Central Valley Resident Physician: “I Feel Like I Won the Lottery!”

The path to becoming a physician has been a long and winding one for Michael Smith, DO, a Central Valley native who joined the Adventist Health Hanford Family Medicine Residency Program in June 2026. However, despite the lengthy and difficult journey, Dr. Smith says he feels like he won the lottery.

Dr. Smith grew up in Kerman, helping his parents grow herbs and vegetables on their small family farm. He recalls evenings after school and during the hot summers when they would sell their produce at local Farmers Markets in Fresno County. One of his most memorable encounters was when he was attending college and a physician, Steven Foster, DO, who was one of the family’s long-time customers at the Farmers Market, invited Dr. Smith to shadow him at Valley Children’s Hospital, where he provided care.

“When he found out I was majoring in biology to become a science teacher, he asked if I had ever considered becoming a physician,” says Dr. Smith. “At first, that idea seemed crazy to me, especially because no one in my family is in healthcare.”

After giving it some thought, Dr. Smith accepted the invitation to shadow the physician, which ignited his newfound passion for patient care.

“I was amazed by the care that was offered to someone in such a vulnerable state,” says Dr. Smith. “It takes knowledge and a special skillset to care for people during a time when they cannot care for themselves.”

Dr. Smith visited many patients during the two summers of shadowing. Though there wasn’t one specific moment that stood out, he said there was an overarching theme of tending to patients’ needs and engaging in conversations with parents to help them better understand their child's condition.

While attending the Biology Program at California State University, Fresno, Dr. Smith said he didn’t have the best grades and needed to attend graduate school to improve his academic record. He also recalls taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) twice because of a low score the first time around. The MCAT is an exam required for admission into allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools; Dr. Smith was leaning toward osteopathic medicine.

Upon completion of graduate school, rather than going straight to medical school, Dr. Smith decided to seek his Master of Business Administration (MBA) so he could use additional grant funding he had received.

“Getting my MBA had a personal and professional impact on my life,” says Dr. Smith. “I was able to gain a better understanding of how organizations work, how to engage with people, and how to develop those skills through philanthropy.” 

After completing his MBA, Dr. Smith attended medical school at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Boise, Idaho. He chose osteopathic medicine because he enjoyed learning about the body as one unit.

“I like approaching medicine from a wholistic standpoint and diving deeper into the core issue,” says Dr. Smith. “For example, heart failure. What are the circumstances that led to the issue? What challenges is the patient going to face when they leave the physician’s office? I truly believe that the body can heal itself, as long as it’s given the proper environment.”

When he graduated from medical school and began researching residency programs, Dr. Smith knew he wanted to return to the Central Valley and took interest in Adventist Health, which focuses on whole-person care.

“My priority was to come back home to train and work in the communities that raised me,” says Dr. Smith. "I learned about Adventist Health's residency programs during my third year of medical school and felt it was the perfect fit.

He applied to the Hanford Family Medicine Residency Program and was accepted.

“It was the ticket I needed to reach my goal,” says Dr. Smith. “I felt like I won the lottery!”

On June 15, Dr. Smith joined his fellow residents at a White Coat Ceremony, where he was presented with his white physician's coat. In attendance were his parents, brother, wife who he recently married in May, and several other family members.

"There were so many moments when I wanted to quit,” Dr. Smith recalls. “I told my mom I was going to be old and not complete residency training until I was at least 35, and she said, 'You're going to be 35 anyway, might as well be a doctor.' " 

Despite test after test and a six-year gap between graduate and medical school, Dr. Smith, who is 32, said the journey was well worth it. He thanks his mentor, Dr. Foster, who still practices medicine and whom he still meets for coffee or lunch twice a year, for introducing him to the medical field.

Dr. Smith encourages others to never give up on their dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem to achieve.