Biographical
Sketch I
graduated from Point Loma Nazarene College (now University)
in San Diego in 1990 with a B.A. in biology. I attended Ross
University School of Medicine and graduated in 1996. I did
my Family Practice residency at University Medical Center
here in Fresno and was chief resident in my final year. I
am board-certified by the American Board of Family Practice
and I am a proud member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging
Medicine. I provide all aspects of family medicine except
one: I do not deliver babies (I like to sleep sometime!).
I am the medical director of Community Home Palliative Care
Program and do a lot of end-of-life care for individuals who
are nearing the end of their lives. I have been married now
for over 16 years and have 3 children ranging in age from
3 - 15.
Before becoming a physician, I served in the U.S. Army in
military intelligence (yes, I know the joke) as a Soviet military
analyst and Russian linguist and I was trained in the Russian
language at Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center
in Presidio of Monterey, California. I served at a strategic
listening post in Augsburg, (West) Germany, for three years
until I was honorably discharged in 1983.
My hobbies include reading philosophical and theological studies,
exercising and spending time with my beloved wife and children.
I met my Japanese wife in San Diego where she was attending
an English conversational language school.
My philosophy about medicine is that being a board-certified
Family Practitioner, it allows me the freedom to perform many
different procedures and I was trained in managing many different
chronic illnesses. My policy is that I will refer you to a
specialist when I feel that your condition is reaching the
limits of my knowledge base.
I believe that the best way to get the most out of our relationship
is to work as a team. I do not believe in the "paternalistic"
model of medicine in which you, the patient, did everything
the doctor told you to do without question. You are paying
me for my knowledge, skill, and expertise in practicing medicine
but ultimately it is YOUR decision as to what to do. I also
believe in simple honesty in our relationship. I will always
try to be tactful but if I must make a point that is important
and I want to be sure that I am not misunderstood, I will
be blunt (at least politely blunt).
However, there is one aspect that I will place all of the
responsibility upon YOU. If you leave my office confused and
not understanding what I explained to you, you did not do
the right thing. I demand that you stop me ANYTIME that you
do not understand something that I have said so that I may
explain it to you further or in different terms. If you do
not understand what is wrong with your body, how can you be
expected to participate fully in your care?
Finally,
there are times when I may be running late seeing you for
your scheduled appointment. I will apologize in advance; however,
I spend whatever time is necessary with my patients and sometimes
that is quick and other times it is longer than what was scheduled.
I know that this may be frustrating to you, but imagine you
are the patient that I need to spend extra time with, e.g.,
a new diagnosis of diabetes or cancer, or you have multiple
questions about your complex medical condition. Would you
want me to rush you out of my office because you were "over"
the 15 minutes of scheduled time? So please be understanding.
If you feel that you cannot wait, then I would ask that you
not begin treatment here and seek care elsewhere…it would
be very frustrating for you as well as frustrating for us.
We will always try and make sure that your visit is well worth
the wait.
