SJV PRIME

A new community health project addressing asthma issues in the San Joaquin Valley is underway thanks to a collaboration between UC Merced, UCSF and Camarena Health, supported by a grant from biotechnology giant Genentech.

A new community health project addressing asthma issues in the San Joaquin Valley is underway thanks to a collaboration between UC Merced, UCSF and Camarena Health, supported by a grant from biotechnology giant Genentech’s foundation.

The San Joaquin Valley has a shortage of doctors

One of UC Merced’s original students, Enid Picart — soon to graduate from the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) — represented the San Joaquin Valley in a big way last week by attending the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., as the guest of Congressman Jim Costa.

Together, the two reminded people of the need for ongoing medical education in the Valley and of the dedication of many UC Merced alumni to give back to their communities.

Dr. Thelma Hurd’s journey in medicine has taken her from New Jersey to Nigeria, with stops in Texas and Buffalo. Along the way, she gathered experience as a clinician, public health researcher and translational scientist.

Her proficiency in these crucial areas has led Hurd to UC Merced, where she became the university’s director of medical education last month.

With a projected shortage of more than 4,000 primary-care clinicians over the next decade in California, the newest cohort in the UCSF SJV PRIME program presents a glimmer of hope to San Joaquin Valley medicine.

Six medical students — all from the Valley — have been admitted to the UCSF San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME), and spent several days at UC Merced during the summer preparing.

Established in 2011, the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) pools resources from UC Merced, the UC Davis School of Medicine, and UCSF Fresno to recruit and train future physicians committed to serving the Central Valley.

Six medical students, all wit

In Fall 2007, Maricela Rangel-Garcia became o

Six students with close ties to the San Joaquin Valley are on track to becoming physicians as part of the UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (PRIME). The group, which began their medical studies recently in Sacramento and represents the third cohort in the program, includes: