Greetings! Welcome to the first publi-cation of the UCSF Fresno FamilyMedicine Residency ProgramNewsletter. To our colleagues, friendsand associates, we hope this will pro-vide a window into the manychanges in the residency programover the past few years, and continueto do so in the years to come. Thenewsletter will highlight features of theprogram including articles on our resi-dents, faculty, our current projects,and upcoming events. We hope youenjoy it!

At UCSF Fresno, we continue our mis-sion to train physicians to provide acomprehensive scope of care topatients in underserved settings. Wereceived a three-year primary caretraining grant from HRSA to improveour training in psychosocial wellbeingof multicultural families. This grant hasallowed us to provide a newPsychosocial Wellbeing clinic to alarge underserved population at our

Selma and UMC clinic sites. Our First 5grant continues to support the HealthySteps at the Selma clinic. UCSF FresnoFamily Medicine also became thenew home for the Pacific AIDSEducation and Training Centers grantfor HIV/AIDS education this year.

In the research arena, congratulationsare in order to Susan Hughes, MS,Research Director for the department,and Phil Kim, MD. Susan received theFaculty Research Award and Philreceived the Borba HousestaffResearch Award at the 2009 UCSFFresno graduation ceremony.Congratulations also to Drs. SySophamixay-Essegian and Hugh Yangwho received the Davin YoungclarkeScholarly Activity Award at the 2009Expo.

Our new residents for the 2009-2010year have recently joined us! Seeinside for details on our recent arrivalsto the program. In keeping with UCSFFresno's philosophy of "Growing ourOwn", 5 of our 11 graduates plan tostay and practice in the CentralValley. A new Hospice and PalliativeCare fellowship training program hasstarted at UCSF Fresno FamilyMedicine. The fellowship is currentlyunder review for ACGME accredita-tion. Congratulations to AntonioViscarra, MD, a graduate of the UCSFFresno Family Medicine residency pro-gram and the first fellow to train in thisnew program.

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.

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.

On the Horizon: The UCSF FresnoFamily Medicine Facebook Page!

ProgramDirector’s Corner:Ivan Gomez, MD

The Scope Vol. 1, Issue 1Summer 2009

The Scope is published quarterly by the UCSF FresnoFamily and Community Medicine Residency

Department. Any inquiries or comments about contentshould be directed to Donna McBrien at

dmcbrien@fresno.ucsf.edu.

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ProgramHighlights

Family Medicine is ProvidingPalliative Care:

A palliative medicine consult servicewas recently established atCommunity Regional Medical Center(CRMC). Several faculty have beenworking in conjunction with MichaelNisco, MD, forming a consult teamthat concentrates medical care onreducing the severity of disease symp-toms, rather than striving to halt, delayor reverse progression of the diseaseitself. Drs. Neelu Mehra, ArlinVenturina, and Ashkan Imanzahrai,are working with Dr. Nisco as well asCRMC nursing, social workers, andother staff in creating an interdiscipli-nary team that provides patient carefocused on quality of life.

Hospice and PalliativeMedicine Fellowship:

Starting in August, 2009, AntonioViscarra will be participating in aHospice and Palliative MedicineFellowship program at UCSF Fresno.Dr. Viscarra will be working 2 days perweek, primarily at CRMC. An appli-cation for fellowship accreditation hasbeen submitted to ACGME and ispending. It is anticipated that a full-time fellow will be recruited to the pro-gram beginning July 1, 2010.Ambulatory Care FacilityNow Under Construction:

Community Regional Medical Centeris building a new Ambulatory Carefacility on the CRMC campus. Thenew building will include theChildren's, Women's, and Family

Health Centers, the Eye and DentalClinics, and the Special ServicesClinic. The new facility will be named

the Deran Koligian Care Center inhonor of the late Fresno County Boardof Supervisors Chairman who was alongtime advocate of health servicesfor the disadvantaged. The building isscheduled for completion in Spring,2010.

