Contributors to This Issue

Vanessa Walker, DO
Dr. Walker traveled to Washington, D.C. with SSVMS representatives and local business leaders to meet with legislators and staff. She reports on what was discussed and why advocacy is important.
Aileen Wetzel
Honors Medicine, the annual event honoring those in SSVMS who go the extra mile for patients, SSVMS and the community, was a big success — despite staff scrambling to adjust to rain and cold.
Caroline Giroux, MD
Dr. Giroux learned a DIY lesson to sand before painting the hard way, but it also lead to an ephiphany: it's essential to address those secrets that families have hidden over the generations.
Andrew Hudnut, MD
Dr. Hudnut brings us a poem based on a majestic elephant he saw during a recent trip to Africa and shares a picture of the regal beast taken by his niece, Logan Wickman-Hudnut.
Christina Bilyeu, MD
In our next installment of “What I Wish I Knew,” Dr. Bilyeu explains the value of a mentor, why it's never too early to consider work-life balance, and the importance being aware of your mental health.
David Hsu, MD
Dr. Hsu, a psychiatrist, grew up in a military family, so Memorial Day has always had a special meaning for him. Unfortunately, it can also be a difficult day for families who have lost loved ones,
Preny Karamian, MS III
Preny brings us another thoughtful essay, this one on the emotional and ethical challenges of treating inmates who have done some terrible things. It's a dilemma many physicians face, but she reminds us that doctors can't play God.
Ken Smith, Managing Editor
Ken interviews Ruth Haskins, MD, an OB-GYN and one of our most active advocates, to get her perspective on International Day of Action for Women's Health (May 28) and how the battle over reproductive rights is affecting patients.
Bob LaPerriere, MD
Dr. LaPerriere, or “Dr. Bob” as he is known to almost everyone, has curated the Museum of Medical History for almost a quarter-century. He updates us on new items in the collection and the resounding success of the recent Free Museum Day.
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: Folsom's bridges at sunset. Photo by Eric Williams, 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 3
Official publication of the
Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society
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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