SPOTLIGHT

Nicole Banh, MD & Sarah Smith, DO

Welcome to the UCSF Fresno Pediatric Residency Program. We’re the chief residents for this academic year and would like to share with you a little bit about ourselves and what we like about this residency program.

Sarah was born and raised in rural Canada and moved to the United States with her family in her senior year of high school.  She met her husband Neil during medical school at Western University.  As outdoor enthusiasts and proud dog owners, they were drawn to Fresno by the numerous parks and recreational activities that abound in the community. Taking advantage of the good real estate prices they purchased a home here in Fresno where they currently live with their dogs Shaka & Honey Bear. With family in the bay area, you may catch them heading up north to enjoy a relaxing weekend of wine tasting or mud baths at the spa.

Nikki grew up in Los Angeles and attended college at UC Santa Barbara. She, like many Californians, moved to the east coast to attend medical school at Drexel University. It was there that she met her husband Kenny. Despite him being a native of Pennsylvania, Nikki brought him back with her to California with a little help from the couples match. Upon arriving in Fresno, Nikki & Kenny chose to rent an apartment, where they still live with their new arrival, Tyler. Quite partial to living in a big city, they were pleased to find that the salsa scene was thriving in Fresno. Always looking to enjoy the comforts of city life, they love to go dancing, catch a Broadway show or enjoy an evening of fine dining at one of the restaurants around town.

As you can see Fresno has a great deal to offer for people with a variety of interests. For us, the residency program has an equally diverse array of educational opportunities.
With a state of the art children’s hospital and a community medical center we serve a population of approximately 1 million children, complete with the diverse medical pathology which that encompasses. We have no shortage of patients with complex medical conditions but also get our fair share of bread and butter pediatrics. The attendings are all wonderful to work with and residents always comment on how approachable both the subspecialty and general pediatric faculty are. Our program has a good blend of increasing autonomy with attending oversight. You can work as independently as you feel comfortable, knowing that there is always an attending available if you need them.

Children’s Hospital Central California has a full complement of sub-specialists who are easily accessible and ready to teach with an extraordinary breath of pathology. Community Medical Center is the perinatology referral center for the Central Valley and the residents are on the front lines for numerous high risk deliveries.  Our program provides a strong foundation for the next phase of your career. Many of our graduates go on to fellowships at top facilities in such areas as neonatology, pediatric critical care, adolescent, and emergency medicine. Others do general pediatrics in urban clinics or rural areas and report back that they are well prepared. Wherever you see yourself in the future, the UCSF Fresno program has the resources and support to help you achieve your goals. 

We are both available to answer questions. If there is anything we can do to help you make an informed decision about our program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes, 

Nikki Banh, MD  Chief Resident   UCSF Fresno Pediatrics nbanh@childrenscentralcal.org  (559) 353-5174

Sarah Smith, DO Chief Resident UCSF Fresno Pediatrics ssmith1@childrenscentralcal.org (559) 353-5174