Honouring Chih-Chen Fang’s legacy by investing in the next generation of physicians
Aug 21, 2026
A new award created in honour of Chih-Chen Fang (MD 1975), a University of Toronto alum and long-time Chief of Anesthesiology at The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) in Sacramento, Calif., will carry forward its namesake’s legacy of service by investing in the next generation of U of T-trained physicians.
‘You don’t get to where you are without someone somewhere giving you an opportunity or platform.’ We’re hoping this will be a leg up for students at Temerty Medicine.
The endowed Dr. Chih-Chen Fang Award will provide lasting support for Temerty Medicine undergraduate medical students with financial need, ensuring that promising future physicians have access to the same opportunities that once shaped Chih’s own path.
“Dad would always tell me, ‘You don’t get to where you are without someone somewhere giving you an opportunity or platform,’” says Desmond Fang, Chih’s eldest son. “We’re hoping this will be a leg up for students at Temerty Medicine as they continue through their journey in medicine.”
‘You don’t get to where you are without someone somewhere giving you an opportunity or platform.’ We’re hoping this will be a leg up for students at Temerty Medicine.
“Think about what it actually takes to become a medical professional – the years of training, discipline and dedication,” Quinlan Fang, Chih’s younger son, adds. “Supporting students who are on that same journey felt like the most natural way to honour Dad.”
A steep climb to success
Born in 1949, Chih immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of 17. After settling in Toronto, he attended U of T’s Faculty of Medicine (now the Temerty Faculty of Medicine), supporting himself by working in Chinatown restaurants while completing his studies.
“He didn’t come from wealth, everything was self-made,” Desmond says. “Moving to a foreign country as a teenager, learning English in high school, getting into medical school and later becoming chief of the department – that’s a steep climb for anybody.”
After graduating from medical school and spending a few years as a family doctor in rural Ontario, Chih went on to complete his anesthesia residency at Stanford University before beginning a 36-year career with TPMG (Kaiser Permanente) in Sacramento. Over the course of his career and as department chief, he pioneered a collaborative physician–CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) partnership, launched a region-leading obstetrics epidural service and built an anesthesia block and catheter program that became a regional model of care.
As a medical student, Chih supported himself by working in restaurants.
Alongside these achievements, Chih remained humble. He was known for driving his aging Prius to work, packing leftover food for lunch and dinner to bring to work, eating with nurses and technicians and for inviting custodial staff he befriended to use his office suite for their breaks.
“Dad believed that having a job, any job, was both a privilege and a responsibility. You showed up, gave everything you had and treated the people around you with respect,” Quinlan says.
Chih was equally devoted to his sons’ education, spending his breaks at the hospital catching up on their curriculum and tutoring them after work in math, chemistry and physics.
As a medical student, Chih supported himself by working in restaurants.
“He spent more time with my textbooks than I would,” Quinlan jokes. “After a day being responsible for people’s lives, he still came home fully energized for us. I didn’t appreciate what that required until I became a parent myself.”
Dedicated to helping others
Service, for Chih, also extended far beyond his hospital walls. He dedicated much of his time to Alliance for Smiles (AfS), a San Francisco–based organization focused on helping children around the world born with cleft lip and palate. He served as lead anesthesiologist with the organization for 10 years and as a member of its board of directors for 11 years. Beginning with his first surgical mission to Guangyuan, China in 2010, Chih participated in seven AfS medical missions worldwide, providing life-changing surgeries while training local medical teams to deliver high-quality care.
In addition to his work with AfS, Chih volunteered on four medical missions with ReSurge International starting in 2003, supporting the organization’s mission to provide reconstructive surgical care in underserved regions around the world. Beyond his clinical contributions, he also acted as an ambassador for these organizations, inspiring colleagues and friends to participate in global health initiatives.
Honouring their father and paying it forward
In honour of his humanitarian efforts, Desmond and Quinlan recently launched the Dr. Chih-Chen Fang Organization (CCFO), to support the next generation of professionals, medical and non-medical alike, as they pursue causes close to Chih’s heart.
Today, the organization supports anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists at Kaiser Permanente, medical students at the University of Toronto and non-medical support workers with Alliance for Smiles – extending Chih’s impact across borders and disciplines.
For Desmond and Quinlan, CCFO is their way of honouring their father while paying forward the opportunities he was once given.
“Every time my dad was happy with us, or when one of his colleagues did something great, he would say good show,” says Desmond. “And I think if he were here right now, he would say good show – because he was always giving back.
“You know, you can aspire to be wealthy, and you can aspire to have a lot of things, but if you’re not giving back and you’re not helping the next generation, then what’s the purpose of it all?”