Adventist Health Family Medicine Residency Program welcomes six new doctors
Adventist Health in the Central Valley is welcoming six new resident physicians to its Hanford Family Medicine Program this year, an increase of two from previous years, with approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Starting July 1, the six physicians will receive three years of specialized training in family medicine through a curriculum designed to mimic the schedule of a family medicine physician. They join a total of eight other resident physicians who started the Hanford program in 2018 and 2019. The residents also will have the opportunity to care for patients at the family medicine residency and specialty clinics in Hanford, take call in the inpatient service at Adventist Health Hanford and serve as first assists on surgeries, including cesarean sections.
“We are hopeful that with the addition of two more residents in the program every year, we will be able to meet the healthcare needs of the community,” says Dr. Romeo Castillo, family medicine physician and program director. “Having additional residents will also increase the dynamics of the program by bringing in physicians with a variety of backgrounds who have a passion for providing compassionate care and healing.”
The residents receive training from multiple physician faculty members, including primary and specialty care faculty, many of whom also care for patients in Hanford.
The six new residents include:
Joshua A. Arvizu, MD – Originally from Glendale, Calif., Arvizu earned his medical degree from the Universidad de Montemorelos School of Medicine in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He has a holistic approach to each patient, taking into consideration their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing as part of their short-term and long-term care.
Tricia Bautista, MD – Also a California native, Bautista earned her medical degree from the University of Perpetual Help in the Philippines. She was drawn to family medicine because she believes it’s a privilege to provide whole-person care to patients of every age and empower them to participate in their care.
Vikramjeet S. Dhillon, MD – Dhillon earned his medical degree from Smolensk State Medical Academy in Russia. He was inspired to practice medicine after watching his father, also a physician, care for patients in their remote town in India. Dhillon encourages patients to incorporate spirituality, happiness, diet and exercise into their lives to achieve the best possible state of health.
Ruth Lopez, MD – Originally from Mexico, Lopez earned her medical degree from the Universidad Xochicalco Medical School in Ensenada. She believes preventative medicine is the key to improving a patient’s quality of life, and her goal is to make a positive impact on the community by combining science and compassion.
Hugo E. Lopez, MD – A desire to prevent disease and help those with medical needs lead a healthier lifestyle inspired Lopez to earn his medical degree from Autonomous University of Santa Ana in his native El Salvador. He enjoys being part of a patient’s healing process and able to serve an entire family and the community.
Adedamola Omole, MD – Omole also was inspired to practice medicine by the joy and satisfaction he witnessed in his physician father as he cared for patients in their native Nigeria. He earned his medical degree from Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in Ukraine and selected family medicine as his specialty because it enables him to care for patients of any age and partner with them for health.
Since the Hanford Family Medicine Residency Program was established in 2005 with Loma Linda University, 48 residents have completed training, with many staying to care for patients in the Central Valley.
