San Francisco – The California Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (CAFP-F) has named Raul Ayala, MD of Fresno the 2013 Family Medicine Resident of the Year. Dr. Ayala, chief resident at the University of California, San Francisco Fresno Family Medicine Residency, will accept the award in San Francisco on May 3 at the CAFP Annual Scientific Assembly. The California Academy of Family Physicians is comprised of 8,500 family doctors from around the state.
“Because of the long hours they work training as new physicians, residents have very little free time,” said CAFP-F President Jimmy Hara, MD. “Yet Dr. Ayala finds time to give to others and help shape the future of health care.”
Dr. Ayala is dedicated to improving patients’ access to health care, Dr. Hara said. “He works tirelessly to initiate community-wide events and hopes to bring a mobile clinic program to Central Valley counties this year. In the Central Valley Alliance project, he helps link local family medicine residency programs and connects them with county CAFP chapters.”
“Representing everything that’s great about the future of family medicine, Dr. Ayala possesses excellent clinical skills, is dedicated to the larger community, and is engaged in shaping the future by participating in organized medicine and the political process,” Dr. Hara said. “He says he hopes to one day serve a community in need, but his energy and enthusiasm already make him a beacon of light in his community.”
Dr. Ayala has represented CAFP as co-chair of the Resident and Student Council, at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Special Constituencies, and a resident member of the CAFP Board of Directors.
He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Texas, San Antonio and attended medical school at the Universidad de Montemorelos in Mexico. He completed his education through the Fifth Pathway Program at New York Medical College.
The CAFP Family Medicine Resident of the Year award is given annually to a resident who represents the finest characteristics of family medicine.
About the California Academy of Family Physicians: With more than 8,500 members, including actively practicing family physicians, residents in family medicine, and medical students interested in the specialty, CAFP is the largest primary care medical society in California. Family physicians (FPs) are trained to treat an entire family’s medical needs, addressing the whole spectrum of life’s medical challenges. FPs serve a broad base of patients in urban, suburban and rural areas, often in California’s most underserved areas.
