UCSF Fresno | Family Medicine Residency Program

FACULTY

As a resident, you will have some of the best clinical faculty available anywhere available to you. All faculty are members of the Department of Family & Community Medicine of the UCSF School of Medicine. They offer extensive experience and diverse expertise in HIV care, asthma and diabetes treatment, inpatient medicine, obstetrics including cesarean sections, geriatrics, preventive medicine, evidence based medicine and research. Our own behavioral science faculty further augment the resources available.

ROGER MORTIMER, MD

Dr. Mortimer is Chief of the Department of Family & Community Medicine at UCSF Fresno. He received his MD degree from University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. He holds BA degrees in Psychology and Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at UCSF Fresno. Dr. Mortimer provides primary and specialty care at the UMC Special Services (HIV) Clinic. He also serves as faculty to the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center. Dr. Mortimer does research in HIV, case managment, and patient-physician communication. He serves as the clinical liaison for the Family Medicine research team. In addition, Dr. Mortimer has an interest in wilderness medicine and regularly participates in cave explorations. He is the Western Region coordinator of the National Cave Rescue Commission. He became the interim chief of Family Medicine in 2008.

IVAN GOMEZ, MD

Dr. Gomez is Program Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. He holds a BS degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and graduated from Chicago Medical School in Illinois. Dr. Gomez completed his residency with University of California, Davis Family Medicine Program in Merced, California. He is particularly involved in family-oriented adult and pediatric HIV/AIDS care, and is currently the Medical Director of the Pacific AIDS Education Training Center in the San Joaquin Valley. Dr. Gomez’s other clinical interests include obstetrics and inpatient medicine. Dr. Gomez precepts and provides clinical care at our rural site in Selma, and is an Advisory Faculty for the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics course held yearly at UCSF Fresno.

JOHN BLOSSOM, MD

Dr. Blossom is a Professor of Clinical Family and Community Medicine with the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program. After medical school at UCSF he completed his Family Medicine training in the Fresno Program. He was residency director for more than a decade and a half. He served as Associate Dean for UCSF Fresno for six years. He is currently Director of the California Area Health Education Program and oversees the state's largest HRSA grant. Dr. Blossom teaches at all three Family Medicine sites and in the Psychiatry Residency Program. His areas of interest are in physician patient communication, cross-cultural medical practice, and medical practice with interpreters He speaks medical Spanish. He has contributed to the medical literature in multiple areas including a 2004 article in Family Practice on "shadowing" and is an accomplished grant writer. In 1999, UCSF students elected him to the UCSF Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha.

JENNIFER BURNETT, MD

Dr. Burnett is a University of Southern California School of Medicine graduate. She completed her residency training at Northridge Hospital in California. Dr. Burnett has 25 years experience practicing medicine in small, medically underserved communities throughout the Western United States as well as abroad. Her love of teaching brought her to UCSF Fresno. Dr. Burnett works primarily in Selma. Her interests include running, poetry, and travel.

ALAN DRUCKER, MD

Dr. Drucker obtained a B.S. in Medicine from Northwestern University and his medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois. He then came to Fresno, completing his psychiatric residency at UCSF Fresno in 1992. He has a private practice, sees patients with residents at Family Health Center sites, and teaches psychiatric and behavioral science topics in the department. His interests include AIDS, medical education, and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

EVELYN FANG, MD, MPH

Dr. Fang has a BA in Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She obtained her medical degree from St. George's in Grenada. She completed a combined FM/IM residency at UCSF Fresno and recently completed her MPH from CSU, Fresno using research from a smoking cessation trial based in our clinics. Her duties include inpatient teaching at our UMC urban site and community health outreach. Dr. Fang also works with the Internal Medicine Division of Cardiology. Her interests include public health, international health, and treadmill testing.

TEGEST HAILU, MD

Dr. Hailu is a graduate of the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program (UMC pathway). She attended medical school at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and holds BAs in Biochemistry and French from Canisius College in New York. She is active in poverty medicine and involved in outreach activities to migrant farm workers and the medically underserved in the San Joaquin Valley. Dr. Hailu's interests include obstetrics, women's health, and HIV.

SUSAN HUGHES, MS

Ms. Hughes is Family Medicine’s Research Director. She has a BA in mathematics from California State University, Fresno and a MS degree in Biostatistics from the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Hughes works on all aspects of research with faculty, residents, medical students, and undergraduate pre health career students. Her interests include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and database design. She has co-authored several manuscripts with fellow faculty.

ASHKAN IMANZAHRAI, MD

Dr. Imanzahrai is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. He has a BA in Genetics from University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Imanzahrai completed a year of residency training in Dermatology before deciding to specialize in family medicine. He is a graduate of the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Imanzahrai works primarily at the UMC Family Health Center.

BETTY JARMAN , PhD

Dr. Jarman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and works with residents in all pathways as part of the behavioral science team. She received her doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology. Her BA and MS degrees are from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Jarman maintains a private practice specializing in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, adults and families.

GERALD KNOUF, MD

Dr. Knouf received his BA degree from California State University, Fresno and graduated from Medical College of Wisconsin/Marquette University. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After eighteen years in private practice, Dr. Knouf is enjoying the opportunity to work with residents, primarily at the Selma pathway. In his free time he enjoys raising huskies and rollerblading., MD

VICTORIA KUBAL, MS, BCBA

Ms. Kubal is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She received her MS degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University and taught at California State University, Fresno before joining Family Medicine. Ms. Kubal works with residents, faculty and medical students in developing research projects. Her interests include behavioral treatment of substance abuse.

