Emergency Medicine

Founded in 1974 at Valley Medical Center in Fresno County, the Emergency Medicine residency is one of the first EM programs in the country. We offer a four-year program (PGY 1-4) with 10 residents per year, featuring a strong emphasis on clinical teaching and hands-on training. Our giant, new, state-of-the-art ED at Community Regional Medical Center serves as the only Level 1 trauma center and Burn center for Central California, and handles an annual ED volume of 110,000.

We are committed to provide high-quality, timely emergency care via the educational paradigm and to advance the specialty of Emergency Medicine nationally through educational innovations, scholarship and the dissemination of state-of-the-art Emergency Medicine care.

Program Aims

• Empower residents to develop expertise beyond the fundamentals.
• Create an environment that encourages achievement, success and leadership beyond residency.
• Cultivate a culture of clinical excellence, professionalism and patient advocacy.
• Recruit medical students and physicians who respect the rights and dignity of patients and conduct themselves with professional and personal integrity.

Contact

Stacy Sawtelle Vohra, MD
Program Director
155 N. Fresno
Fresno, CA 93701-2302
(559) 499-6440
stacy.sawtelle@ucsf.edu

Dear Faculty, Residents, Fellows, Students and Staff:   

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Lori Weichenthal, MD, FACEP, UCSF Fresno Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education and Clinical Affairs; DIO; Associate Program Director UCSF Fresno Emergency Medicine; UCSF Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, colleagues and friends.  

Dr. Weichenthal, a trailblazer, leader and role model in the fields of Emergency Medicine, Wilderness Medicine, as well as a vanguard for physician wellness and for diversity and inclusion, died today after a lengthy and heroic battle against cancer. She is survived by her loving husband Dan Wolfe.

“Lori was an outstanding leader for our campus in GME and a strong and committed advocate for our trainees and students. Her commitment to their well-being and their training was unwavering. We will miss her steady hand leading the program,” said Michael W. Peterson, MD, MACP, Y. Frank and Roxie Moradian Chair in Medicine, UCSF Professor, UCSF Fresno Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Research. 

Admired by colleagues as compassionate, caring and kind – and envied for her sereneness and mastery of yoga, Dr. Weichenthal above all was a skilled clinician and expert academic. She was instrumental in resident and medical student education at UCSF Fresno, first being appointed as Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) in 2016 to provide oversight to the residency and fellowship programs. Then in November 2021, named Associate Dean for GME and Clinical Affairs, while also in 2020 having taken on the role of Designated Institutional Officer (DIO). And at the same time, she remained deeply involved in the Emergency Medicine (EM) residency program as Associate Residency Director. 

Dr. Weichenthal attended the University of California, San Diego for her undergraduate degree. She completed her medical degree at the UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco. Her Emergency Medicine residency was completed at UCSF Fresno. 

A fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Weichenthal was a pioneer in the field, one of only two women in the UCSF Fresno Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) when she began her residency in 1995. Serving as a guiding star for the women who have followed, in 1998 she joined the EM faculty as a clinical instructor, quickly rising to UCSF assistant clinical professor, associate clinical professor and in 2014 to UCSF professor. 

With an interest in Wilderness Medicine, she created the Emergency Medicine Wilderness Medicine (WM) Fellowship in 2008, serving as program director in its first years while developing the curriculum. Recently she worked with other fellowships nationwide to create a standardized curriculum for Wilderness Medicine. 

“She really was the ‘grandmother’ of our Wilderness Medicine division in our department and started UCSF Fresno EM’s role as Medical Director for the Two Cities Marathon (which still occurs today), and about a decade ago, started the UCSF High Sierra Wilderness Medicine CME Conference (which happens annually),” said Danielle Campagne, MD, FACEP, interim chief of Emergency Medicine, UCSF Fresno, UCSF Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, UCSF Fresno, Medical Director, American Ambulance. 

In 2019, the Fresno-Madera Medical Society honored Dr. Weichenthal as one of three Women Trailblazers. In the society’s Winter 2019 “Central Valley Physicians” magazine, her colleagues praised her achievements and the calm and caring way in which she solved problems and attained goals. 

Her leadership included starting a Women in Academic Medicine group at UCSF Fresno about five years ago to help address the disparities that exist between men and women in academic medicine.  

In 2018, to help better understand the culture at UCSF Fresno around diversity and inclusion, Dr. Weichenthal founded a committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). And she was instrumental in the appointment of Andrea “Drea” Long, MD, a UCSF Fresno surgeon as the campus’ DEI director in 2021. 

