her husband David.
- Mohamed Fayed, MD, who was born and raised in Cairo and conducted residency training at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Dr. Fayed is completing a fellowship in pulmonary disease critical care and will be staying on as faculty at UCSF Fresno. Fayed is part of a high‐level medical team at Community Regional Medical Center that uses technology known as ECMO to offer patients with lifethreatening respiratory or cardiac failure new hope for life. He credits his success to his wife Hoda. They have one daughter. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing squash and running in his free time.
- Tejal Pandya, MD, a Porterville native is completing residency training in general surgery. Dr. Pandya is a second‐generation surgeon, following her father. She will stay on as part‐time faculty at UCSF Fresno and she plans to join her mother and father at his practice in Porterville. Known to her friends as Panda, she attended UC Davis where she earned a bachelor’s in human physiology and minors in contemporary leadership and English literature. She earned a medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. Pandya enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling internationally and amateur photography.
Four physicians who completed training as part of the Sierra Vista Family Medicine Residency Program and 10 dentists also will be recognized during the UCSF Fresno ceremony.
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
Associate Dean Michael W. Peterson, MD, will deliver opening remarks. The keynote address will be presented by Serena Yang, MD, interim chief of Pediatrics at UCSF Fresno and recipient of the 2016 Henry J. Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching.
A number of awards will be presented during the graduation ceremony, including honors for outstanding residents and teachers, Borba research awards, the UCSF Fresno Community Service Award, Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching, the ICare Award, the Leon S. Peters Resident of the Year Award and the Steven N. Parks Leadership Award.
MEDIA:
Dr. Peterson and some of the graduates will be available for interviews during the social hour before the graduation ceremony and by phone prior to graduation. Please call (559) 313‐6539 to arrange interviews.
BACKGROUND:
Each year, UCSF Fresno graduates approximately 100 physicians from its residency and fellowship programs. Residency training prepares recently graduated medical doctors (MDs) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) to become specialists, including pediatricians and family practitioners among others, in approximately three to five years. Fellowships offer specific training beyond residency in an area of expertise (subspecialty) such as cardiology. Fellowships generally last one to two years. Over the past four decades, UCSF Fresno has trained more than 3,000 physicians.