THOMAS LAUCK, MD

Dr. Lauck is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He obtained his medical degree from St George’s University in Grenada, and completed his residency at St. Clare’s Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Lauck primarily works at Selma. His interests include medical education, colposcopy and rural medicine.

CONALL MCCABE, MD

Dr. McCabe is the Pathway Director at University Medical Center. He is a graduate of the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program (UMC pathway). He received his MD degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and obtained BA's in physiology and behavioral biology from San Francisco State College. Dr. McCabe is involved in Hmong health care research and has an interest in wilderness medicine, occupational medicine, and treatment of substance abuse.

NEELU MEHRA, MD

Dr. Mehra is a graduate of Baba Raghav Das Medical College in India. She completed residency training in pathology and worked in India four years before immigrating to America where she completed residency training in Family Medicine with UCSF Fresno. Dr. Mehra enjoys music, reading, cooking, traveling current affairs and physical fitness.

YE MIN, MD

Dr. Min is a graduate of the Institute of Medicine in Mandalay. He worked as a physician in Burma for several years before moving to the US. Dr. Min earned a Masters in Public Health from Western Illinois University prior to completing residency training in Family Medicine at UCSF Fresno. Dr. Min’s hobbies include reading, Internet surfing, hiking, biking and traveling.

ALEX MOIR, MD

Dr. Moir is the Selma Pathway Director. He received his undergraduate degree in Aquatic Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his MD degree from the University of Miami and did his residency at UCSF Fresno. Dr. Moir is the Medical and Education Director at the Selma Health Center, has been the Chief of Staff at Selma Community Hospital and serves on the Selma Community Hospital Board. His interests focus on rural medicine.

MIMI MOTT-SMITH, MSN, FNP, MPH

Ms. Mott-Smith graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in English Literature and received her BSN from the University of California, San Francisco Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program. She obtained a MSN from the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at CSU, Fresno. Ms. Mott-Smith received her MPH degree from CSU, Fresno is May 2002 researching teen fathers' attitudes towards breast-feeding. She is a peer reviewer for the Nurse Practitioner Journal. Her teaching responsibilities include precepting at UMC and Selma, and conducting newborn nursery rounds.

JUAN CARLOS RUVALCABA, MD

Dr. Ruvalcaba is the Pathway Director at the Sequoia Community Health Center. He received his MD degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine and New York Medical College-Fifth Pathway Program. He is a graduate of the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program (Sequoia pathway). His undergraduate degree from California State University, Stanislaus was in Biology. Dr. Ruvalcaba has a strong interest in rural healthcare, particularly in the central San Joaquin Valley.

ALEX SHERRIFFS, MD

Dr. Sherriffs received his BA degree from Yale University, graduated from the University of California, Davis Medical School, and the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Sherriffs volunteered two years with the Indian Health Service in Northern Michigan, operates a half-time rural private practice, and is the past president of the Fresno-Madera Medical Society. He oversees the geriatric and nursing home experiences of our residents, provides training in vasectomy and sigmoidoscopy procedures, and coordinates interns' community medicine month. He has a certificate of added qualification in geriatrics and is Medical Director at the Alzheimers and Memory Center. He is the recipient of the California Academy of Physicians 1999 Barbara Hams Teaching Award.

VICTORIA SORLIE , MD

Dr. Sorlie received her MD degree from University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. Her undergraduate degree is in Biological Psychology from UC, Davis. She completed residency training in family medicine at UCSF Fresno. Dr. Sorlie is fluent in Spanish. Her primary practice site is Central Valley Family Health Center-Selma. She is particularly interested in early intervention.

ROBERT TEVENDALE, MD

Dr. Tevendale attended undergraduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, then went on to medical school at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed his residency at Kern Medical Center and spent two years in practice in Porterville, California. Dr. Tevendale's interests are in inpatient medicine as well as HIV and AIDS management. His responsibilities include inpatient rounds and precepting at the UMC and Selma pathways. Dr. Tevendale was honored with the UCSF Fresno Housestaff Faculty Teacher of the Year Award in 2003.

GAINES THOMAS, PhD

Dr. Thomas is a licensed Clinical Psychologist. He received his BS in Psychology from the University of California, Davis and both his MA and PhD from the California School of Professional Psychology, Fresno. He has had a private practice specializing in adults, families, and children for twenty years. He has been the clinical director of two chemical dependency treatment programs and a residential treatment program for children suffering from severe emotional disorders. He works with residents in all pathways on interviewing and counseling skills and teaches behavioral science topics.

ARLIN VENTURINA, MD

Dr. Venturina is a University of California, San Diego graduate where she received a BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Her Doctor of Medicine is from Ross University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency (UMC pathway). Dr. Venturina oversees resident lectures and coordinates the lecture schedule throughout the academic year.

JOHN ZWEIFLER, MD, MPH

Dr. Zweifler did his undergraduate training at Haverford College and attended the University of Michigan Medical School. He received his MPH in Public Health Policy & Administration from the University of Michigan. His interests are in health care management, health maintenance, medical education, and public health. Dr. Zweifler directed the UCSF Fresno Family Medicine Residency Program from 1992 through 2004 before becoming Chief of the Department. Under his leadership the faculty has more than doubled in size and a thriving research program has been established. He was awarded the UCSF Fresno Faculty research award in 2002 for his work on sample medication use in hypertensive patients and has authored thought provoking articles on topics including chronic disease management, cultural competency, training in community health centers, vaginal births after cesarean sections, and the merits of a two year Family Medicine training program. He currently works part time as the Medical Consultant for the State of California Office of the Patient Advocate where he helps publicly report on health care quality.