CCFMG & University Centers of ExcellenceBringing Medical Education and Meeting Healthcare Needs of the Central Valley Since 1979

Summer 2017 www.UniversityMDs.com

CCFMG Pediatricians Partner With At-Risk Students to Foster Success

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Renee Kinman, M.D., Ph.D., Kelly Colwell-Walker, MA, and Sarah Stender, M.D., FAAP, CDE

by Renee Kinman, M.D., Ph.D.• Associate Program Director, UCSF Fresno

Pediatrics Department• Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF

How are M&Ms like people?

The students in Fresno High School’s Women’s Alliance have partnered with UCSF Fresno faculty and Pediatrics Department residents, rotating through their Adolescent Medicine rotation, to address this question in their own high school community this academic year.

The Women’s Alliance is an elective class for at-risk students designed to foster success in the classroom and beyond.

Since 2010, the UCSF Fresno Pediatrics Department has been working to develop a local culture of health through the lens of advocacy and social justice.

Recognizing that the health of a child depends largely on family and the local community, the pediatric residency program joined forces with Fresno Unified School District to develop a resident-mentored adolescent peer education program. The program focuses on health topics of interest to adolescents, while simultaneously modeling health careers for the disadvantaged minority students.

Together, the pediatric residents, high school students, and faculty have utilized a “youth as partner” approach

to create participatory action research projects over the past four years, including Sugar in Drinks, Body Image, Exercise can be Fun, Dating Violence, and their most recent project, Stereotypes.

Students have identified and researched topics, created and conducted surveys utilizing technology, analyzed outcomes, and discussed presentation plans. The students then developed unique educational interventions such as the M&M question cited above to raise awareness of these issues amongst their fellow high school students.

They broadcasted their project results at the Western Regional Meeting of the American Federation for Medical Research, culminating in a total of

three poster presentations and two oral presentations. The high school student abstracts are also published in a national medical journal.

This year, the students have focused on the topic of stereotypes and how they affect high school students.

Using the theme “How are M&Ms like people?,” Fresno High School students showcased their work at a lunchtime presentation the last week of school. They plan to submit their first abstract later this summer to the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine’s annual national meeting.

According to their teacher, Kelly Colwell-Walker, “To actually have real doctors that are not that much older than the student in their classroom takes down so many walls. The feeling that the doctors are coming just for them is special. It makes them feel like they can do it.” She also states, “One of my favorite parts is to watch the doctors stepping out of their comfort zone and meet adolescents on their own turf. I think the doctors get out of it what they put into it. I have seen some amazing relationships and connections.”

CCFMG Pediatricians Partner With At-Risk Fresno High School Students to Foster Success

“They’re not as interesting if they’re all one color.”

“Different on the outside, but similar on the inside.”

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Healing HeartFinding Our Own Rhythm

A Women’s Heart Health Support Group

With Community Regional Medical Centers and the American Heart Association, Teresa Daniele, M.D., hosted the first women’s heart health support group on Tuesday, April 25th.

The support group focused on presentations about women’s heart health and gave an opportunity for self-care education through fun social activities. This event will be held quarterly, with entertaining and informative events.

The first meeting featured a presentation on Women and Heart disease, with a special presentation by Chef Hillori from Whole Foods who demonstrated some heart healthy recipes.

This was an opportunity for women in the community to come together to learn more about heart health and focus on their well-being.

EM Physician, Dr. Jessica Mason, Telling Patient Stories Through PodcastsEmergency Medicine physician and University of California, San Francisco, Fresno Clinical Instructor, Jessica Mason, M.D., is creating podcasts to educate and give patients a chance to tell their stories.

Dr. Mason is part of two podcast series, EM:RAP C3 and This Won’t Hurt a Bit.

EM:RAP C3 is focused on medical education within the medical community. This Won’t Hurt a Bit, on the other hand, is an entertaining podcast for the general public. Both highlight patients describing their experiences dealing with medical conditions and going through treatments.

One of the reasons Dr. Mason is practicing in Fresno is because of the support she receives. The openness from the patients and the collaboration and resources from Community Regional Medical Center and UCSF Fresno are key pieces to help make the podcasts successful.

The EM:RAP C3 series currently has subscribers in 35 countries and a recent episode generated 25,000 hits in under a week.

James Comes, M.D., FACEP, Chief of the UCSF Fresno Emergency Medicine Department, stated that the positive recognition helps recruit physicians to the UCSF Fresno medical education programs and the Central Valley.

Jessica Mason, M.D.

Teresa Daniele, M.D.

Teresa Daniele, M.D., Hosts the First

For more information or to register, call:

(559) 459-3778

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Joan Louise Voris, M.D., age 75, passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2017, at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, California. She was born on August 5, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York to Albert T. Voris, M.D., and Gay L. Voris.

