California Chapters College Awards
- California Northern
- California Southern Region I
- California Southern Region II
- California Southern Region III
California Northern
2025 Chapter Excellence Award-Gold Level Winner
(September 2025) We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 68 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 22 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and 25 Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
California Southern Region I
2025 Chapter Excellence Award-Gold Level Winner
(September 2025) We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 68 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 22 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and 25 Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
California Southern Region II
2025 Chapter Excellence Award-Gold Level Winner
(September 2025) We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 68 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 22 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and 25 Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
California Southern Region III
California Southern III Chapter Receives the 2026 John Tooker Evergreen Award
The John Tooker Evergreen Awards Program provides recognition and visibility to chapters that have successfully implemented programs to increase membership, improve communication, encourage member involvement, enhance diversity, foster careers in internal medicine or improve chapter management. The California Southern III Chapter received a 2026 John Tooker Evergreen Award for their collaborative initiative.
I.M. for IMGs: Creating and Fostering Opportunities for Connection, Mentorship, and Allyship for International Medical Graduate (IMG) Members
The WhatsApp group is a great way for members to stay connected, support each other’s well-being, celebrate successes, query other members or mentors in the group when issues arise, and disseminate information about programs/opportunities throughout the year.
Through a powerful chapter-led collaboration, four in-person “I.M. for IMGs” events have been held at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meetings for hundreds of IMG members, mentors, and allies. The California Southern III Chapter, among 20 revolving domestic and international chapters, developed the event series to strengthen belonging, inclusion, and community beyond the Internal Medicine Meeting. With annual surveys sent out post-programming, the collaboration tailored content and function of the “IM for IMGs” event based on responses. The program opened new pathways, possibilities, and connections for IMG leaders and members to connect across multiple chapters and provide additional programming to ACP’s annual meeting.
Special thanks to this program’s key contributors:
- Dr. Ann Maguire, Governor, Wisconsin Chapter, Chair, Chapters Subcommittee
- Jenni Kilpatrick, CAE, Executive Director, Wisconsin Chapter
- Dr. Ruth Weissberger, Past Governor, Connecticut Chapter, Past Chair, Chapters Subcommittee
- Lisa Winkler, Executive Director, Connecticut Chapter
- Dr. Tammy Lin, Regent, Past Governor, California Southern III Chapter
- Dr. Vineet Gupta, Governor, California Southern III Chapter
- Michael Coffee, Executive Director, California Chapters
- Mary Ancona, Past Executive Director, California Chapters
- Dr. Vidya Sundareshan, Past Governor, Illinois Southern Chapter
- Dr. Mukta Panda, Chair, Global Engagement Committee
- Dr. Ahmed Ghanem, PGY-2 Resident, IMG Member
- Dr. Dobbin Chow, Past Governor, Maryland Chapter
- Dr. Roger Khetan, BOG Chair, Past Governor, Texas Northern Chapter
- Dr. Khalid Azzam, Governor, Ontario Chapter
- Dr. Anuj Maheshwari, Past Governor, India Chapter
- Dr. Otis Gowdy, Past Governor, Mississippi Chapter
- Dr. Angie Chen, Past Governor, California Northern Chapter
- Dr. Danny Sam, Governor, California Northern Chapter
- Carmelina Raffeto, Executive Director, California Northern Chapter
- Dr. Michael Lazarus , Past Governor, California Southern I Chapter
- Dr. Eric Hsieh, Governor, California Southern I Chapter
- Gus Chavez, Executive Director, California Southern I Chapter
- Dr. Daniel Kim, Past Governor, California Southern II Chapter
- Dr. Rejan McCaskill, Governor, California Southern II Chapter
- Dr. Saba Hasan, ACP President-Elect, Past Governor, New Jersey Southern Chapter, IMG Inclusion Steering Committee
- Dr. George Abraham, Past ACP President, Chair, IMG Inclusion Steering Committee
- Dr. Noel Deep, Regent, Past Governor, Wisconsin Chapter, IMG Advisory Group Member
- Dr. Susan Lee, Regent, Past Governor, New York Chapter
- Dr. Jenny Silberger, Past Governor, Oregon Chapter
- Dr. Alex Schafir, Governor, Oregon Chapter
- Dr. Catherine Womack, Past Governor, Tennessee Chapter
- Dr. Ibrahim Ghobrial, Past Governor, Pennsylvania Western Chapter
- Dr. Judy Melin, Governor, Massachusetts Chapter
- Dr. Colleen Christmas, Governor, Maryland Chapter
- Maryellen Woodward, Executive Director, Maryland Chapter
- Dr. Sunil Sapru, Governor, New Jersey Southern Chapter
- Dr. Sarah Hartley, Governor, Michigan Chapter
- Dr. Alejandro Moreno, Governor, Texas Southern Chapter
