April Fredian, MD

"I was born and raised in the Northeast, with a wonderful family who instilled in me the belief that anything is possible. Because of them, I believed in myself, and tried things I otherwise would not have tried. I joined an all-boys soccer team because there wasn’t one for girls, I ate liver and onions for dinner, I joined the volleyball team despite my short stature, I applied to top-tier colleges and wound up obtaining a BS in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After college, I had trouble finding work in the field of biology, and took a job working the cash register at a fine wine and gourmet food store for several months. It was fun at first, but soon grew tiresome, and the itch for adventure overtook me. At the time, Amtrak had a deal: for a set fee, I could travel anywhere in the country for 30 days. I took them up on their generous offer, and, pillow and backpack in tow, hopped on the train. I visited friends in Washington DC, Winston-Salem North Carolina (where, by the way, you could still smoke in the grocery stores!), Arizona, Southern California, and lastly, San Francisco. It wasn’t until I reached the Bay Area that I felt at home. I lived here for nearly 6 years, working at Genentech, playing in a competitive pool league, making lifelong friends, and falling in love with the area."

"For members of my panel, I block off a full hour for each patient, have same-day access, I do home visits if you are too sick to get out of bed, I am accessible by cell at all hours and on weekends if necessary, and if I am available in the after-hours, I would much rather see you myslef than send you to urgent care or the ER.

To make this possible and still survive financially, I have a mixed insurance and membership model. I bill insurance for the office visits, and you are still responsible for your deductible and copay like anywhere else."