New Grant for UCSF FresnoFamily and CommunityMedicine: Pacific AIDSEducation and TrainingCenter

The AIDS Education and TrainingCenters (AETC) Program of the RyanWhite CARE Act currently supports anetwork of 11 regional centers (andmore than 130 local performancesites- LPS) that conduct targeted,multi-disciplinary education and train-ing programs for healthcare providerstreating persons with HIV/AIDS. TheAETCs serve all 50 States, the District ofColumbia, the Virgin Islands, PuertoRico, and the six U.S.-affiliated PacificJurisdictions. The San Joaquin Valley orCentral California Local PerformanceSite (LPS) is one of 15 sites located inthe Pacific Region. These sites include11 in California, 1 inArizona, 2 inNevada, and 1 sitein Hawaii and allthe Pacific Islands.

Chief Search

The search for a new Chief of

Family & Community

Medicine (FCM) continues. A

chief candidate recently visited

UCSF Fresno, meeting with

Associate Dean Joan Voris,

MD as well as Interim Chief

Roger Mortimer, MD, Program

Director Ivan Gomez, MD and

Assistant Program Director

Arlin Venturina, MD, and

others. This person arrived in

Fresno later than expected due

to flight delays. The candidate

has been invited to return for a

second visit, giving them an

opportunity to meet with

FCM's affiliates, as well as

taking the time to see more of

Fresno and the surrounding

area.

THE SCOPE

Spotlight onGraduates

knowledge of the community and theresidents' lifestyle would make himan effective medical providerthere. "I think I have a specialunderstanding of their lives thatwould make me effective," Rubiosaid. "I just think I can do a goodjob for my town." Rubio, who grewup in Mendota as the second ofeight children, is intimately familiarwith the hardships and health bar-riers facing families in rural towns.He knows that most farmworkersdon't have the education tounderstand or manage their med-ical problems, and don't have themoney or insurance coverage topurchase necessary medications.And he knows that the medicaladvice doctors often give to patients-exercise daily and eat lots of fruits andvegetables - does not translate easilyinto the farmworker lifestyle or budget.But even given all the inherent chal-lenges, Rubio said he is determined topractice medicine in the communitywhere he grew up. "It's more than justa job," Rubio said of working in ruralmedicine. "It's personal," he said,adding that he sees his family mem-bers in many of the patients he treats.

Rubio will get an opportunity to prac-tice rural medicine this summer, whenhe becomes the first full-time doctorfor a new medical clinic in Reedley.He will serve as the clinic's director, willmanage the clinic staff, and will treat

everyone from newborns to the elder-ly. "I think it's pretty exciting," he said…

Dr. Agustin Rubio2009 UCSF Fresno Graduate

"Doctor sets eyes locally, wants to startclinic to serve Mendota", by RebeccaPlevin for Vida en el Valle - - -FRESNO-Dr. Agustín Rubio was 19 years oldwhen he learned that his grandfa-ther's kidneys had failed. His grandfa-ther, a Mendota farmworker originallyfrom Tequila, Jalisco, México, laterdied of complications from diabetes.Rubio, a medical resident who gradu-ated from the University of California,San Francisco, Fresno MedicalEducation Program this month, nowunderstands that his grandfather'scase was all too common. He nowunderstands that his grandfather diedas a result of a lack of education,finances, and access to medicaltreatment-a dangerous combinationthat Rubio, a doctor specializing inrural health, sees in many of hispatients.

Rubio's familiarity with the life-style ofimpoverished farmworkers motivatedhim to pursue a career in medicine,and specialize in family and ruralmedicine during his residency atCommunity Regional Medical Centerin Fresno. That connection with under-served farmworker communities hasalso inspired his ultimate dream: toreturn to his hometown of Mendota toopen a medical clinic with two of hisyounger brothers, Edward, 27, andSam, 25. There is currently a healthclinic in the farmworker town of about10,000 people, but Rubio said his

Dr. Tontz joined the air force when hewas in residency. He recently com-pleted his 6 weeks of training at aboot camp facility in Alabama . He iscurrently in charge of providinghealthcare at the Mountain Home AirForce Base, Idaho.

Ryan Tontz was born on Thursday,August 6, 2009 at 8:59 am.

About Mountain Home Air Force Base:Located in Idaho, the Base is home tothe 366th Fighter Wing, the"Gunfighters." Located approximatelyeight miles southwest of the city ofMountain Home, the base's primarymission is to provide combat airpowerand combat support capabilities torespond to and sustain worldwidecontingency operations. The 366thMedical Group provides medical serv-ices to support the combat capabilityof the 366th Fighter Wing at deployedlocations as well as the MountainHome AFB community.

Dr. Russell Tontz2009 UCSF Fresno Graduate

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES

Andrés E. AlbaAndrés (Andy) Alba is thenewest addition to FamilyMedicine as a ResearchAssistant/Program Manager.Andy is a graduate from theUniversity of Utah andreceived his Bachelors ofScience in Behavior Scienceand Health. Andy is currentlycompleting his Master Degreein Public Health at California State University, Fresno.He has been program managing the Pacific AIDSEducation and Training Center federally funded HRSAgrant for the last 9 years. Andy speaks Spanish fluentlyand can speak some German and Japanese. Hishobbies include: Airsoft, languages, food, travelling,cooking, mixology, technology and electronics, andswimming when it's stifling hot outside.

Hugh Yang, DODr. Yang received hisBachelor of Science inBiology, University ofCalifornia RiversideRiverside, CA and hisDoctor of Osteopathy,Western University-COMP,Pomona, CA and com-pleted his Family &Community MedicineResidency Training at UCSF Fresno. Dr. Yang willbe a great addition to the Family MedicineProgram and we know his expertise and experi-ence with the South East Asian community willbe an asset to the department.

Photo

courtesy

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Meet the New 2009 Residents

Vivian Cayme, DODr. Cayme received her medical degree from Touro University. Growing up in the CentralValley in a small town called Tranquility; she saw firsthand the need for medical profession-als in the rural areas. She is fluent in Tagalog and intermediate Spanish. Dr. Cayme enjoysworking out, spending time with her family, and shopping.

Nooshin Moalemi, DODr. Moalemi received her medical degree from Touro University. Being part Navajo Indian,Dr. Moalemi has always wanted to give back and practice medicine on the NavajoReservation. She knew that she would need the versatility and diverse training that a familyphysician receives in order to take care of the wide range of illnesses that she wouldcome across. Dr. Moalemi enjoys traveling, tennis, snowboarding, and spending time withher family.

Victor Silva, MDDr. Silva received his medical degree from the University of Iowa. He grew up in the centralvalley in a small rural town called Orange Cove, where his parents worked in the fields to pro-vide for the family. Throughout medical school Dr. Silva's goal has always been to return to asmall rural area in the Central Valley to practice medicine. Because of the difficulty to recruitfrom these underserved areas, Dr. Silva quickly realized that being a family physician he thencould provide all of these services. Dr. Silva is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Silva enjoys college football,golf, long distance running, and enjoys listening to Norteno music.

Kao Vang, DODr. Vang received his medical degree from Touro University. He is the eldest of eleven chil-dren who migrated with their parents from Thailand and is now among the first generationof Hmong people that have obtained a formal education in the United States. Dr. Vanghas personally experienced the difficulties that the Hmong community encounter whileadjusting to the American culture and it has made him more determined to bridge thatgap. He is fluent in Hmong. Dr. Vang enjoys building model ships and drawing.

Sarojini Tirunagaru, MDDr. Tirunagaru received her medical degree from the American University of theCaribbean. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from UC Davis. Sheenjoys cooking, baking, watching movies, spending time with friends and family, going tothe gym, singing, and trying new cuisines. One of her goals during residency is to learn andmaster Spanish. Another goal in life would be to one day sing for Disney, but she'll settle formastering Spanish first.

THE SCOPE

Mileidys Gomez, MDDr. Gomez received her medical degree from the Institut Superior de Ciencias MedicasHabana medical college. At a young age she learned that a family physician can havea positive influence on a patient's life far beyond the traditional role of a doctor. Aftertraining in Cuba, she joined the IMG Clinical Science program at UCLA. This program givesIMG's the opportunity to engage in clinical training in the US prior to starting residency.She is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Gomez enjoys cooking, dancing and traveling.

