Nine Fresno State students — Armaan Batth, Lavina Botros, Eva Castillo, Rathanadalin Chhon, Cassandra Eroh, Ravneet Kaur, Hina Khan, Sopanha Peo and Akalpreet Sidhu — received early acceptance letters to CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine during a ceremony Tuesday at CHSU’s Clovis campus. Photo by Ben Hensley
published on July 7, 2026 – 4:19 PM
Written by Ben Hensley
Nine Fresno State students are one step closer to becoming physicians after receiving early acceptance to the California Health Sciences University (CHSU) College of Osteopathic Medicine through a partnership aimed at keeping future physicians in the Central Valley.
The students were recognized Tuesday during a ceremony at the CHSU campus in Clovis. Dean Dr. John Graneto presented each student with an official letter of acceptance to the medical school through the CHSU Future DOctor program. Fresno State President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval also participated in the ceremony recognizing the students.
A direct pathway into medical school
The CHSU Future DOctor program, launched in 2024 with Fresno State as its first university partner, provides qualifying undergraduate students a direct pathway into medical school while encouraging them to remain in the Valley after graduation.
This year’s class includes Armaan Batth, Lavina Botros, Eva Castillo, Rathanadalin Chhon, Cassandra Eroh, Ravneet Kaur, Hina Khan, Sopanha Peo and Akalpreet Sidhu.
Addressing the Valley’s physician shortage
Graneto said the expansion of the program from five students in its inaugural year to nine this year reflects a growing interest in pathways designed to address the region’s physician shortage.
“The most important thing is to end the brain drain from the Central Valley,” Graneto said. “We have very smart young people who don’t realize that they don’t have to flee to the Bay Area or to Southern Cal to go to med school.”
Graneto added that opportunities for graduates to complete residency training in the Valley have also grown significantly over the past decade. During that time, medical residency positions have increased from roughly 190 to about 600 across local hospitals including Community Regional Medical Center, Saint Agnes Medical Center, Valley Children’s Hospital and Adventist Health facilities, according to Graneto.
He said the expanded training opportunities make it more likely that graduates will remain in the region long term.
Keeping talent close to home
Jimenéz-Sandoval said the partnership helps students envision careers in medicine while strengthening the Valley’s health care workforce.
“These students have grown up in the region,” he said. “They have family, neighbors, friends within the region, and they are intentionally dedicating themselves to this valley by becoming medical doctors.”
CHSU recently graduated its third medical school class and has achieved a 100% residency match rate each year, a milestone Graneto said reflects the growing reputation of the college.
He noted CHSU remains the only medical school between Los Angeles and Sacramento, positioning it to help train and retain physicians in the Central Valley.