Greetings from UCSF Fresno FamilyMedicine!

Results are in! Twelve new residents,the next generation of FamilyMedicine Physicians at UCSF Fresnohave been selected! 100% Match thisyear. Be sure to check this issue of theSCOPE for further info on the pro-gram’s newest Valley Family Docs.

There was a great showing by UCSFFresno at the Society of Teachers ofFamily Medicine Conference in

Baltimore, Maryland this year, with fourposters accepted for presentation.Congratulations to residentsMuhammad Riaz, Thandar Lwin, andShazia Mughal, as well as facultymember Rebeca Lopez, for present-ing some great work! Our Third Yearresidents took the ABFM CertificationExamination last month, and with thisbig hurdle behind them, we’re on thehome stretch of the academic yearand are looking forward toGraduation. Be sure to join us for theFamily Medicine Graduation on June15th. We’d love to see you there!

We are on FaceBook! Check it outonline. UCSF Fresno Family &Community Medicine

We are making a concerted effort todevelop an active alumni group thatcan meet at national meetings, stayin touch with us and each other tokeep involved in program events andhelp us better prepare residents forthe real world of family medicine.Any suggestions? Let us know!

Please e-mail Donna McBrien,Program Manager at dmcbrien@fresno.ucsf.edu to updateyour contact information and if youknow the addresses of any otheralumni please let us know so we cancontact them as well.

Dr. Alex Sheriffs certified for State AirBoard

Fowler physician Dr. Alexander Sherriffswas confirmed as the newest memberof the California Air Resources Boardthat creates policies to mitigate airpollution in the state. Sherriffs, who hasworked as a physician in Fowler since1983, was appointed to the board by

ProgramDirector’s Corner:Ivan Gomez, MD

The Scope Vol. 4, Issue 13Spring 2013

The Scope is published by the UCSF Fresno Familyand Community Medicine Residency Department.

Any inquiries or comments about content should bedirected to Andy Alba ataalba@fresno.ucsf.edu

Governor Jerry Brown last March forhis long-standing commitment to airquality issues.

The California StateSenate confirmedhis appointment,securing his seat onthe 10-memberboard.Besides running hisown outpatient clin-ical practice withspecial certificationin geriatrics, Sherriffsis also an active member of theCalifornia Medical Association, theFresno-Madera Medical Society andboth the California and AmericanAcademy of Family Physicians.

He was also recently confirmed to thegoverning board of the San JoaquinValley Air Pollution Control District.Sherriff's involvement on air qualityissues has spanned several decades,most notably in a report he helpedcompile for the UCLA Center forHealth Policy Research highlightingthe rising rates of asthma in California.

Alex Sherriffs, MD

THE SCOPE

DepartmentAwards

munity-wide events and hopes tobring a mobile clinic program toCentral Valley counties this year. In theCentral Valley Alliance project, hehelps link local family medicine resi-dency programs and connects themwith county CAFP chapters.”

“Representing everything that’s greatabout the future of family medicine,Dr. Ayala possesses excellent clinicalskills, is dedicated to the larger com-munity, and is engaged in shapingthe future by participating in organ-ized medicine and the politicalprocess,” Dr. Hara said. “He says hehopes to one day serve a communityin need, but his energy and enthusi-asm already make him a beacon oflight in his community.”Dr. Ayala has represented CAFP asco-chair of the Resident and StudentCouncil, at the American Academyof Family Physicians (AAFP) NationalConference of Special Constituencies,and a resident member of the CAFPBoard of Directors.

He holds a bachelor of sciencedegree in biology and chemistry fromthe University of Texas, San Antonioand attended medical school at theUniversidad de Montemorelos inMexico. He completed his educationthrough the Fifth Pathway Program atNew York Medical College.

The CAFP Family Medicine Resident ofthe Year award is given annually to aresident who represents the finestcharacteristics of family medicine.

The California Academy of FamilyPhysicians Foundation (CAFPF) hasnamed Alex Sherriffs, MD and JoanRubinstein, MD of Fowler its 2013Preceptors of the Year in honor oftheir years of teaching the art and sci-ence of family medicine to medicalstudents. Dr. Rubinstein and Dr.Sherriffs will accept the award at aceremony in San Francisco on May 3at the CAFP Annual Scientific

The California Academy of FamilyPhysicians Foundation (CAFP-F) hasnamed Raul Ayala, MD of Fresno the 2013Family Medicine Resident of the Year. Dr.Ayala, chief resident at the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco Fresno FamilyMedicine Residency, will accept theaward in San Francisco on May 3 at theCAFP Annual Scientific Assembly.

“Because ofthe longhours theywork train-ing as new physicians, residents have verylittle free time,” said CAFP-F PresidentJimmy Hara, MD. “Yet Dr. Ayala finds timeto give to others and help shape thefuture of health care.”

