Lance Lee, MD
LACMA member since 2006

Lance Lee, MD, as stroke medical director at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, recently saw his efforts over the past two years-and those of his peers and staff-come to fruition when the Joint Commission declared that the medical center met its certification requirements as an advanced primary stroke center following a Mar. 17 survey. The certification labels the program as current with national standards that can improve patient stroke outcomes.

"I can't really say that what I've done is the greatest-without the teamwork and help from the administration, it just would not be possible," says a proud Dr. Lee. Prodded a little more for his role in gearing up for Joint Commission certification, he admits that he has been in charge of the stroke program for about two years, and as such, has supervised physicians, nurses and other staff to make sure that everything was going according to plan.

"We formed the committees about two years ago, and we've been having a meeting every month," he says. "We hired stroke coordinators, there are neuroscience directors who are also involved, and all the departments of course got involved." Dr. Lee also credits the American Heart Association's hospital quality improvement program, Get With the Guidelines, which steers groups toward up-to-date stroke practices

The GAMC Stroke Program's Joint Commission certification stands as the only one awarded to a Los Angeles County facility in the past three years, says Alicia Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the medical center. The program includes a stroke alert team comprised of a neurologist, a stroke coordinator, a CT technologist, a house supervisor, neurology telemetry nurses and staff from the emergency department, the pharmacy and the laboratory.

Dominic DeCristofaro, MD
LACMA member since 1968

Dominic DeCristofaro, MD, a Long Beach cardiologist, was among three physician scientists honored at the Harbor-UCLA Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute's fifth annual Legends dinner celebration. The event, held on May 1, recognizes lifelong contributions by the institute's alumni to science and medicine, as well as to LA BioMed itself.

Asked which parts of his storied career he recalled most fondly, Dr. DeCristofaro says, "My time involved in doing early research with Dr. Steve Lew and Mike Criley and my involvement with the [American] Heart Association was very dear to me." The AHA's research grant, awarded to him while he was a resident at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, had a lot to do with his future association with the organization, he adds. "I felt I owed something to them, so I spent a lot of time with the association-more than 25 years in various modalities." These activities culminated in his position as president of the California Heart Association, an AMA affiliate; his work for the organization earned him its 1998 Heart of Gold Award.

Outside of his work with the AHA, Dr. DeCristofaro served as director of the cardiac catheterization lab at St. Mary Medical Center for more than 30 years, and was instrumental in establishing a cardiology training program that has been running for about the same length of time. He has also served as the medical center's chief of staff, chair of its department of medicine and a member of its board of directors. In his long association with LA BioMed, he served as president and chairman.

Dr. DeCristofaro now works part-time with his practice associates, but 12-hour days aren't yet a thing of the past. He is also a clinical professor of medicine at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

Nicholaas-John van Nieuwenhuysen, MD
OCMA member since 2007

Nicholaas-John van Nieuwenhuysen, MD, became president of the Orange County Psychiatric Society at the end of this year's annual American Psychiatric Association meeting.

Asked which direction he hoped to take the society, Dr. van Nieuwenhuysen says he plans to continue Kirk McNagny, MD's, path of the past two years, with a particular focus on the APA's mission "to promote the highest quality care for people who suffer from mental illness, to promote education about mental illness, to really represent the profession of psychiatry and advance its interests, and to also serve the needs of the membership."

In the vein of promoting high-quality care, he says, "What we really need to do is look at improving access to care for mental disorders." This will involve strengthening relationships with decision-makers at the county and state level, as well as with other associations advocating for patients, including the Orange County Medical Association, California Medical Association, National Alliance for Mental Illness, the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance and others.

For the next two years of his presidency, Dr. van Nieuwenhuysen says that the society will be closely monitoring bills in the state legislature, particularly those dealing with expanding the scope of psychologists' practice. Other issues of special interest to the new OCPS president include the shutdown of the California Medical Board Diversion Program, and maintaining funding for mental health services.