When Brandon Thompson, DO, began touring, interviewing and applying to dozens of residency programs, he knew that an acceptance to the soon-to-launch Family Medicine Residency Program at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley would give him a rare learning opportunity.
“No other program felt like this one,” said Thompson, who graduated from the Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tennessee. “After I interviewed here, I knew I was coming to California. The faculty has been so welcoming, confident and secure in their plan, it just felt like home.”
Thompson is one of eight pioneers at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley — residents who arrived a few weeks ago to begin their studies in family medicine. The specialty focuses on providing health care to individuals and families of all ages, genders and medical conditions, distinguishing it from internal medicine, which primarily covers adult patients and their specific health issues.
The program’s launch comes on the heels of Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley celebrating its 10th anniversary of being affiliated with Stanford Medicine. A part of the organization’s plan to build out its graduate medical education offerings, the newly accredited program kicked off orientation on June 16 with the residents, who graduated from medical schools around the country.
The chance to work with the community and take part in building the program appealed to resident Maya Eylon, MD, who hails from Central Michigan University College of Medicine.
“It has a heavy clinic focus where we’re trying to address community needs and meet patients where they’re at,” Eylon said. “What excites me most is that since this is a new program, I can make positive change as it develops.”
The program — which complements the Stanford Health Care –O’Connor Family Medicine Residency program in San Jose — is expected to ramp up within three years and welcome 24 residents to the program annually.
Comprehensive curriculum
Residents will gain hands-on experience through a curriculum covering the core disciplines of family medicine, including emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology and surgery. They will gain clinical experience through rotations at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Hospital and various Stanford Health Care community clinics in Pleasanton, San Ramon, Castro Valley and Livermore — including at the Federally Qualified Health Center Axis Community Health and the Livermore division of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
“We’re bringing bright, energetic people to learn here and practice, expanding the footprint of health care in our community,” said Minjoung Go, MD, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley’s academic physician-in-chief and clinical associate professor of medicine. “This program represents a significant investment in the future of health care in Tri-Valley, and we could not have done it without the help and collaboration of Axis Community Health, Stanford Medicine Partners, University Medical Partners and all of our Tri-Valley medical staff supporting the program.”
By their third year, each resident will see more than 1,000 patients.
“The launch of our family medicine residency program is a pivotal moment for our residents and the Tri-Valley community,” said David Quillen, MD, the program director and clinical professor of primary care and population health. “We are dedicated to nurturing skilled physicians who will provide compassionate care, and the hope is that they stay on with us once their residency is complete.”
The family medicine program may be just the beginning for residency programs at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley.
“We are evaluating expanding our graduate medical education offerings by analyzing what specialties make the most sense to meet the diverse health care needs of our region,” Go said.