Dr. Ayala is dedicated to improvingpatients’ access to health care, Dr. Harasaid. “He works tirelessly to initiate com-

Raul Ayala, MD wins 2013Statewide Family MedicineResident of the YearLeadership Award

Assembly. The California Academy ofFamily Physicians is comprised of 8,500family doctors from around the state.“California faces a serious primarycare physician shortage and encour-aging medical students to choose acareer in family medicine is a key partof the solution,” said CAFPF PresidentJimmy Hara, MD. In the CAFPF pre-ceptorship program, first year medicalstudents spend four weeks of summerwith practicing family physiciansacross California.

“With the knowledge, skill and com-mitment they bring to patient careand medical education, Dr. Rubinsteinand Dr. Sherriffs serve as outstandingmentors to family physicians in train-ing,” Dr. Hara said.

For more than 17 years, Dr. Rubinsteinand Dr. Sherriffs have mentored atleast one medical student each sum-mer in their Fowler practice, providingstudents with an opportunity to workin a thriving rural health center. There,students experience the full scope offamily medicine practice, includingpreventive and primary care andminor surgical procedures.

In addition to their work in Fowler, Dr.Rubinstein and Dr. Sherriffs serve asclinical professors in family and com-munity medicine at the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco Fresno FamilyMedicine Residency. They also areinvolved in the local community, serv-ing on the boards of multiple organi-zations. They’re known throughouttheir community as the “town doc-tors” and have been instrumental insupporting community projects, suchas raising funds for a community run-ning track. They met during medicalschool at the University of California,Davis, were married during their resi-dency at Valley Medical Center inFresno, and have two daughters.

Fresno-area Family PhysiciansWin Statewide 2013Preceptors of the Year Awardfor Delivering OutstandingMedical Student Mentoring

THE SCOPE

Family MedicineNews

Ivan Gomez was awarded a degree of Fellow of theAAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians)Designation on February 2013.

Ivan Gomez was recognized with Silver level programdirector recognition award by the AFMRD (Association ofFamily Medicine Residency Directors) at the recent PDW(Program Directors Workshop) conference on Friday,April 5 – Tuesday, April 9, 2013 held at the SheratonKansas City Hotel at Crown Center, Kansas City, MO.

Congratulations Dr. Gomez!

Welcome Ani and Skylah!Welcome Lola Aguiniga!

I am excited to announce that LolaAguiniga,LCSW, has offi-cially joinedthe BehavioralScience Teamof Family &CommunityMedicine, UCSFFresno. Ms.Aguiniga is notonly an experi-enced MentalHealth clinician but also has significantexperience in the area of Cross-Cultural Proficiency (CCP), havingserved for many years as the head ofCCP for Fresno County BehavioralHealth. She teaches at CSU-Fresno(Fresno State) in the graduate programfor Clinical Social Work. And…..she isBILINGUAL! This means residents canbe shadowed and do videos inSpanish with their Spanish-speakingpatients. Residents will recognize herfrom the retreats. Most recently sheled one of the groups during our“Survivor Simulation” activity.

We will be out touring clinics in thenear future or you will see her in theUCSF Fresno building. Please welcomeher to the F&CM family.

—Betty J. Jarman, Ph.D.

2013 FAMILY MEDICINE INCOMING RESIDENTSBobby Aulakh American University of Antigua College of Medicine

Jose Buenrostro Universidad de Autonoma de Guadalajara

Alice Chung Boston University College of Medicine

Ashlynn Gordon Western University of Health Sciences

Inderpreet Grewal St. George’s University

Benjamin Huang University at Buffalo State University of New York

Sebouh Krioghlian Western University of Health Sciences

Liana Milanes Ross University School of Medicine

Rashell Reynosa-Garza University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

Jusel Ruelan A.T. Still School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Satjit Sanghera St. George’s University

Alejandro Soto Universidad de Montemorelos

Big welcome to a new member ofour “Family”- Ani Keshishian.Congratulations to proud daddy,Derik Keshishian (Intern) andmommy Mrs. Keshishian! AniKeshishian was born on Jan. 29, 2013in Clovis hospital, weighed in at 6lbs. 13 oz and is 18 inched long. Weare excited to meet Ani!

Congrats to Mike Moua (PGY2) andhis wife on the birth of their newbornbaby girl, Skylah.

Skylah was born Sunday morning,March 31, 2013 at 4:30 AM at ClovisCommunity Hospital. She weighedin at 9 lbs. 4 oz.

THE SCOPE

Spotlight onResidents

Musing from a Resident:

In intern year it can be easy to get bogged down in the constant rush of seeingpatients, answering pages, trying to figure out whom to call, who to report to,what evaluation is due. So much so that you can lose sight of the very reasonsyou came to love medicine. With 11 weeks to go I thought I should take a whileto reflect on the year and the patients who have reminded me what it means tobe a family physician.