Upon completion of Albert’s residency in psychiatry in New York state, the family settled in Belmont, California. Dr. Voris graduated from Carlmont High School in 1959. Like her father, she attended Stanford University where she earned an Artium Baccalaureusin Biological Sciences in 1963, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Her time as an undergraduate was marked by overseas study in Florence, Italy, an experience she recalled fondly. She continued at Stanford to earn her Medical Degree in 1968.

While finishing medical school, she met her husband, Zrino Bezmalinovic, a young pathologist. Twin daughters arrived in 1967. The family initially settled in San Francisco while Zrino completed his medical training. Their son was born in 1970, and in 1971, the family moved to Fresno where Zrino began his career in the Pathology Department at Valley Medical Center.

Although Dr. Voris’ attention turned to raising her family, she did not leave medicine behind. As the children grew, Dr. Voris covered for local pediatricians. Eventually, she began practicing at the Pediatric Clinic at Valley Medical Center, and at the age of 47, she entered the pediatric residency program at UCSF Fresno, complete with regular 24 hour call in order to complete her certification from the Board of Pediatrics.

She joined UCSF Fresno as a faculty member in 1990, and while continuing to work in the Pediatric Clinic, was part of a team that published seminal work on the diagnosis of childhood sexual abuse that continues to be cited. Her administrative and leadership roles grew, first as Director of the Ambulatory Clinics, and in 2002, as Associate Dean of UCSF Fresno. When she retired in 2015, she left as the longest serving Associate Dean in Fresno history, having overseen a 70 percent increase in physicians trained at UCSF Fresno and the establishment of many new fellowships.

Dr. Voris was fortunate to have been recognized for her contributions to the community, in 2010, by the Marjorie Mason Center as one of the Top Ten Professional Women, and in 2012, by the Fresno-Madera Medical Society with the “Physician Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award,” although she was never comfortable with such public expressions.

Her story cannot be told without the mention of cancer. First diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1981, she survived to see her children graduate from high school and beyond. She battled breast cancer in 2002, and was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2012. Although the last years of her life were measured by cycles of chemotherapy, her strength of character never diminished. Her family is forever grateful to the countless physicians, nurses, and staff who treated her with kindness and dignity.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Zrino Bezmalinovic, M.D.

She is survived by her children, Beatrice Bezmalinovic-Dhebar and husband Anirudh Dhebar of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Margaret Bezmalinovic of Sacramento, California, and John Bezmalinovic and wife Tracy of Fresno, California; and grandchildren, Mia Bezmalinovic, Arun Dhebar, and Chetan Dhebar.

Joan L. Voris, M.D. | Photo courtesy of Community Medical Centers

In Memory of Joan L. Voris, M.D.

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Fresno Woman Saved by New ECMO Program At Community Regional Medical CenterIn December 2016, a Fresno woman’s life was saved thanks to the new ECMO program at Community Regional Medical Center. After experiencing a severe asthma attack, she was rushed to the emergency room where a team of specially trained medical professionals went immediately to work saving her life.

The technology involves circulating the patient’s blood through a machine that either adds oxygen or removes carbon dioxide, and then it returns the blood back to the body.

CRMC is the only hospital in the Central Valley who has an accredited ECMO program. Timothy Evans, M.D. of University Pulmonary Associates and Eyad Almasri, M.D. and Mohamed Fayed M.D. of University Sleep and Pulmonary Associates are two of the physicians on the team.Timothy Evans, M.D. (second from the right), Eyad Almasri, M.D. (left)

and Mohamed Fayed, M.D. (second from the left) | Photo courtesy of Community Medical Centers

The Value of Palliative Careby Patrick J. Macmillan, M.D.

• Associate Professor, UCSF• UCSF Fresno Division Chief of Hospice and Palliative Medicine• Medical Director, Palliative Care Department - Community Regional

Medical Center

Palliative Care is a branch of medicine that treats the chronically ill at various stages of life, including end of life care. It’s a field that focuses on the individual’s goals of care and quality of life.

We have begun to integrate into the Community Regional Medical Center healthcare system a program called Respecting Life Choices. This medical intervention is designed for the primary care setting and outlines the patient’s choices regarding serious illness and end of life care.

The inpatient Palliative Care service provides consults throughout the week. Our outpatient clinic presence is beginning to grow at the Ambulatory Care Center on Tuesday afternoons. We also have an advanced malignancy support clinic at the East Medical Plaza on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. We provide symptom and pain management as well as emotional support to the patient and family.

Our ultimate hope is to continue building bridges with subspecialists and the community to assist individuals in discovering the medical care and direction best suited for their needs.

