Dawn Bruner, MD, becomes the 117th president of the Orange County Medical Association in July and will be only the seventh woman to serve in that capacity.

Growing up, her passion was music. In fact, she remembers vividly the moment as a senior in high school when she told her parents that she knew what she wanted to do with her life--teach music. In her hometown of  Wells, Minn., a small farming community of 3,000, a music career was not a common choice.

Dr. Bruner's father, Earl Anderson, was a poultry farmer and raised chickens and turkeys while her mother, Helena, was primarily a homemaker. She is the oldest of five children, including two sisters, Denise and Beth, and two brothers, Brent and Brad.

As she entered Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Dr. Bruner pursued her musical interest. "Being on stage was liberating, especially for a shy kid," she says. Music came naturally for her, even though in junior high and most of high school her original thoughts were about becoming a nurse.

Shortly after starting college in 1965, she met Edward Bruner, a fellow music major. Among other things, she was drawn to his musical talent. He had perfect pitch and could help her develop a "musical ear." They married in 1969, and she supported him through graduate school as he earned his PhD in music. Today, he is a conductor and performer.

Upon graduation, Dr. Bruner started her career as a public school music teacher and taught in schools in Des Moines, Iowa, Providence, R.I., and Champaign, Ill. After seven years of teaching, Dr. Bruner realized that she wanted to do something else. She decided to change careers and revive her first interest--medicine.

In 1976, while her husband was teaching at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Bruner started her pre-med classes. In 1979, she was admitted to the University of Minnesota Medical School. After one year, Edward received a position at the University of Nebraska, and Dr. Bruner was able to grab a vacated slot at the medical school there. She graduated in 1983.

In 1984, after interviewing for several residencies around the country, the Bruners packed their bags and headed for Southern California so Dr. Bruner could begin her residency at UC Irvine. While at UCI, Dr. Bruner was honored by being named the Intern of the Year.

Unfortunately, that time period was also one of monumental heartache and grief. The Bruners' first child, a girl named Blake, passed away at 18 months. It's a death that forever changed Dr. Bruner as a person and as a physician. She had been leaning toward a career in pediatric intensive care, but after her daughter's death, she found herself too involved emotionally in seeing children in distress, so she decided on general pediatrics.

While Blake's death was a tragedy she admits she will never get over, it has a positive side. As a pediatrician, she feels she connects well with parents who are going through difficult health issues with their children. "I've been there, and I can relate," she says, "and that helps a lot."

In a chance encounter, she ran into a mother whose son she treated several years earlier. The boy is now a 10-year cancer survivor. The mother thanked Dr. Bruner for all her help and was appreciative of her efforts. Dr. Bruner was humbled. "It is nice to hear from patients and their parents who are grateful for your efforts," she says. "It makes you feel like you are making a positive contribution in your own little corner of the world."

Being president of the OCMA holds special meaning for Dr. Bruner. She believes organized medicine has a constructive role in the everyday lives of physicians and says it's important for all physicians to be active participants in improving their profession and the practice of medicine.

While she thinks physician involvement in specialty societies is important, she would like physicians' primary allegiance to be to state and local medical associations. Organized medicine carries more clout if it focuses on the broad level, rather than specialty issues alone, she says.

Dr. Bruner is president of Pediatric and Adult Medicine Group, an office of six pediatricians in Tustin. She is active on the medical staffs of Children's Hospital of Orange County, St. Joseph Hospital and Western Medical Center. Aside from the OCMA and the California Medical Association, Dr. Bruner is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In her free time, Dr. Bruner continues to pursue her musical interests, which remain a big part of her life. In particular she likes to sing and play piano.

The Bruners live in Tustin Ranch and have a son, Aaron, who is a student at UC Davis. He is majoring in English literature and creative writing, but also taking pre-med courses to "cover all the bases," according to his proud mother. Maybe one day he will follow in her footsteps.