My early lessons in leadership, on the student council in junior high, led to my involvement with organized medicine. I became a chief resident at Stanford, and was an active member of both the ASA Resident Component and CSA Resident Delegation from California. I served as the Director from the CSA’s District 15, representing all of the residents across the state.

I became a CSA Delegate shortly after completing my training. I later became the Director from District 4, which at the time encompassed the southern Bay Area down to Monterey. I served as the Assistant Secretary from 2008-2011, then Vice-Speaker from 2011-2014, and Speaker from 2014-2018. I became President-Elect in 2018, and then served as President in 2019-2020, with the second half of my term coinciding with the emergence of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. In this role, I was working with state-wide leaders about personal protective equipment, repurposing anesthesia equipment for ICU usage and shifting anesthesiologists into the ICU, among other things, in parallel with the ASA’s efforts.

As president, particularly with the rapid changes required due to the pandemic, I found that I was serving as the conductor, connecting all of the various players to create as smooth and melodious an outcome as possible.  That experience, in addition to serving as the physician champion for two different EHR go-live processes, led me to pursue my master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics.  The formal training in project management and organizational behavior has proven invaluable for both my hospital system and my professional organizations.

Advocacy has always been a part of my work with CSA and ASA.  I first attended the ASA Legislative Conference (LegCon) as a resident in 2000, and visited 14 offices.  I have gone nearly every year since then, as well as attending CSA legislative visits and the CMA Legislative Day.  Whether visiting on the Hill, via video conference, at a town hall, or other event, every contact is an opportunity to foster a relationship with our elected officials.