Here’s How to Get an Early Start on Medical Careers: Doctors Academy – GV Wire

Eighth graders interested in medical careers may apply to attend Doctors Academy programs at Sunnyside and Caruthers High Schools through the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research.

The application phase starts on October 1st and ends on December 1st.

Information sessions for students and parents will be held at the Caruthers High School Media Center, 2580 W. Tahoe Ave., Caruthers, October 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and at the Sunnyside High School Library, 1019 S. Peach Ave., Fresno. from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct 19 and Nov 2

Participants will learn about Doctors Academy admissions requirements, program expectations, and how to apply.

The online application is available at https://doctorsacademy.ucsf.edu.

Return home

Doctors Academy programs achieve one of the program goals, which is to prepare local students to become doctors and return to the valley to practice medicine. dr A graduate of Doctors Academy in Sunnyside, Tia Vang attended college at UC Berkeley and received her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Vang is now UCSF Clinical Assistant Professor at UCSF Fresno.

In a Q&A published in the UCSF-Fresno Summer Newsletter, Vang spoke about how Doctors Academy gave her access to healthcare careers and also helped her learn about health disparities in Fresno County.

“It also enhanced my experience of a rigorous academic curriculum that made me a competitive college applicant,” Yang said. “Doctors Academy greatly influenced my prospects and growth as a high school student and helped pave the way for my career in medicine.”

Related Story: These Sunnyside students all get college offers — and some progress to medicine…

Yang, who practices primary care internist in Fresno, said her goals are to mentor medical professionals and students and work with organizations focused on addressing health inequalities and improving health outcomes in the valley.

More information

For more details on the Caruthers program, applicants can contact Karina Reyes Banuelos, Academic Program Coordinator, at [email protected]. Sunnyside applicants can contact Paula Peterson, the academic program coordinator, at [email protected].

Students who wish to apply to the Caruthers Doctors Academy program and live outside of the Caruthers Unified School District must obtain inter-district transfer approval. The Sunnyside program is only open to eighth graders in Fresno Unified who must submit a transfer form to the district transfer office by December 1.

More information about the UCSF Fresno Junior Doctors Academy middle school program will be available in Spring 2023 at https://doctorsacademy.ucsf.edu.

Related Story: Questions and Answers with Doctors Academy Founder Dr. Catherine Flores