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In this Issue:
- Letter from the Governor
- 2023 ACP Sacramento Leadership Day
- 2023 Washington Leadership Day
- ACP IM Meeting in San Diego
- New ACP Fellows
- ACP Student Internist Award
Michael E. Lazarus, MBBCh, FACP, ACP Governor
Letter from the Governor
Greetings All,
Seeing the new interns on the wards this past week, suffused with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as they embark on their new careers as internists on our wards in the teaching hospitals around Los Angeles, reminded me that summer is finally here. It will not be long before many of these young interns are graduating into Fellowship programs, Primary Care positions or working as Hospitalists. The cycle of medical education continues and with it comes a sense of wonder for the potential that this year's cohort will bring.
It has certainly been a busy year for ACP in our region. In the fall we we're able to put on, in conjunction with regions two and three, a highly successful and in-person regional meeting on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. This meeting was well attended by medical students, residents, and faculty. We were even able to welcome the President of ACP National, Dr. Ryan Mire. Just a few weeks later, in collaboration with the Northern California ACP chapter as well as all three Southern California chapters, we produced a memorable educational meeting that included world renowned and nationally prominent speakers, educators and leaders. This meeting was also well attended and highly successful.
As winter approached, we were able to collaborate on our first, joint All California Governor's Resolution that was co-sponsored by all five New York ACP Chapters as well. The resolution was written to raise awareness on the content of the ACO-REACH program, a part of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Managed Medicare program. There were several prominent stakeholders in our region as well as nationally who helped develop this document which was submitted as part of the spring of 2023 Board of Governors meeting in San Diego. This resolution was assigned for further study by ACP National.
In April, the national meeting in San Diego was an equal success and we were delighted to collaborate with Dr. Tammy Lin, the host governor from region III, in San Diego. The meeting included prominent speakers from around the country including an outstanding keynote by Dr. Vineet Aurora on the pay gap that exists between male and female physicians. We also had the opportunity to host a reception for all of our California chapters which was exceptionally well organized by Dr. Lin and our incredibly hard-working administrative directors including Gustavo Chavez and Teresa Roth. This reception was also a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with and support our ACP international Medical Graduates (IMG) group and offer our support to them on all issues relating to their practice and successful integration into medical careers in the United States. Another major highlight of the national meeting was the annual Fellowship Convocation in which a record number of new Fellows from our region were inducted into the ACP. Fellowship is a major milestone for ACP members as it is bestowed upon those individuals who have dedicated their time to community service, medical education, clinical care, and volunteerism.
It was another successful year on the advocacy front both regionally and nationally. As you can see in the subsequent photo montage, our annual California State Advocacy efforts took place predominantly over zoom in March with legislators in Sacramento. In May, however we were able to send a large delegation to our nation's capital and enjoyed an activity packed meeting with Senators and Legislators from around California. We were able to update them on issues relating to the practice of internal medicine in our region. As usual, we took a large contingent of medical students and residents along. They definitely brought a new level of energy and joy to our annual Washington DC Hill day experience. Many of these new trainees will carry the torch forward for advocacy on behalf of internal medicine doctors and ACP for many years to come.
As we look ahead to 2024, Dr. Eric Hsieh, our Governor Elect and I, will attend the national meeting in Boston in the spring. At the conclusion of the meeting, Eric will take over his role as our new Governor in April of 2024.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Lazarus, MBBCh, FACP
Governor, ACP Southern California Region I
PS: Some important reminders, please mark your calendars for the ACP California's 25th Annual Internal Medicine Review and Update course which will be offered virtually on July 29th and 30th, 2023. This annual course is jointly sponsored by ACP Southern California region II Chapter, the University of California Riverside, and St. Bernardine Medical Center. I have taken this course in the past and cannot speak highly enough of the quality of the speakers and outstanding content offered over two days.
To register for this course use
2023 ACP Sacramento Leadership Day
This year's ACP 2023 ACP Sacramento Leadership took place March 13-17, 2022. ACP S. California Region I was well represented with a great mix of members, residents and medical student participants. Our delegation was able to meet with numerous California legislators over the course of the week. Great job!
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2023 Washington Leadership Day
This year's 2023 ACP Washington Leadership Day took place in person on May 23-24, 2023. California sent a 38-member strong delegation made up of members, residents and medical students. Attendees were able to meet with staff from both California senators, and over 41 congressional members to advocate on various health-related issues. Thank you to all ACP California Region 1 members that took time out from their busy schedules to represent our Chapter.
ACP IM Meeting in San Diego
The national ACP IM Meeting took place in person once again in San Diego in April. California. The meeting was well attended. Numerous California members were recognized as new ACP Fellows. Congratulations!
Governor Dr. Michael Lazarus and Governor-Elect Dr. Eric Hsieh
Drs. Michael Lazarus and Eric Hsieh with new ACP Fellows.
Southern California Region I Doctors Dilemma Winning Team – Drs. Carolyn Kan, Max Yang & Madeline MacDonald from USC!
New ACP Fellows
We are happy to announce that the following people have been advanced to ACP Fellow in our region within the last 6 months. Congratulations!
Amit Levi, MD FACP
Anshu R Abhat, MD FACP
Aram Srapyan, MD FACP
Arsen Osipov, MD FACP
BG Wossen Belachew, MD FACP
Christine I Bishop, MD FACP
Christopher Brown, MD FACP
Christopher Dagher, MD FACP
Grace P Huang, MD FACP
Hripsime Gharibjanyan, MD FACP
Jason Gilbert, DO FACP
Jeffrey Chung, MD FACP
Julie E Magorien, MD FACP
Marie I Montoya, MD FACP
Matt Welzenbach, FACP MD
Mia Mattioli, MD FACP
Michael F Ayoub, MD FACP
Nima Golzy, MD FACP
Nimy John, MD FACP
Omar Aly, MD FACP
Salim F Ahmed, MD FACP
Sarah Blake, DO MBA FACP
Starleen Frousiakis, MD FACP
Sunita R Hassamal, MD FACP
Swetha Gogineni, MD FACP
Tyler B Larsen, MD FACP
ACP Student Internist Award
Each year the ACP honors a medical student from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Keck School of Medicine and Western University with an award as the top student going into Internal Medicine residency training.
This year's winners include Esther Hee-Su Kim, MD, from UCLA, Aliya Perrin Dincer, MD from USC and Bisma Khwaja, DO from Western University. Congratulations to all three graduates!
Governor, Dr. Michael Lazarus, presenting award to UCLA graduate Esther Hee-Su Kim, MD
Drs. Ron Ben-Ari and Jeff Canceko presenting award to USC graduate Dr. Aliya Perrin Dincer
Left to Right: Dr. Stephanie Zia, Dr. Ron Ben-Ari, Dr. Aliya Perrin Dincer and Dr. Jeff Canceko