Early in Intern year on one of my first rotations I remember a particularly busy day.On a consult service there is no cap to the number of patients and this day wasespecially busy. As I rushed around the floors I stopped in to see a patient that Ihadn’t particularly connected with. As I ran through the usual review of systems“any chest pain, shortness of breath etc.,” I could sense the patient wasn’t reallysaying what was on his mind. I don’t recall the entire context but I do remember Isat down, held his hand and he cried. In that moment it didn’t matter howbehind I was, that I wasn’t going to be ready for rounds or all the notes I wouldstay writing. When I got up to leave the patient said very quietly “Thank you, doctor.”

In clinic recently I saw a continuity patient. I remember this patient well becauseour first visit I was running very behind and she had been so annoyed with thewaiting that she spent most of our visit discussing her annoyance. No matter howmany times I said sorry it wasn’t going to matter that first day. Since then we havehad good visits. On our last one as I asked her an important question about herhealth she leaned forward and said “just between you and me.” This remindedme of the privilege we hold with our patients as they reveal intimate details oftheir lives and health. What an honor that we are allowed into the realm of somany lives...that we should be regarded with such esteem as a close friend.

More recently I reflected on the relationship I have with my colleagues in my pro-gram. One thing that struck me was that I can always share a story about apatient and they are interested. When I think of morning reports, the case studieswe’ve done, and the senior lectures I think of how many times I have heard oneof you say “I thought this was really interesting” and I find that most of the time itis. I love that I am in a “family” that still seems curious about medicine and evenmore curious about the patient. How lucky am I to be family physician.

~ Melanie Southard, MD

Attending Physician helps to keep residents fit for long days in the clinic

Dr. Hugh Yang and the new Family Medicine Chief Mario Martinez workhard to keep "therapeutic lifestyle changes" in the workplace by takingthe stairs, helping residents keep stretched out by doing lunges in thelong hallways of the clinic. A healthy and relaxed resident is a happyresident.

THE SCOPE

Chief ResidentsCorner

With the new academic year approaching it is almost time to say goodbyeto our current third years. It seems like just yesterday when we started ourtraining here at UCSF Fresno. My advice for current and future residents isenjoy every moment, when you look back these will be the most memo-rable and fulfilling three years of your lives. It has been a great honor serv-ing as co-chief resident. Dr. Mario Martinez and Dr. Michael Moya, our newchief residents, I have no doubt will do a great job! Raul and I look forwardto working with the two of you in the months to come. Thanks to our facultyand staff who have been there for us at every turn. With the boards behindus, it time to start planning for graduation. We guarantee to make it a mem-orable one…

—Aman Gill, MD

I still remember my first day in clinic & my first call night& today the third year class is 7 weeks away from grad-uation & we will start a new life. Some will be near andothers will go far but always with the many great mem-ories that we will forever share. The second year class isnow ready to take on newresponsibilities. The internshave moved on to now being called doctors. Dr. MarioMartinez and Dr. Michael Moya now have the distinc-tion of being your chiefs. We welcome, with open arms,our new class as they will embark on yet another jour-ney in their medical career only this time with a familyof 35 others! We will all begin to celebrate just asplanned, together, and soon with all of our families &friends.

There have been many great local, state, and nationalevents that our program has been involved with in thelast 3-4 months, the CAFP-ASA in San Francisco whereDr. Southard and Dr. Moya participated in the 2-min-2-slides competition to represents UCSF Fresno was out-standing. Dr. Chavez was chosen as the minority dele-gate for the National Conference of SpecialConstituents held in Kansas City. Drs. Lwin, Mughal, andRiaz represented our program in Baltimore in the Society

of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Annual Conference. Dr. Basurco wasgiven a scholarship for the National Osteoporosis Academy in Florida andDr. Yoo augmented his training at UCLA-Eastern Medicine and learned over1000 year old techniques in Eastern Holistic Medicine. Many of our first yearclass are preparing to do various projects in the community in which we liveand work. I am in awe of such great work and dedication to FamilyMedicine by our residents throughout the year.

It has been an outstanding year and wonderful 3 years at UCSF Fresno. Iknow some will be near and others will move far away but again, our mem-ories in the trenches of Family Medicine will endure forever. Thank you allstaff, attending physicians, and residents, and a special thanks from Amanand I who are in our final days serving as your chief residents. May we allcontinue the Family Medicine Revolution whereever we may be!

—Raul Ayala, MD

Family Medicine Chief Resident Farewell Messages

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Thursday June 13th, 2013 – UCSF Fresno Housestaff Graduation at William SaroyanTheatre. 5pm social hour, 6:30 pm graduation ceremonySaturday June 15th, 2013 – UCSF Fresno Family and Community MedicineGraduation Party at Pardini’s. 6pm social hour, 7pm dinner, 8pm awards – PleaseRSVP with Lois Ceja. Thursday June 20th, 2013 – HIV and Oral Health Conference at UCSF FresnoMedical Education Program Auditorium. Free CEU for dental professionals.Monday June 24th, 2013 – New Interns arrive at UCSF Fresno Family andCommunity Medicine