Four new physicians join Hanford Family Practice Residency

The new residents – Drs. Faraz Khan, Panteha Rezaeian, Byron Tran and G. Michelle Ventura – will spend the next two and a half years training in Hanford.

The program is affiliated with the prestigious Loma Linda University, where the residents spent their first six months of training. Unlike many other residencies, Hanford’s curriculum is organized to mimic the schedule of a rural family medicine physician. The program helps to address the Valley’s chronic shortage of physicians and receives hundreds of applications each interview season. The program received 579 applications for 2015. Of those, 70 were selected to interview, but only four were chosen to take part in the program.

The residents will see patients at the residency’s family practice clinic at Central Valley General Hospital. They will also take call at the Hanford hospitals and serve as first assists on surgeries while learning from a faculty made up of about 40 local general practitioners and specialists.

Each resident brings a unique background to the program:

Dr. Faraz Khan

Dr. Faraz Khan grew up in Carson, Calif. He’s a graduate of Medical University of Lublin in Poland. After graduating, Dr. Khan decided to move back to the Los Angeles area to conduct cancer research at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. He chose to pursue medicine because of his love for science. The reason Dr. Khan wanted to train in Hanford is because of the need and its small town charm. He’s fluent in English, Hindi and Urdu.

In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, tennis, snowboarding, hiking and fishing.

Dr. Panteha Rezaeian

Dr. Panteha Rezaeian is a graduate of Tehran Faculty of Medicine in Iran, which is where she grew up. She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular CT angiography at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Rezaeian has always been fascinated by physicians and their ability to heal those in pain, which is why she decided to become a doctor. She chose to move to Hanford because of the friendly and welcoming people. Dr. Rezaeian is fluent in English and Farsi.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading and enjoying nature.

Dr. Byron Tran

Dr. Byron Tran is a graduate of Ross University in the Caribbean. He grew up in Long Beach, Calif., where his family migrated to from Vietnam. Dr. Tran’s family doctor spoke Vietnamese and was a big help to his family. Dr. Tran knew he too wanted to have an impact on people’s lives, so he chose to become a doctor. He decided to train in Hanford because he says the people are incredibly nice and helpful. Dr. Tran is fluent in English and Vietnamese.

In his free time, he enjoys photography, surfing and gardening.

Dr. G. Michelle Ventura                  

Dr. G. Michelle Ventura grew up in El Salvador and attended Universidad Autonoma de Santa Ana. She moved back to the United States to participate in the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. Dr. Ventura was inspired to become a doctor after her grandfather fell ill. She wanted to not only inform patients, but offer them and their families support. Dr. Ventura chose to train in Hanford because she enjoys the small town feel. She’s fluent in English and Spanish.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking and bicycling.

The Hanford Residency clinic, 1122 N. Harris St., Suite 105, has a phone number of 559-537-0224.