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WELCOME NEW PHYSICIANS

Walter Forred, M.D.Geriatrics

Hillblom Center on Aging A University Center of Excellence

2335 E. Kashian Lane Suite 301 Fresno, CA 93701

P: (559) 443-2684

Timothy Foster, M.D.Pediatric Neurology

University Pediatric Specialists

7060 N. Recreation AvenueSuite 101 Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 325-5656

Jonathan Grossman, M.D.Interventional Pain Management

University Neurosciences Institute

45 River Park Place WestSuite 104 Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 320-0530

Panchali Khanna, M.D.Endocrinology

University Diabetes and Endocrine Specialists

7085 N. Chestnut AvenueSuite 101 Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 323-9236

Raymundo Punzalan, M.D.Endocrinology

University Diabetes and Endocrine Specialists

7085 N. Chestnut AvenueSuite 101 Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 323-9236

William H. Likosky, M.D.Neurology

University Neurology Associates

2335 E. Kashian Lane Suite 301 Fresno, CA 93701

P: (559) 264-9100

Sujatha Srikanth, M.D.Endocrinology

University Diabetes and Endocrine Specialists

7085 N. Chestnut AvenueSuite 101 Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 323-9236

Constance Stoehr, M.D.Hematology & Oncology

University Oncology Associates

2335 E. Kashian LaneSuite 301 Fresno, CA 93701

P: (559) 459-4662

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Congratulations Jim Comes, M.D., FACEPon being named Chief of Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno, Vice-Chair of Emergency Medicine at UCSF and the Gene W. Kallsen, MD, Endowed Chair in Emergency Medicine at UCSF Fresno.

Congratulations Ivan Gomez, M.D.on being named Chief of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF Fresno.

California air ambulance methods, including the SkyLife helicopters that transport patients to Community Regional Medical Center, could be cut due to the California State budget.

Currently, a portion of the state’s air ambulance services are funded by the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act. The act generates money by increasing traffic tickets by $4.

The act is up for renewal this year, but concern arises due to the state’s budget cut.

Lawrence Sue, M.D., FACS, UCSF Associate Clinical Professor in the UCSF Fresno Department of Surgery, detailed in an interview with KSEE24 that some of the distances for patients to get to Community Regional Medical Center by car could take up to three hours, but it takes less than 30 minutes by air ambulance.

Dr. Sue emphasizes that air ambulance services are crucial because patients get to trauma surgeons like himself during the critical time when they have the chance of being saved.

Dr. Larry Sue Makes Compelling Case For Air Ambulance Funding

Photo courtesy of Community Medical Centers

Lawrence Sue, M.D., FACS

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CCFMG Has Donated More Than $25,000 to the Hunger Heroes Campaign!

CCFMG is a proud supporter of Community Food Bank. This is the third year that CCFMG has participated in the Fresno Community Food Bank Hunger Heroes campaign.

In the two previous years, a total of $18,473 was raised, and this year put CCFMG’s total to over $25,000. With the money raised, every $10 will feed a family of four for one week.

Included in the money raised, the Board of Directors has donated $1,000 each year. Also, one of CCFMG’s providers has personally donated $2,000 each year.

Last year, CCFMG was awarded a Top Fundraising Team award from the Fresno Community Food Bank.

The staff at the corporate office along with all the participants at the practice sites have donated supplies and so much of their time and effort to host all of the fundraising events. This year, CCFMG is proud to announce that a total of $7,395 has been raised!

We are so thankful for everyone’s effort and dedication to the campaign.

The Lung Cancer Screening ProgramThrough Community Regional Medical Center and UCSF FresnoThe Lung Cancer Screening Program through Community Regional Medical Center and UCSF Fresno focuses on detection of lung cancer at an early stage.

Lung cancer may already have spread by the time symptoms appear, so the program tries to catch cancer at the stage where it is easier to treat. To be enrolled in the program, an individual needs to meet these qualifications:

• Be 55 – 77 years of age• Have no signs or symptoms of lung cancer• Have smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day for at

least 30 years• Be a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years

Kathryn Bilello, M.D., Michael Peterson, M.D., and Daya Upadhyay, M.D., of University Pulmonary Associates are part of the screening program team.

If you or someone you know meet the qualifications, please contact the program to schedule an appointment.

phone: (559) 451-3698email: CRMCLungScreening@CommunityMedical.org

https://www.communitymedical.org/services/Cancer-Care/Education-and-Support/Screenings

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Daughter of CCFMG Physician, Anupama Poliyedath, M.D., Wins the Scripp’s National Spelling Bee

Anupama Poliyedath, M.D., and Ananya Vinay

Luis A. Dehesa, M.D.

What an accomplishment by Clovis Unified School District student, Ananya Vinay, who became the Scripp’s National Spelling Bee’s 90th winner!

Ananya is a sixth-grader at Fugman Elementary school and, in previous years, she has won the California State Spelling Bee three times.

Ananya is the daughter of University Medicine Associates physician, Anupama Poliyedath, M.D.

