Latest News From SDCMS | 2023–24 SDCMS Board of Directors (

It just seems like yesterday when I first got involved in organized medicine as a resident at UCSD. It is humbling and an honor to be considered to become SDCMS’ President–Elect. As we reflect back on these unprecedented times, I recall with pride in seeing our physician leaders championing our patients’ needs and health, and always putting science first.

As we face post–COVID era, we must ensure that we support ourselves and colleagues in helping our fellow San Diegans. We must support our future colleagues in their pathway to medical service and ensure wellbeing of ourselves.

With San Diego Psychiatric Society and American Psychiatric Association, I have served in numerous leadership positions. From these experiences I have learned the value of united physician leadership in healthcare. It is critical for us to work together in a common house of medicine that supports our profession and patients. As an academic psychiatrist, I have significant interest in health care deliver models, workforce development and public sector population health. Currently, I serve as the Chief of General Psychiatry and Director of Community Psychiatry Program at UCSD.

I believe that these academic interests align well with goals and objectives of SDCMS. As physician leaders, we must continue to improve efficiencies in our care delivery, support enriching professional work environments, and champion quality healthcare for those underserved. It will be an honor and a privilege to serve as your SDCMS President–Elect and I ask for your support.
Sincerely, Steve Koh

Secretary Preeti S. Mehta, MD, MBBS (1):

I am honored to be nominated for the position of Secretary at San Diego County Medical Society. Having served on the Board and Executive Committee of SDCMS, I have grown to appreciate the tremendous asset that they are to the physician community. As I focus and promote physician wellness, growing physician relations is very important to me. I hope to bring our physician community closer, give us a unified voice as we advocate for ourselves and our patients. In my role, I plan to continue to grow and build meaningful relationships within the physician community. I will advocate for increasing resources and awareness in our community.

I have been involved in several leadership positions throughout my career as an academic and private practice hospitalist. My experience on the Board of Champions for Health has been rewarding as we reach and work for a very vulnerable population. The Physician Leadership Committee at Scripps continues to give me insight into the workings of a large organization which has shaped my personnel and management skills and has allowed me to bring my novel ideas to light. My past experiences make my uniquely qualified to fulfill my duties as Secretary of SDCMS.

As the Secretary and member of the Board at SDCMS, I hope to continue supporting us, physicians, as a unified group. My passion is physician wellness and I hope to work in this area and promote other physician interests that benefit our medical community as a whole. Thank you for this nomination and I hope to continue serve you to the best of my ability.

Treasurer Maria T. Carriedo–Ceniceros, MD (1):

I am grateful to be considered for the post of Treasurer of San Diego County Medical Society. I have had the privilege to serve on the SDCMS Board of Directors for the past six years and have seen first–hand the valuable role advocacy plays in meeting the needs of our patients and our physicians. These past three years our united leadership helped San Diego navigate and lead through these unprecedented times.

While the pandemic shone the light on many of the health disparities that exist, I was proud of how physicians and organizations of all modes of practice worked together during the pandemic to protect the diverse communities of San Diego County. During this past year as a board representative to the Executive Committee, I have gained further knowledge about the work and responsibilities of SDCMS in ensuring the voices of our patients and physicians are heard and honored. Through my various leadership roles, I have continued to appreciate the value of collaboration and unity amongst our fellow colleagues.

I have been the VP and Chief Medical Officer for San Ysidro Health Center since 2012. Serving the underserved and addressing health disparities has been my passion throughout my career. Ensuring continued access for our communities has made workforce development an additional priority and led to my work in graduate medical education. It will be an honor and a privilege to serve as your SDCMS Treasurer and I ask for your continued trust and support. Thank you.

GEOGRAPHIC DIRECTORS [top]

Kearny Mesa Director #2 Dustin H. Wailes, MD (3):

I am honored to be considered for the position of Kearny Mesa Director on the SDCMS Board of Directors. I am a cardiac anesthesiologist in private practice at ASMG, covering many of the Sharp and Scripps locations. The importance of organized medicine has been clear to me since my involvement with SDCMS and CMA, which started in medical school at UCSD.

I have been blessed to have had many role models in the leadership of the SDCMS and CMA that have shown me how imperative it is that physicians work together with a unified voice to help shape healthcare policy, in order to better serve our patients and our profession. I look forward to taking an increasingly active role in SDCMS in advocating for our professional and patient community.

La Jolla Director #2 David E.J. Bazzo, MD, FAAFP, CAQSM✽ (3):

It has been my honor to serve you and the San Diego County Medical Society. Having held many officer positions, including President, I have witnessed firsthand the great work that our Society does. I want to continue my involvement and am asking you to support my candidacy as Director. San Diego County Medical Society is second to none when it comes to representing the needs and interests of physicians in advocating to optimize our ability to help our patients.

The politics of our State and Nation have enormous impact on our capacity to keep our patients healthy. And, as with any process, unless you have a seat at the table, your opinion is not heard. Through the work of your County and State Medical Societies, your voices are heard and your interests are represented. The members of the Board do have influence and work on your behalf to insure that physicians have a say on the future practice of medicine. I am proud of my membership and position on the Board, and view it an honor to volunteer to help our organization. I ask that you continue to place your trust in me to serve our organization by supporting my election. Thank you.

South Bay Director #2 Latisa S. Carson, MD, FACOG (3):

Thank you for your consideration to elect me to the Board of SDCMS. I grew up in the south county of San Diego and returned home in 2001 to practice medicine. I have had privileges at Sharp Chula Vista, Scripps Chula Vista, and Paradise Valley Hospital. I have served on several hospital committees and on the Sharp Quality Committee.

I have been in solo private practice as an obstetrician gynecologist in the south county of San Diego for over 20 years. I am also board certified in obesity medicine and have a special interest in improving the health of those in my community. I will bring the perspective of providing care to a large portion of the underserved and the struggles of being a private practice physician in this current challenging medical and political climate. It will be an honor and privilege to represent you in this county, state, and nationally.
Thank you — Latisa S. Carson, MD, FACOG, diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine

AT–LARGE DIRECTORS [top]

At–Large Director #1 Rakesh R. Patel, MD, MBA, FAAFP, CPE (3):

I am a family physician and the CEO of Neighborhood Healthcare, a federally qualified community health center serving about 90,000 of the underserved and medically needy. I am also a CMA Delegate representing the Medium Size Group Practice Forum as well as serve on the Council of Legislation.

My background in family medicine allows me to speak of the various challenges of primary care: access, reimbursement, administrative burdens, staffing, etc. I also understand the many challenges of running a healthcare organization. My overarching goals are to improve the health of our community, while continuing to advocate for the under– and uninsured.

At–Large Director #4 Miranda R. Sonneborn, MD✽ (3):

I am honored to have served as an At–Large Director on the San Diego County Medical Society Board of Directors since 2020, and especially to be reconsidered for this role now. I am a family medicine physician with a passion for the well–being of physicians.

I first became involved in SDCMS on the Wellness Committee and continue to serve on this committee. I believe strongly that only by maintaining physicians’ ability to be happy and well in their careers can we maintain the excellence of our profession.

At–Large Director #6 Alexander K. Quick, MD (3):

It has been a privilege serving on the Board of Directors for San Diego County Medical Society and it would be an honor to continue. I believe SDCMS does an amazing job of advocating for patients and their physicians, and I hope to help the collective effort.

At–Large Director #8 Alejandra Postlethwaite, MD, DFAACAP✽ (3):

Dear colleagues, I appreciate the opportunity to continue my service as Director At–Large for the San Diego County Medical Society Board of Directors. I am Alejandra Postlethwaite, MD, DFAACAP, a community child and adolescent psychiatrist and Associate Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Neighborhood Health Care. I also am medical staff at Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego.

I recently ended by two–year term as president for the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry during which I led the effort of sponsoring a bill improving the lives of foster care children that is now state law. I am also an Assembly Delegate for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and an active member of AACAP’s Diversity and Culture Committee. Prior to joining Neighborhood Healthcare, I was the Behavioral Health Services Director at La Maestra Community Health Centers, and Associate Training Director for UCSD’s Community Psychiatry Fellowship Program.

I was born and raised in Mexico, went to medical school at the Universidad Autonoma of Guadalajara, did my general psychiatry residency at Harvard Medical School South Shore Program and UCSD, and my child psychiatry fellowship at UCLA. I am married and have 3 active boys. I consider it an honor to serve our medical community and advocate for the best healthcare for our patients.

YOUNG PHYSICIAN DIRECTORS [top]

Young Physician Director Emily A. Nagler, MD✽ (1):

It has been a privilege to serve as the Young Physician Section Director position for SDCMS over 2022–2023, and I would be honored to continue this position over the next year as well. My time with SDCMS has been an opportunity for tremendous growth, and I recognize more than ever how we must continue to work together as physicians to impact policy.

I hope to continue to promote SDCMS in the community and forge more connections next year, and be an ongoing mentor to physicians starting their journey in medicine in San Diego. Thank you for your consideration!

RESIDENT DIRECTORS [top]

Resident Director Alexandra O. Kursinskis, MD✽ (1):

While I am still very early on in my career, organized medicine has already become a huge passion of mine. Throughout medical school and residency I have engaged with health policy and advocacy through organizations such as AMSA, ACEP, CMA, the government relations team at my institution, and most recently SDCMS. My aim is to bring that passion to the next generation of young physicians through the role of Resident Director.

Although residency is filled with many clinical hours, studying, and research (and even occasionally sleep!) I believe now more than ever residents want to have a say in where the future of medicine is headed. As a representative, I hope to bring that perspective to the board and increase awareness about important policy issues that affect trainees, early–career physicians, and their patients.
Thank you — Alex Kursinskis, Kaiser Permanente San Diego, Department of Emergency Medicine, PGY–2

CMA DISTRICT I DELEGATES [top]

CMA District I Delegate Eric L. Rafla–Yuan, MD (3):

It is an honor to be considered as a Delegate representing SDCMS. I am a board–certified psychiatrist with broad experience in both the clinical, policy, and political arenas. As a psychiatrist, I have practiced in emergency rooms, inpatient units, general medical floors, federally qualified health centers, public county clinics, the VA San Diego system, and private practice.

As you know, all of these settings are important but come with different patients and different needs — all of which must be accounted for in our leadership. I take the role of physician as advocate for my profession seriously, and have served in various leadership positions with the San Diego Psychiatric Society, sat on the board of my state specialty society (California State Association of Psychiatrists), chair the American Psychiatric Association's Caucus on the Social Determinants of Mental Health, and am a delegate in the AMA's House of Delegates. Additionally, I have worked as a senior policy advisor for US Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA–29) where I reviewed and wrote a number of health–related bills and provisions that garnered bipartisan support and have now been signed by the President.

In all of this, I have seen firsthand the need for physicians to advocate for their patients and profession, and the harm that arises when our voices are not heard. It is my plan to raise that voice. Thank you again for considering me to be your SDCMS Delegate.

CMA District I Delegate Peter O. Raudaskoski, MD✽ (3):

I have had the pleasure of serving on the SDCMS Board for the last twelve years. During this time, I have come to appreciate that SDCMS and CMA are the best organized and strongest advocates in organized medicine that support both physician concerns and ultimately patient access to quality care.

I went to medical school at USC School of Medicine in Los Angeles and did my residency at UCLA School of Medicine where I also served as the Chief Resident. Soon after training my family and I moved to San Diego, where I joined Anesthesia Service Medical Group (ASMG). I have served as the President of ASMG (over 270 physician anesthesiologists in San Diego) and currently serve as the Chief Medical Officer. I am also the only anesthesiologist that serves on the Medical Audit Committee which oversees the trauma system in San Diego County. While serving in these roles, there have been several times when the SDCMS and CMA were able to assist our group on many levels both in the local arena as well as at the state level.

While our state and national societies do excellent work in our given specialties, SDCMS supports all physicians despite their specialty or group size. It is for these reasons I would like to continue to serve as a Director on the SDCMS Board. As more changes in our healthcare system are sure to be coming our way, I would appreciate the opportunity to continue providing input that supports our ability to do what we do best: provide excellent medical care to our patients.
Thank you for your support — Peter Raudaskoski, MD

CMA District I Delegate Ran Regev, MD (3):

NO CANDIDATE STATEMENT

CMA District I Delegate Kosala Samarasinghe, MD✽ (3):

I am asking for your support as I run for a District I Delegate seat at SDCMS. It has been my privilege to serve as an At–Large Alternate Director for the past 6 years. Previously, I served as your East County Geographic Director. For the last three years, I have had the honor of serving on the SDCMS Board of Directors to help improve healthcare access to patients while advocating for physician rights. I am an internist and have been in the San Diego medical community for nearly 20 years.

I started my career in Southern California working with Neighborhood HealthCare, a federally qualified clinic caring for the lives of the underserved population in northeastern San Diego. My career later led me to a private practice in East County with Alvarado Medical Group. As my professional career in East County began to grow, I too found great rewards by being part of organized medicine. I quickly became involved at Alvarado Hospital and rose up the leadership ladder to become the Chief of Medicine at Alvarado Hospital. Being the Chief of Medicine is what ultimately led me to wanting to be more than a practicing physician. I currently work for Scripps Coastal Medical Group in Hillcrest. I have served on their Board of Directors for nearly 4 years.

Because the work that was being done at SDCMS by local doctors was very inspiring to me, I involved myself and eventually became a Board member. My involvement on the SDCMS Board has enabled me to represent patients and physicians in San Diego as well as the rest of California. There has been a drastic paradigm shift in healthcare reform during the past decade and the next few years will continue to be challenging. We continue to struggle with how the pandemic has transformed the medical profession into its current state but hopefully the worst is behind us. The medical profession was quickly able to adapt and open up new modes of healthcare delivery like telemedicine to allow our patients access to healthcare.

We continue to struggle with our work-life balance as the expanding EMR capabilities challenge our patient care time. We are working diligently with those who have a stake in physician wellness to help us succeed in delivering quality care to our patients. It is imperative that physician voices be heard not only to protect our profession, but also to protect the rights of our patients. My interest in medicine has also allowed me to help shape the minds of young physicians. I have been privileged with the honor of proctoring first– and second–year medical students from UCSD and continue to participate in their careers pathway program. This has been a very rewarding experience. I wish to continue contributing not only to the young physicians in our community but also to the experienced physicians as well. Please allow me to continue to serve on the SDCMS Board of Directors to represent physician and patient interests.
Thank you — Kosala Samarasinghe, MD

CMA District I Delegate Randall J. Young, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, MMM (3):

I am honored to be considered for a position as a District I Delegate. I have been a practicing Emergency Physician in Southern California for the past 13 years, working in a mixture of academic and private hospitals, most recently with Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) in San Diego County since 2012. In addition to my full–time clinical practice at the Zion and San Diego Medical Center campuses, I have held a variety of other roles within SCPMG such as: the co–Chair of both the Emergency Operations Committee and the Emergency Management Committee for the San Diego Service Area, Physician in Charge of Urgent Care Services for Southern San Diego County, and faculty with the first KP Emergency Medicine Residency Program. I have worked with our residents on process improvement and career development and currently lead the effort for our residents to get more involved in advocacy.

My own journey into advocacy began in 2003, when as a second–year medical student I was the recipient of an American Medical Association Foundation Leadership Award. I received this award for my work as co–founder of the UC Davis School of Medicine Saturday Academy, which later was transitioned into a UC Davis School of Medicine pipeline program to encourage underrepresented minorities to consider careers in healthcare. I was very humbled to be one of only fifteen medical students from across the country selected for this honor. At the time I was an aspiring physician and was absolutely in awe of the power of organized medicine. I traveled to Capitol Hill to lobby for patient rights on behalf of the AMA and met privately with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and President George W. Bush. I learned first–hand how vital the voice of the physician is to our country’s leaders. By organizing together, we can affect millions of patients at a time.

Outside of SCPMG, I currently serve as a volunteer oral examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and Director on the Board of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (California ACEP). As a Director, I am involved in state legislation aimed at supporting all Emergency Physicians and providing the highest quality of care to all patients. I have also served as an ACEP Councilor on the national level advocating for issues vital to our state’s interests. In my first year as a Director, I was appointed to the position of Chairman of the Membership Committee, with the goal of improving membership retention and engagement.

I believe that my experience working on the state and national level with California ACEP and the AMA has given me the perspective to understand the complexities of our current system, as well as the tools needed to advocate for initiatives aimed at improving the health of all San Diegans. I thank you for your consideration and would greatly appreciate your vote.

CMA RESIDENT AND FELLOW DELEGATES [top]

CMA Resident and Fellow Delegate David J. Savage, MD, PhD (1):

Thank you for considering me for the RFS Delegate position on the SDCMS Board of Directors! I am a second year hematology–oncology fellow at Scripps and I have been involved in organized medicine since 2009 when I started medical school in Texas and joined the AMA.

Over the years I have found immense joy from the friendships I have made in organized medicine, and I look forward to my year of service to the San Diego medical community. During my term I will work hard to advocate for the needs of trainees and to get more of my peers involved in SDCMS.

AMA DISTRICT I ALTERNATE DELEGATES [top]

AMA District I Alternate Delegate William T–C Tseng, MD, MPH✽ (3):

It is an honor to be your AMA candidate. For over two decades, I have practiced in San Diego and witnessed firsthand impacts of numerous policy decisions on patient care. I believe that active participation in the AMA House of Delegates is critical to advocating for continued and positive changes in patient care. If elected, I will bring a collaborative and proactive approach to representing our physician’s interest at the House of Delegates.

I am committed to working closely with my colleagues to understand their concerns and priorities, and to advance policies that promote evidence–based medicine, equitable access to health, as well as physician wellbeing. In particular, I am passionate about advocating for policies that address social determinants of health, reduce health disparities and promote health equity. I believe that AMA has a critical role to play in addressing such complex issues, and I am eager to work with my colleagues, local and with AMA, to identify innovative solutions.

I am also committed to promoting physician leadership development, particularly among medical students and residents. Without a doubt, AMA can serve as a powerful platform for mentoring and inspiring the next generation of physician leaders, and I am eager to play a role in this effort. Thank you for considering my candidacy for AMA Alternate Delegate. I am committed to serving as a strong and effective advocate for San Diego and look forward to working with my colleagues to help align and advance the mission of the AMA.

Local News

2023–24 SDCMS Board of Directors (BOD) Elections