- Dr. Marion McCrary, Governor, North Carolina Chapter, BOG Chair-elect Designee
- Dr. Manajyoti Yadav, Governor, Illinois Southern Chapter
- Dr. Steve Saunders, Governor, South Carolina Chapter
- Dr. Dan Tobin, Governor, Connecticut Chapter
- Dr. Bipin Thapa, Wisconsin Chapter
- Dr. Rohan Bodapati, IMG Leader, Wisconsin Chapter
- Dr. Abdul Wahab Arif, IMG Leader, Wisconsin Chapter
- Dr. Arslan Inayat, IMG Leader, Illinois Chapter
- Dr. Hari Devkota, IMG Leader, Maryland Chapter
- Dr. Janaki Deepak, Governor-Elect, Maryland Chapter
- Dr. Swati Srivastava, Governor, India Chapter
- Dr. Dan Ely, Governor, Tennessee Chapter
- Dr. Claudio Urosa, Past Governor, Venezuela Chapter
- Dr. Maritza Duran, Governor, Venezuela Chapter
- Dr. Eugenio Matijasevic, Past Governor, Colombia Chapter
- Dr. Dora Molina de Salazar, Governor, Colombia Chapter
- Dr. Clyde Watkins, Governor, Georgia Chapter
- Dr. Aseem Sood, IMG Leader, Maryland Chapter
- Dr. Khadije Ahmad, IMG Leader, California Northern Chapter
- Dr. Xi-Nong Li, IMG Leader, California Northern Chapter
- Dr. Mark Noah, Past Governor, California Southern I Chapter
- Dr. Miguel Pena Ruiz, IMG Leader, California Southern III Chapter
- Dr. Mahesh Kumar, IMG Leader, California Southern III Chapter
- Dr. Umer Hayyat, IMG Leader, California Southern III Chapter
- Dr. Priya Radhakrishnan, Regent, Past BOG Chair, Past Governor, Arizona Chapter
- Dr. Harumi Gomi, Governor, Japan Chapter
- Dr. Moro Salifu, Governor-Elect, New York Chapter
- Dr. Pramod Savarapu, IMG Leader, Louisiana Chapter
- Joanne Ey, Vice President, Executive Administration and Governance
- Keirston Scott, Director, Chapter Activities
- Emily Seeling, Manager, Chapter Development and Operations, Chapter Activities
- Dr. Daisy Smith, ACP Chief Membership and Engagement Officer
- Jamel Hicks, Chapter Liaison and Program Coordinator
(Any leaders missing from the above listing is an unintentional oversight and we remain grateful for their contributions and support!)
Previous Evergreen Awards
- 2024 - Narrative Medicine (SoCal I, II, III)
- 2024 - Live Your Best Life Program (SoCal III)
- 2023 - Wellness Wave (SoCal III)
- 2021 - DEI Shift Podcast (So Cal III)
2025 Chapter Excellence Award-Gold Level Winner
(September 2025) We are pleased to announce that our chapter is in receipt of the Gold Level of the 2025 Chapter Excellence Award! The award recognizes truly extraordinary chapters that surpass excellence in chapter management. We are in the company of 68 other outstanding chapters. In order to achieve the Gold Level of the Chapter Excellence Award, chapters must meet 22 Bronze criteria, 12 Silver criteria and 25 Gold level activities. Criteria include such activities as having a legislative action plan or agenda, holding a volunteerism/community service activity, holding multiple stand-alone meetings, having revenue sources outside of dues and meeting registration fees, implementing a strategic plan, implementing a formal recruitment and retention plan and measuring outcomes, conducting various activities for Medical Students, Residents and Early Career Physicians. We would like to extend a special thanks to those chapter members who assisted us in all of these endeavors! For their hard work and dedication, we received this award.
California Southern III Chapter Receives the Mary Bieter Evergreen All Stars Award
The Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Star Awards recognized exceptional and sustained chapter-initiated programs that supported and adapted to the Internal Medicine landscape in the United States and around the world. ACP Members were asked to review and select All-Star nominations they believed were worth of recognition. The California Southern III Chapter received the Mary Bieter Evergreen All-Star Award for their initiative, The DEI Shift Podcast, Changing the Way We Think, Talk and Practice Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The DEI Shift Podcast, Changing the Way We Think, Talk and Practice Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The DEI Shift podcast was created to change the practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion within medicine. It is intentionally led and produced by an extremely diverse team from pre-medical students to attending physicians from various racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, geographic, and specialty backgrounds. Monthly team meetings facilitate educational and professional development opportunities as well as sense of belonging and inclusion.
Over four seasons, a global audience has downloaded over 18,250 podcast episodes across 6 continents, in 81 countries and nearly 2000 cities. A wide range of topics and guests have been featured in enduring learning materials increasing awareness, advocacy, cultural humility, and empathy. This innovative educational platform has led to multi-Chapter, cross-specialty, and interdisciplinary collaborations as well as increased member engagement, mentorship, connections, and leadership development. It has successfully promoted the goals, core values, and DEI-related strategic priorities of the American College of Physicians and the ACP Southern California Region III Chapter.