December 22,
2021By Physicians for a Healthy California Leadership Awards, NEPO
Each year, Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) recognizes deserving California physician leaders at the annual Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations’ (NEPO) summit.
The NEPO Summit is an innovative educational event for physicians, public health professionals, advocates and community leaders that offers policy and best practices for reducing health disparities, building diversity in the workforce and increasing cultural competency in clinical care.
The 2021 leadership award recipients included:
Robert D. Sparks, M.D., Leadership Achievement Award: Aisha Mays, M.D. (OAKLAND)
The Robert D. Sparks, M.D., Leadership Achievement Award is given to an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary interest and efforts in improving community health.
This year’s recipient is Aisha Mays, M.D., a family physician in Oakland, Calif.
Dr. Mays has served as a co-principal investigator for advancing new standards in Reproductive Health/University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, clinical lead for the UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine, and medical director for Alameda County’s Juvenile Justice Medical Clinic and San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Health Programs for Youth.
Dr. Mays joined the Roots Community Health Center as the Director of Adolescent and School Based Programs and founding Director of Roots' Dream Youth Clinics. In her role, Dr. Mays directly supervises clinical and care management staff, and coordinates programs across disciplines and partner organizations. The Center was founded to address the growing need for accessible, culturally appropriate, community-responsive and comprehensive health care in the East Bay.
In the words of her nominator, “Dr. Mays is a passionate and innovative health care leader who recognizes that novel approaches are needed to address the complex, dynamic and interconnected clinical issues of the vulnerable population she serves. Her passion and dedication to health equity for youth dealing with the impacts of homelessness, foster care, sex trafficking, and the juvenile justice system is unparalleled, and her forward-thinking in designing programs to address their complex medical and psychosocial needs is remarkable.”
Adarsh S. Mahal, M.D., Access to Health Care and Disparities Award: Rohit Arora, D.O. (PORTERVILLE)
The Adarsh S. Mahal, M.D., Access to Health Care and Disparities Award was established by 2007 CMA President Anmol S. Mahal, M.D., and his wife Surjit K. Mahal, M.D., to honor an individual or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary interest and efforts toward improving access to health care or reducing health care disparities in California.
This year’s recipient is Rohit Arora, D.O., a family physician from Porterville, Calif.
Dr. Arora serves as a Medical Director at Sequoia Family Medical Center, which is one of the largest rural health clinics in the county. The clinic serves 10,000 patients annually, predominantly Hispanic and Latino populations, with low levels of income and education. He also works with patients who are underinsured or uninsured, at high risk for infectious disease and have a high risk of opioid abuse. Dr. Arora has worked relentlessly to integrate and improve preventative care at his clinic.
In the words of his nominator, “Rohit's passion towards helping the needy came from his childhood. He was born in India, where overpopulation has caused severe scarcity of resources. Growing up in the environment, where his grandfather practiced medicine and helped underserved patients, Rohit witnessed issues surrounding health care disparities and poverty, which left an indelible imprint on his mind. After immigration to the U.S., Rohit faced numerous financial challenges and witnessed his family's struggle to get access to basic health care, which strengthened his desire to become a physician and help the underserved. He cemented this commitment by signing with the National Health Service Corps and promising his professional career to serving the underserved. Rohit firmly believes medical care is a fundamental right and every individual should have an equal access to it irrespective of their socio-economic status.”
Ethnic Physician Leadership Award: California Senator Richard Pan, M.D. (SACRAMENTO)
The Ethnic Physician Leadership Award recognizes an individual physician’s contributions toward the health of various ethnic communities. Candidates demonstrate great success in eliminating health disparities, addressing access to care and improving cultural competency and patient advocacy, as well as leadership, caring and compassion in medicine.
This year’s recipient is California Senator Richard Pan, M.D., a pediatrician from Sacramento, Calif.
Dr. Pan is a pediatrician, former UC Davis educator and State Senator proudly representing Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove and unincorporated areas of Sacramento County since 2010. Dr. Pan chairs the Senate Committee on Health. He also serves as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs and the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. He serves on the Senate Committees on Budget and Fiscal Review; Education; Business, Professions and Economic Development; Human Services; and the Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Dr. Pan also serves on the Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response.
Frank E. Staggers, Sr., M.D., Outstanding Ethnic Physician Organization Award: Golden State Medical Association (STATEWIDE)
The Frank E. Staggers, Sr., M.D., Outstanding Ethnic Physician Organization Award was established in honor of Dr. Staggers, Sr., to honor an ethnic physician organization that has taken significant action in improving the health of their communities.
This year’s recipient was the Golden State Medical Association, which promotes and supports the interests of physicians and patients of African descent.
In the words of its nominator, “The Golden State Medical Association has consistently demonstrated outstanding concern and efforts for the health of individuals in our communities through various public events, and when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020 we quickly adapted our methods to a virtual world of education focused on reaching the oft-forgotten African-American patients, who’re getting COVID-19 at double their population rate and dying at thrice our rate.”