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CALIFORNIA AHEC PROGRAM OFFICE

The California Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is located at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine’s Fresno Medical Education Program.

Contact: [email protected]

 Ivan Gomez, MD (He/Him) – Program Director and Principal Investigator

I am the current Program Director for the California Area Health Education Center (AHEC) through UCSF Fresno’s Medical Education Program as well as the Chief of UCSF Fresno Family and Community Medicine. I completed my residency with UC Davis Family Medicine Program in Merced, California. I am particularly involved in family-oriented adult and pediatric HIV/AIDS care and am currently the Medical Director of the Pacific AIDS Education Training Center in the San Joaquin Valley. My other clinical interests include obstetrics and inpatient medicine. I also precept and provide clinical care at a UCSF rural site in Selma and am an Advisory Faculty for the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics course held yearly at UCSF Fresno.

Juan David Garza, MA (He/Him) – Associate Program Director

My professional career has focused on networking and collaborating with community organizations that focus on serving medically underserved communities. I have managed grants that focus on at-risk youth, children 0-5 years old, teen dads, and foster and juvenile justice youth. I have also managed State, Federal and Private Contracts. I also served in leadership roles such as the National AHEC Program Office Constituency Group. I served as a school board member in my community for four years, with two years acting as the Board President. I was also part of the Fresno County Board of Trustee Association Board, which represented all of Fresno County. This has prepared me for my role as the associate director for the California Statewide Area Health Education Program.

Virginia Fowkes, FNP, MHS (She/Her) – Evaluation and Strategic Planning Director

My professional career has focused on developing and evaluating programs to train health professionals for medically underserved communities including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical students, and other health professions students. I have worked with AHEC programs for many years, co -founding an early inner city AHEC, co-directing the national evaluation of the first three generations of AHEC programs, assisting numerous states in developing their AHEC programs or their program wide evaluation plans. I am a Sr Research Scholar, Emerita, at Stanford University School of Medicine and joined the CA Statewide AHEC Program’s leadership team in 2003 to assist with community program development and direct strategic planning and evaluation.

Evelyn Sandoval, BS (She/Her) – AHEC Scholars Coordinator

My professional career has been centered around education, and I’ve had the privilege of working with students at every level—from Kindergarten to Medical School. I earned my Associate of Arts in Psychology from Fresno City College and my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Behavioral Health Sciences from Grand Canyon University, both of which have shaped my approach to education and student development. I started my career as a tutor, which led to my role as the Director of an after-school program here in Fresno, where I worked closely with underserved communities. This experience fueled my passion for making education accessible to all students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds. Afterward, I transitioned into higher education as a Clinical Education Coordinator. In this role, I supported medical students by helping them connect their academic learning to real-world clinical practice. It’s been incredibly rewarding to play a part in their growth and success, and I remain deeply committed to creating opportunities for students at every stage of their educational journey.

Kristee Garcia BS (She/Her) – Administrative Assistant III

I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree at California State University Fresno in Business Administration Organizational Management in 2005. I have past State Civil service working at State Personnel Board and Folsom Prison. While working for US Government I assisted a new agency implementing and managing grants for a new Native American Well-Being Clinic which allowed me to become a CPA candidate in 2014. I have worked for many private industries in Silicon Valley, and for the Central Valley of California. My future endeavor for 2023 while working here for the AHEC program will be to secure my master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership at UCSF. I am hoping my experience and goals will help in obtaining more grants and scholarships for the underserved here in the Central Valley.

Iris Price MA (She/Her) – Research Director

I am Iris Price, a Project Policy Analyst for the California AHEC. I am a proud graduate of the Smittcamp Family Honors College and hold an MA in Experimental Psychology from California State University, Fresno, as well as an MPH from San Jose State University. Before joining AHEC, I served as the Research Coordinator and Grants Manager for UCSF’s Family Medicine Department. In this role, I was an educator in evidence-based medicine, supervised resident research and quality improvement projects, coordinated structured clinical simulation experiences, and managed federal and state grants. My expertise includes quantitative and qualitative analyses, research methodology, survey design and distribution, data collection (including chart review, survey, and database management), and data analysis. My academic interests focus on healthcare reform and increasing access to medical services.