Health Care: Alumni bring life to Valley’s health care desert

By Lauren Nickerson (’10)

Illustrations by Todd Graves (’03)

Dr. Danielle Campagne can’t help but become emotional when asked about the health care shortage in the Central Valley. Born and raised in Sanger, a small rural community 16 miles southeast of Fresno, her family knows firsthand the pain of lacking access to quality care.

“My grandfather was injured in an accident on our family farm and was taken to a rural medical center where there wasn’t a doctor on duty,” says Campagne, her voice catching in her throat. “I never got to meet him, and maybe he would have lived had a doctor been there.”

It was that family tragedy that convinced Campagne, interim chief of emergency medicine for UCSF Fresno and Community Regional Medical Center, that she would someday become a doctor. She recalls telling herself as a little girl, “I am going to be a doctor, I am going to work in this community and take care of people.”

Campagne’s experience is emblematic of a region plagued by barriers to health care. According to a study by the California Future Health Workforce Commission, California will experience a projected shortage of 4,100 primary care physicians by 2030.

Fresno State, with over 24,000 enrolled students, is at the forefront of ensuring the Valley has highly-skilled professionals entering the health care workforce. Each year, over 5,500 Fresno State students major in health care related fields.

Campagne, who was named this year’s Top Dog Distinguished Alumna (page 34), was a pre-med honors student at Fresno State and credits the university for her later successes in medical school at USC and UCSF Fresno.

“I don’t think I would be as successful if I had not gone to Fresno State,” Campagne says. “I was really well-prepared, and my education was amazing compared to many of my peers.”

University support fuels future health providers

Campagne’s experience at Fresno State is one shared by many students looking to enter the health care field. Anber Choudhry, a third-year biology major, is in the Academic Research Program, a joint partnership between UCSF Fresno and Fresno State that allows undergraduate students to participate in research studies and provides hands-on learning opportunities in the emergency room at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno.

Choudhry says the experience of interacting with nurses, physicians and advanced practice providers in the clinical setting helped to inspire her to go to medical school. “I have a foundational experience in medicine, which helps me understand the ‘why’ behind what we are trying to do in health care.”

The Academic Research Program is one of many resources available to students looking to enter the field. The Health Careers Opportunity Program helps undergraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds prepare for careers in medicine through advising, internship opportunities, tutorials, summer programs and professional development seminars.

Nearly 60% of all doctoral degrees awarded at Fresno State are in a health care related field, including the prestigious doctoral program for physical therapy, which is one of 14 accredited programs in the state and the only one of its kind in the region.

“Fresno State produces more than just graduates; it produces healers. Without the nurses, therapists and future health care leaders that come from this institution, the Central Valley would be facing a medical crisis of unprecedented proportions,” says Dr. Denise Seabert, dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

Training nurses, addressing community needs

The Mobile Health Unit, a hallmark of Fresno State’s commitment to community health, has provided free services to over 18,500 community members at more than 280 sites around Fresno County. This outreach has not only benefited community members but is another way for students to develop experience in a clinical setting.

Nursing remains one of the most impactful and highly competitive programs at Fresno State, representing the direct impact the pipeline of skilled Fresno State graduates entering the workforce has on the community.

Fresno State houses the largest nursing program in the Central Valley, graduating 150 nursing students each year – 100% of whom find employment or job placements before graduating. The master’s degree in speech-language pathology, an in-demand field that supports patients in both clinical and educational settings, also has very high career placement rates, with many students finding jobs prior to graduation.

The master’s degree nursing program, which was founded in 1968, has graduated over 1,500 students. Since the establishment of the nursing program in 1957, nearly 4,000 nurses have graduated from the bachelor of nursing program and entered the workforce, with 90% of nursing graduates staying local each year.

Jon Flores, who graduated from the nursing program in 2022 and gained experience working in the Mobile Health Unit, now works in the intensive care unit at Community Regional, the only Level 1 trauma center between Los Angeles and Sacramento.

“Fresno State’s nursing program taught us to focus on the Valley’s patients,” Flores says. “I have a deeper understanding of my patients’ needs because of my time at Fresno State.”

Likewise, Fresno State is focused on the Valley’s needs – addressing the Valley’s health care shortage by producing thousands of skilled nurses, therapists and doctors each year to care for the region.

– Lauren Nickerson is the associate vice president for University Communications at Fresno State.

Can you imagine the Valley without Fresno State?

Neither can we. And that’s why, with continued support from alumni and the community, Fresno State is committed to educating and enhancing support for the future generation of doctors, nurses and other providers who will increase the health of our region.