The word that Anaya spelled correctly to become the winner was “marocain,” which is a fabric used to make women’s dresses and suits.

The competition in Washington, D.C. started off with 291 competitors from across the country. They were the top 291 spellers who beat more than 11 million students that participated in local school spelling bees.

After winning the national spelling bee, Ananya went on an extensive media tour that included Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and CNN. She was also a guest who rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Congrats Ananya!

PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHTLuis A. Dehesa, M.D.Board Certified Dermatologist Specializing in Mohs Surgery

Luis A. Dehesa, M.D., is a board certified dermatologist, specializing in general and surgical dermatology for adult and pediatric care.

Dr. Dehesa practices with University Dermatology Associates and is currently accepting new patients.

Call (559) 266-4100 for more information.

Dr. Dehesa was a board certified dermatologist in Spain when he met his wife, a Fresno native, and decided to move to the United States. His dermatology residency was completed at University of Texas Health and Science Center. He also spent a year as a research fellow at the University of Miami Hospital where he participated in multiple clinical trials for psoriasis, lupus and onychomycosis among others.

Dr. Dehesa specializes in Mohs Micrographic Surgery, which allows for microscopic control and precision when removing skin cancer. The major advantage of Mohs surgery over other skin cancer surgeries is that the tumor is completely removed with a high degree of precision and a minimal loss of normal tissue. In Mohs surgery, multiple thin, horizontal layers of the cancer are removed and each layer is carefully identified and “mapped” by the surgeon so that its exact location can be pinpointed on the wound.

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2181 Herndon AvenueSuite 102Clovis, CA 93611

P: (559) 573.3430F: (559) 573.3432

2335 E. Kashian Lane, Suite 301Fresno, CA 93701

7085 N. Chestnut Avenue, Suite 101Fresno, CA 93720

P: (559) 443-2684F: (559) 264-9199

Hanford: (559) 622-8687Los Banos: (559) 320-0530

Merced: (559) 320-0530Reedley: (559) 622-8687

P: (559) 323-9236F: (559) 323-0294

1530 Shaw AvenueClovis, CA 93611

P: (559) 443-2694F: (559) 443-2696

OFFICE CHANGES

OFFICES NOW OPEN

OFFICE MOVING SOON

Highway 168

N. Tem

perance Ave

Herndon Ave

N. Fow

ler Ave

N. Arm

strong Ave

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UCSF Fresno Mini Med School• Every Tuesday• September 5, 2017 - October 10, 2017• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Women Heart Fair• Saturday, February 3, 2018• 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Updates in Diabetes and Internal Medicine• Friday, March 9, 2018 - Saturday, March 10, 2018• 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Air Pollution & Climate Change Symposium• Saturday, April 7, 2018• 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Upcoming Events at UCSF Fresno

For more information, call Monica Sozinho at (559) 499-6421.

UCSF Fresno Department of Surgery trauma surgeons presented the critical topic of bleeding control at the only Central California Trauma Symposium in May.

As a follow-up to the symposium presentation, the Community Regional Medical Center Trauma Program offered its first Bleeding Control course to medical staff, personnel and housestaff.

UCSF Fresno Department of Surgery Trauma Surgeons

2625 E. Divisadero Street Fresno, CA 93721

CC F M G B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

Sign up for MyChart! Your Interactive Health RecordMyChart.CommunityMedical.org

Contact your University Centers of Excellence medical office to receive an activation code.

MyChart offers secure internet access to your medical record from anywhere at any time. It allows you the convenience of communicating with your health care provider via secure email.

With MyChart you can:

• View your health summary and current medications• Request prescription refills and test results• Communicate with your health care provider• Review past and upcoming appointments

University Centers of Excellence & CCFMGfacebook.com/universitycentersofexcellence

Joyce Fields-Keene, MPA Chief Executive Officer

Randall Stern, M.D.Vice Chairman

Jim Comes, M.D.Secretary

James Davis, M.D.Treasurer

Michael Peterson, M.D.Associate Dean, UCSF Fresno

Craig Campbell, M.D.

Ian Johnson, M.D.

Armen Martirosian, M.D.

Roger Mortimer, M.D.

Susanne Spano, M.D.

Carlos Sueldo, M.D.

Steven Tringali, D.O.

Meg Wolfe, M.D.

Serena Yang, M.D.

Craig WagonerCommunity RegionalMedical CenterEx-OfficioGene Kallsen, M.D.

Chairman/President

(559) 453-5200www.UniversityMDs.com

MedWatch Today is a weekly, health news TV show produced by KSEE24 and CBS47 featuring stories exclusively from Community Medical Centers – a locally owned, not-for-profit public benefit organization based in Fresno.

TUNE INSaturdays, 7:00pm on KSEE 34 | Sundays, 6:30pm on CBS 47