With wellness being a special interest, Dr. Weichenthal developed a wellness curriculum for residents and extensively researched wellness in residency training, becoming a nationwide voice for the importance of physician wellness programs. She served on the national level in Emergency Medicine physician organizations to bring the importance of wellness for physicians to the attention of all. And she conducted research looking at burn out rates in Emergency Medicine residents and at whether a wellness curriculum might decrease burn out and compassion fatigue; and recently completing a study on the impact of a mindfulness meditation course on trainee and faculty wellness. 

As part of her commitment to wellness, Dr. Weichenthal helped lead yoga sessions at UCSF Fresno, and over the years she taught yoga to community classes and to youth with disabilities and weight issues.  

Dr. Weichenthal received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including being inducted into the UCSF Academy of Medial Educators, receiving an Excellence in Teaching Award in Medical Education from the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators, a Kaiser Award nominee, faculty and research awards, a Letter of Distinction from the American College of Emergency Physicians, mentoring distinctions from UCSF and Women in Academic Emergency Medicine, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fresno-Madera Medical Society and host of other honors and recognitions. 

She most of all was held in the highest esteem for her unwavering commitment to the teaching and training of residents, fellows and medical students – and to their wellness. 

In March 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the stress on faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students was overwhelming, Dr. Weichenthal penned this note that that said in part: “During these difficult times, we are so grateful for all that you do to support UCSF Fresno’s mission of providing high quality patient care through the educational model. This model helps us to not only assure the best care for our patients today but to assure continued quality care to patients by training the next generation of amazing physicians. 

We know this global pandemic has been difficult. We have not been able to joke and laugh together, struggle and cry together, or disagree and make amends together. Togetherness – and the emotions that come with it – are so key to our humanity that to say ‘we have missed you’ is the understatement of the decade.” 

In this time of sadness, should you want to talk to someone, help is available through the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program.  

Dr. Weichenthal’s impact on residents, fellows, students and her colleagues are substantial, and she will be deeply missed. If you would like to make a gift to the Lori A. Weichenthal, MD, `94 Physician Wellness Fund at UCSF Fresno with a goal of raising $100,000, please go to makeagift.ucsf.edu/Weichenthal and complete the online form, or mail your check payable to: UCSF Foundation with a note of your gift’s designation to the Lori A. Weichenthal, MD ’94 Physician Wellness Fund, Project ID 7031463 to UCSF Foundation, Attn: UCSF Fresno Development Dept., PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339.  

Information regarding a celebration of life will be shared soon. 

Sincerely,  

Michael W. Peterson, MD, MACP 
Frank and Roxie Moradian Chair in Medicine 
UCSF Professor of Medicine, UCSF Fresno 
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Research 

Danielle Campagne, MD, FACEP 
Interim Chief of Emergency Medicine, UCSF Fresno 
UCSF Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, UCSF Fresno  
Medical Director, American Ambulance

Dr. Leah Bauer served as medical director for the Two Cities Marathon in Fresno/Clovis. Resident medical directors included Drs. Kayla Johnson (R4), Madeline Giegold (R3), and Jesus Martinez (R4). They were featured in UP CLOSE | UCSF Fresno Physicians Volunteer at Two Cities Marathon to Provide Medical Care. 

Dr. Danielle Campagne was inducted into the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators Class of 2022. The Academy’s mission is to support the people who carry out and advance the education mission of UCSF by fostering an organizational culture that values educators and accelerates advances in teaching and learning to improve health.

Ariana Zaghmouri was awarded the Jaclyne Witte Boyden Staff Award from the Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators at UCSF.  This award recognizes exceptional staff members for outstanding contributions across all health professions schools at UCSF. 

Resident commencement was on June 9^th at the Saroyan Theatre. Congratulations to our R4s for all of their hard work!

Congratulations to EM faculty Dr. Brian Chinnock for receiving the Henry J. Kaiser for Excellence in Teaching Award during the resident graduation on June 9^th. The award is given to one clinical faculty within UCSF Fresno for outstanding teaching. Fellow department nominees included Drs. Lily Hitchner and Crystal Ives Tallman.

Dr. Sue Spano received the Paul S. Auerback Award from the Wilderness Medicine Society. The award is given to a physician in recognition of sustained significant clinical or service contribution to Wilderness Medicine and/or scientific achievement in Wilderness Medicine in combination with service to the Society.

Spanish-language COVID-19 FAQ
Paloma Marin-Nevarez, MD, PGY1, along with Community Medical Centers, developed a critical informational video that addresses questions and concerns that Fresno’s Spanish-speaking communities might have about COVID-19 and the vaccines.

In the News

Dr. Jessie Werner featured in Your Central Valley | July 15, 2022
What is the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion?

Dr. Kenny Banh featured on ABC 30 | July 1, 2022
UCSF Fresno creates pathway for community college to medical school

Dr. Sarah Roberson featured on ABC 30 | June 10, 2022
Valley health experts warn of heat-related illness in extreme weather

Stay in the Know