Contributors to This Issue

J. Bianca Roberts, MD
Electronic health records haven't delivered on the promise of streamlining work so we can spend more time with patients. Dr. Roberts, in her final message as SSVMS President, looks at how we got to this point and what needs to happen next.
Aileen Wetzel
Falling leaves means it's the end of another legislative session at the state Capitol. Thanks to CMA and the support of SSVMS members, bills important to the physician community will soon be taking effect.
Caroline Giroux, MD
“Gaslighting” was Merriam-Webster's word of the year. It's a devious form of control and manipulation that Dr. Giroux says challenges our image of who is a victim of abuse. She also shares a poem she wrote that opened the Joy of Medicine Summit.
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John Chuck, MD
Physicians advocate every day for their patients who need help. But when those physicians are struggling, why can't they advocate for themselves? Dr. Chuck says it's time to care about your health, too.
Andrew Smith, Ph.D
In most cases, Dr. Smith says, violence in a clinical setting is a symptom of an empathic breakdown between the patient and provider. He offers tips on how to stay safe by connecting with patients.
Gerald Rogan, MD
Early in his medical career, Dr. Rogan faced a potentially tense situation when a biker gang showed up in his ER. What happened next not only might surprise you, it turned into one of his fondest memories.
Brandon J. Craig
Sometimes it's hard to say “no” even though you're overwhelmed. Fortunately, we found some members who could offer lessons on how to do just that — we just had to convince them to say yes to sharing what they've learned.
Andrew Hudnut, MD
Dr. Hudnet helped open this year's Joy of Medicine Summit with a reading of “Atlas Smiles,” his poem about finding new strength, and the joy, in medicine despite the daily pressures. We're sharing it here for everyone who couldn't be there.
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.
Editorial Committee
Megan Babb, DO
Sean Deane, MD
Caroline Giroux, MD
Manoj Kesarwani, MD
Robert LaPerriere, 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

Cover photo: The Aurora Borealis lights up the sky on a winter's night. Photo by Reese LaPerriere.
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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.
2023 Officers & Board of Directors
J. Bianca Roberts, MD, President
Vanessa Walker, DO, President-Elect
Paul Reynolds, MD, Immediate Past President
District 1
Lisa Guirguis, MD
District 2
Janine Bera, MD
Adam Dougherty, MD
Raminder Gill, MD
Susan Murin, MD
District 3
Ravinder Khaira, MD
District 4
Shideh Chinichian, MD
District 5
Christina Bilyeu, MD
John Coburn, MD
Farzam Gorouhi, MD
Roderick Vitangcol, MD
District 6
Karen Hopp, MD
Volume 74/Number 6
Official publication of the
Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society
5380 Elvas Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95819
916.452.2671
916.452.2690 fax
info@ssvms.org
2023 SSVMS/CMA Delegation
District 1
Reinhardt Hilzinger, MD
District 1 Alternate
Vacant
District 2
Lydia Wytrzes, MD
District 2 Alternate
Vacant
District 3
Katherine Gillogley, MD
District 3 Alternate
Toussaint Mears-Clark, MD
District 4
Anand Mehta, MD
District 4 Alternate
Shideh Chinichian, MD
District 5
Sean Deane, MD
District 5 Alternate
Vacant
District 6
Karen Hopp, MD
District 6 Alternate
Vacant
At-Large Delegates
Sharmila Amolik, MD
Barbara Arnold, MD
Megan Babb, DO
Janine Bera, MD
Christine Braid, DO
Carol Burch, MD
Amber Chatwin, MD
Angelina Crans Yoon, MD
Mark Drabkin, MD
Gordon Garcia, MD
Ann Gerhardt, MD
Douglas Gibson, MD
Farzam Gorouhi,MD
Richard Jones, MD
Steven Kmucha, MD
Hao (Harry) Li, MD
Vong Lee, MD
Charles McDonnell, MD
Leena Mehta, MD
Sandra Mendez, MD
Taylor Nichols, MD
Sen. 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
Tom Valdez, MD
Vanessa Walker, DO
John Wiesenfarth, MD
At-Large Alternate-Delegates
Alyssa Ashbaugh, MD
Christina Bilyeu, MD
Ashley Feldkamp, MD
Helena Hart-Rathbun, MD
Brent Jackson, MD
Arthur Jey, MD
Gregory Kann, MD
Syed Latif, MD
Leonel Mendoza, MD
Vimal Mishra, MD
Steve Monda, MD
Eric Tepper, MD
David Terca, MD
Asmaneh Yamagata, MD
CMA Trustees, District XI
Adam Dougherty, MD
Robert Oldham, MD
Margaret Parsons, MD
AMA Delegation
Barbara Arnold, MD
Debra Lupeika, MD