PROGRAM

Welcome to the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program of the UCSF Fresno School of Medicine.

Our three year Cardiology program is fully accredited by the ACGME, and provides the trainees with extensive clinical, academic and research experience in a state of the art setting. In addition to the core competencies required by the COCATS recommendations for basic training in adult cardiovascular medicine, the fellows are also given the unique opportunity to tailor their learning to their particular areas of interest during their three years of training.

With a referral base of over 2 million individuals in Fresno and the Central California region, we have one of the most diverse populations in the country. A wide variety of pathology is seen by the academic practice and rare cardiovascular conditions not seen in many of the major centers are encountered by the fellows on a routine basis.

While the wealth of clinical material is obviously one of its biggest assets, the program also boasts of a solid group of full-time faculty, some are nationally and internationally renowned experts in the field of cardiology, who are dedicated to teaching the fellows at the highest level. We also have  part-time faculty, including cardiovascular surgeons and community practitioners who are more than willing to share their proficiencies to the trainees.

Didactic sessions are attended and directed by several faculty members on a daily basis. Fellows are required to undertake in fully mentored, high quality research projects to be presented in major scientific meetings and published in major medical journals. Every year, the fellows are also encouraged to attend the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association and/or the American College of Cardiology.

Three highly qualified physicians are admitted into the program each year, and we continually strive to foster a family atmosphere where fellows can thrive to develop their full potential. Since the program’s renaissance in 2007, we remain committed to the goal of developing a fellowship program that ranks among the very best.

 

HISTORY

The origins of the Cardiology Fellowship Program in the Central California Valley can be traced as far back as 1964 when the first accredited 2-year cardiovascular disease training program started at Valley Medical Center in Fresno under the guidance of Dr. Lauren Grayson. In 1975, the UCSF School of Medicine established a permanent campus in Fresno and subsequently took over the clinical training programs at Valley Medical Center (which was renamed University Medical Center), including the cardiology fellowship.

In 1981, UCSF opened another cardiology fellowship program at the Veterans Affairs of Central California Medical Center in Fresno under the guidance of Dr. Prakash Deedwania. For a while, both completely independent cardiology training programs were run in Fresno by the University. In the early 1990s, a cooperative merger by both programs was made, giving rise to the unified UCSF Fresno Cardiology Fellowship Program under Dr. Grayson.

The fellowship program was thriving, producing highly-competent cardiologists, several of whom stayed to practice locally. The fellowship was of great benefit to the Central Valley region and the community embraced the program with open arms. In 1991, however, the State of California mandated that subspecialty training programs across the state be significantly reduced so that healthcare training can focus more towards primary care. As a result of this mandate, UCSF was forced to terminate the fellowship program at its Fresno campus, and the last batch of cardiology fellows graduated in 1996.

Over the years, an ever-growing shortage of subspecialty physicians in this region has led to the clamor for the reestablishment of the fellowship program in Fresno. This call was heeded by Dr. Michael Peterson, the Chief of Medicine at UCSF Fresno, who brought in Dr. John Ambrose from New York to lay the ground work for such an ambitious endeavor in 2005. With the inaugural class starting in July of 2007, the rebirth of the UCSF Fresno Cardiology Fellowship Program was successful and complete. The rest is history!