New residents join Hanford Family Practice, expanding local access to care

The new residents – Drs. Don Vincent Lopez, Jerry A. Neria, Pauline Seguban and Jatinder Singh – 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. Of 579 applications received for 2015, only four were selected to take part in the program.

The residents will see patients at the Family Medicine residency clinic at Central Valley General Hospital on Douty Street. 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. Don Vincent Lopez

Dr. Lopez’s childhood dream was to become a geriatric doctor because it’s common practice in the Philippines to care for the elderly. “My grandparents cared for me as a child, so I wanted to return the favor one day,” he says. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of the Philippines and a medical degree from St. Luke College of Medicine before moving to the United States to live with his family in Manteca, Calif. Dr. Lopez speaks English and Tagalog.

In his free time, he enjoys mixed martial arts, boxing and table tennis.

Dr. Jerry A. Neria

Dr. Neria made a life-changing decision to get into medicine after 10 years of experience as a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder. He has a background in kinesiology and nutrition, but felt he could help more people through medicine. Dr. Neria was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Riverside, Calif. He earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University. “My faith in Christ is the source of my drive to help others,” he says.

Dr. Neria moved to the Central Valley with his family. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, snowboarding and paintball.

Dr. Pauline Seguban

Dr. Seguban says she personally witnessed the inadequacy and inaccessibility of health care services in underserved communities of the Philippines, so she wanted to become a catalyst for change. “I want to impact the lives of people who reside in underserved communities by providing them comprehensive, continuous and compassionate health care,” she says. She earned a bachelor’s in life science from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and a medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in the Dutch Caribbean. Dr. Seguban speaks English, Ilocano and Tagalog.

In her free time, she enjoys yoga, shopping and traveling.

Dr. Jatinder Singh

Dr. Singh was born in northern India. He graduated from high school at the age of 16 and moved to Fresno. He says he always knew he wanted to become a doctor, but also wanted to seek other opportunities, so he attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., where he majored in finance and accounting. He then pursued his medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine. During his studies, he enjoyed serving at free clinics and taking part in community screenings. Dr. Singh speaks English, Punjabi and Hindi.

In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking and soccer.   

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