Valley Fever: Beyond the Dust

Join us at the NOVA Event Venue on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM for an evening of educational updates on the diagnosis and management of coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), a fungal infection endemic to California's Central Valley and the southwestern United States. Hosted by the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical and the Kern Medical Foundation, this continuing medical education (CME) symposium will feature expert clinicians discussing current approaches to diagnosis, pulmonary and disseminated disease, coccidioidal meningitis, and evolving antifungal treatment strategies. Through expert presentations and discussion, participants will strengthen their ability to recognize Valley Fever early, select appropriate diagnostic testing, and implement evidence-based management to improve patient outcomes. Dinner will be provided.

Learning Objectives

After participating in this CME activity, learners should be able to:

1. Describe the epidemiology of coccidioidomycosis and identify patients at increased risk for infection or severe disease.
2. Recognize the clinical features of pulmonary and disseminated coccidioidomycosis, including coccidioidal meningitis.
3. Apply appropriate diagnostic strategies, including the selection and interpretation of serologic testing, imaging, and other diagnostic studies.
4. Develop evidence-based treatment plans for pulmonary, disseminated, and pediatric coccidioidomycosis, including appropriate antifungal therapy and follow-up.
5. Determine when referral to infectious disease, neurology, or neurosurgery is indicated based on disease severity, patient risk factors, and response to therapy.

Target Audience: This free educational event is designed to meet the educational requirements of physicians and other health care providers in Kern County and in areas affected by coccidioidomycosis.

Accreditation Statement: This event has been planned and implemented in agreement with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through Kern Medical Center. Kern Medical Center is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for healthcare providers.

Credit designation: Kern Medical Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s). TM

Disclosures: This activity is supported by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAi). None of the planners for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Cultural Competency & Implicit Bias: Continuing medical education (CME) providers are required by state Assembly Bills 1195 and 241 to include components that address cultural and linguistic competency and implicit bias in CME activities.

Cultural Competency means a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enable a health care professional or organization to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities. Linguistic competency means the ability of a physician and surgeon to provide patients who do not speak English or have limited ability to speak English with direct communication in the patient's primary language. Click to Read AB-1195.

Implicit Bias, meaning the attitudes or internalized stereotypes that affect our perceptions, actions, and decisions unconsciously, exists and often contributes to unequal treatment of people based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other characteristics. Implicit bias contributes to health disparities by affecting the behavior of physicians and surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, and other healing arts licensees. Click to Read AB-241.

Organized by:

Kern Medical Foundation and Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical