Contributors to This Issue

Vanessa Walker, DO
Over 50% of physicians have experienced some form of workplace violence. Dr. Walker discusses the effects it can have on physicians, why it’s not an easy fix, and what you can do to help.
Aileen Wetzel
The Protect Access to Healthcare Act will make the MCO tax permanent and codify increased Medi-Cal rates for physicians. But to make it law, SSVMS members will need to step up — as they always do.
Caroline Giroux, MD
Fire, earth, air and water. These are the four elements of our world that have been recognized since ancient days. Dr. Giroux explains how they relate to materialism, happiness and Quebec’s maple treats.
Marcia Ehinger, MD
Dr. Ehinger brings us a poem from the last meeting of the Med Poets Society, the SSVMS poetry group. Called “Foreign Body,” it puts a new perspective on a basic term from medical school.
Thomas Valdez, MD
Dr. Valdez is the inaugural author of our “What I Wish I Knew” series, where physicians look back at their careers. In his case, the business side of medicine was a surprise and he offers some advice.
Andrew Smith, Ph.D
For a lot of reasons, medicine can be a breeding ground for narcissistic behavior. Dr. Smith, a psychotherapist and health care consultant, explains how to recognize this behavior and limit its impact on you.
Preny Karamian, MS III
Preny has watched the roots of her Armenian heritage be destroyed in that country’s conflict with Azerbaijan. The pain isn’t obvious or easily understood, but it makes her a more caring doctor.
Ken Smith, Managing Editor
Keisuke Nakagawa, MD is UC Davis Health’s director of innovation. Ken talks with him about artificial intelligence, its future in medicine, its promises, pitfalls, and how physicians can shape its development.
Sean Deane, MD
Dr. Deane heads the District XI delegation to the CMA House of Delegates. He reports on the HOD’s recent virtual assembly and the key issues that are moving forward to create CMA policy.
All articles are copyrighted for publication in this magazine and on the Society’s website. Contact the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society for permission to reprint.
Cover photo: An AI-generated image shows the range — and limitations — of this evolving technology. For more on the future of AI in medicine, read the interview with Keisuke Nakagawa, MD.
Editorial Committee
Megan Babb, DO
Sean Deane, MD
Mohammadomid Edrissian, MD
Caroline Giroux, MD
Manoj Kesarwani, MD
Robert LaPerriere, MD
Teimour Nasirov, MD
Karen Poirier-Brode, MD
Gerald Rogan, MD
Leslie Tamura, DO
Glennah Trochet, MD
Lee Welter, MD
Eric Williams, MD
Medical Student Representatives

Aileen Wetzel, Executive Director
Ken Smith, Managing Editor
To easily email an author, click on their picture on the contributors page or in their article.

Volume 75/Number 2
Official publication of the
Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society
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Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine, the official journal of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society, is a forum for discussion and debate of news, official policy and diverse opinions about professional practice issues and ideas, as well as information about members’ personal interests.
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Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine (ISSN 0886 2826) is published bimonthly by the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society, 5380 Elvas Ave., Sacramento, CA 95819. Subscriptions are $26.00 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Sacramento, CA and additional mailing offices. Correspondence should be addressed to Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine, 5380 Elvas Ave., Sacramento, CA 95819-2396. Telephone (916) 452-2671.
2024 Officers & Board of Directors
Vanessa Walker, DO, President
Adam Dougherty, MD, President-Elect
J. Bianca Roberts, MD,
Immediate Past President
District 1
Lisa Guirguis, MD
District 2
Sarah Barnhard, MD
Janine Bera, MD
Raminder Gill, MD
Eli Groppo, MD
District 3
Tom Valdez, MD
District 4
Shideh Chinichian, MD
District 5
Olana Aberra, MD
Christina Bilyeu, MD
John Coburn, MD
Roderick Vitangcol, MD
District 6
Karen Hopp, MD
2024 CMA Delegation
Delegates
District 1
Reinhardt Hilzinger, MD
District 2
Lydia Wytrzes, MD
District 3
Tom Valdez, MD
District 4
Anand Mehta, MD
District 5
Sean Deane, MD
District 6
Karen Hopp, MD
At-Large Delegates
Sharmila Amolik, MD
Barbara Arnold, MD
Megan Babb, DO
Janine Bera, MD
Christina Bilyeu, MD
Christine Braid, DO
Carol Burch, MD
Amber Chatwin, MD
Angelina Crans Yoon, MD
Mark Drabkin, MD
Ann Gerhardt, MD
Douglas Gibson, MD
Farzam Gorouhi,MD
Brent Jackson, MD
Richard Jones, MD
Steven Kmucha, MD
Hao (Harry) Li, MD
Vong Lee, MD
Charles McDonnell, MD
Leena Mehta, MD
Sandra Mendez, MD
Richard Pan, MD
Siddharth Raghavan, MD
Paul Reynolds, MD
Ernesto Rivera, MD
J. Bianca Roberts, MD
Ellen Shank, MD
Ajay Singh, MD
Lee Snook, MD
Vanessa Walker, DO
John Wiesenfarth, MD
Anna Yap, MD
Alternate Delegates
District 1
Dana Jacques, MD
District 2
Eric Tepper, MD
District 3
Vacant
District 4
Shideh Chinichian, MD
District 5
Dale Cotton, MD
District 6
Sarah Favila, MD
At-Large Alternate Delegates
Olana Aberra, MD
Jonathan Aron, MD
Alyssa Ashbaugh, MD
Daniel Bernet, DO
Leo Chen, MD
Ashley Feldkamp, MD
Eli Groppo, MD
Helena Hart-Rathbun, MD
Arthur Jey, MD
Gregory Kann, MD
Erin Kong, MD
Leonel Mendoza, MD
Vimal Mishra, MD
Steve Monda, MD
Eric Tepper, MD
David Terca, MD
Virginia Tsai, MD
Asmaneh Yamagata, MD
CMA Trustees, District XI
Adam Dougherty, MD
Margaret Parsons, MD
Robert Oldham, MD
AMA Delegation, District XI
Barbara Arnold, MD
Debra Lupeika, MD