Cira Welvaert, MDDr. Welvaert received her medical degree from Universidad Del Norte in Colombia. Dr.Welvaert understands that a physician can diagnose a medical problem but the patientsfinancial situation can prevent them from getting treatment so she wanted to be involvedin preventative measures and she choose Family Medicine as her specialty. Dr.Welvaert isfluent in Spanish. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, reading books and dancing.

Cindy Zia, MDDr. Zia received her medical degree from St. George's University. She received her under-graduate degree at Wellesley College in Neuroscience and French. Dr. Zia's mission is tocontinually teach preventive care to all of her patients. She is fluent in Mandarin Chineseand proficient in French. She enjoys photography, tennis, and is a certified scuba diver.

Nidia Payan, MDDr. Payan received her medical degree from Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa. Dr.Payan quickly realized that the lack of residency programs in Mexico would require her tomigrate to the US if she wished to continue her career in medicine. In 2006, all her hardwork had paid off and she was accepted into the UCLA International Medical GraduateProgram. She is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Payan enjoys spending time with her husband, music,and running.

Satinderpal Sidhu, MDDr. Sidhu received his medical degree from St. George's University. While completing clini-cal training in medical school Dr. Sidhu enjoyed his rotations in Internal Medicine, Pediatricsand OB/GYN. He is fluent in Punjabi and Hindi and is learning Spanish. Dr. Sidhu enjoysbasketball, soccer, weight-training, and traveling in his spare time.

Shila Shafii-Noori, MDDr. Noori received her medical degree from Islamic Azad University- Tehran Branch. Herinfluence to become a physician was instilled in her by her grandfather who had beenpracticing medicine for many years. After graduating medical school, Dr. Noori hasreturned to the US to pursue residency. She is fluent in Farsi. Dr. Noori enjoys working outand traveling.

THE SCOPE

THE SCOPE

Faculty News

Chief ResidentsCorner

Congratulations Dr. Tevendale!

Dr. Robert Tevendale was awarded the presti-gious Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching.The Kaiser Awards were established by anendowment from the Henry J. Kaiser FamilyFoundation in 1969 and are annually present-ed to an exceptional teacher in each of thefollowing categories: Excellence in Teaching inthe Inpatient Care Setting, Excellence inTeaching in the Ambulatory Care Setting,Excellence in Teaching in the ClassroomSetting and Excellence in Teaching byVolunteer Clinical Faculty. Medical studentsand house staff nominate faculty candidatesfor Kaiser Awards. The award was given to Dr.Tevendale for his outstanding qualities as ateacher, including the quality of presentationsand teaching materials, ability to motivate learning, effectiveness as a men-tor, and impact on students and house staff.

Drs. Geeta Ramesh and Ila Naeni

First off, we are both very excited about the start of this newsletter!

We also are proud to announce the program's implementation of the night floatsystem. This new system has cut the amount of call residents have to do by half!Residents now have more time to do clinics, follow up on patient care, read, andsleep! Residents are also really looking forward to the upcoming retreat at WonderValley in September, which will be filled with great resident bonding activities. Andlastly we would like to congratulate Dr. Tracy Li and Dr. Saira Khan on their newbabies.

THE SCOPEUCSF Fresno Medical Education Program155 North Fresno StreetFresno, CA 93701

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

2009 Resident:

Manpreet Bhullar

Jennifer Balguma

Rashno Davoodi

Peter Georgio

Phillip Kim

Arman Ossia

Agustin Rubio

Sy Sophamixay

Russell Tontz

Antonio Viscarra

Hugh Yang

Plans:

Private Practice in Tulsa, OK

Kaiser Permanente, Fontana, CA

Swedish Physician Division, Redmond, WA

Sports Medicine Fellowship at UCLA

Darin M. Camarena Health Centers, Madera, CA

Private Practice, Southern California

Adventist Health, Reedley, CA

Adventist Health, Selma, CA

Mountain Home Air Force Base - Idaho

Clinical Sierra Vista, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship FamilyMedicine, UCSF Fresno

Family Medicine Faculty, UCSF Fresno

THE SCOPE

UCSF FRESNO2009 FAMILYMEDICINEGRADUATES:

WHEREARETHEYNOW?

NON PROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

FRESNO, CA

PERMIT NO. 1679

PAID