An Interview with New SBCMS President Mohan Mallam, M.D.

1.  Why did you decide to be a physician?

Having come from a village in India, I saw people suffering from various illnesses.  I was in high school at the time and felt that somebody should help these people. Even before I pursued a career in the medical field, several of my own family members were medical students and physicians. I decided to follow their path and help mankind.

2.  Why did you choose to specialize in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine?

There were only three specialties for me to choose from - Internal Medicine, Surgery and OB/GYN. I always felt that diagnosing a disease correctly is the most important part of dealing with a patient. If you do not have a correct diagnosis, correct treatment is not feasible. Internal Medicine offered me a perfect specialty to become a "diagnostician." Once I started my private "solo" practice of Internal Medicine, I came across a large volume of elderly patients living in Barstow and the surrounding communities. It did not take much time for me to realize that treating medical diseases in the elderly requires additional training and experience. I am now American Board certified in the specialty of Internal Medicine and also in the subspecialty of Geriatric Medicine.

3.  What leadership experience do you bring to the Presidency?

I started my medical practice in 1987 in Barstow when I also became a member of the San Bernardino County Medical Society (SBCMS) and California Medical Association (CMA). I served as President of the Medical Staff at Barstow Community Hospital (BCH) four times, and chaired almost every committee at BCH more than once. Medicine Service at BCH includes Internal Medicine and all related subspecialties.

I am currently serving as Chairman of Medicine Service at BCH; having done so several times in the past. I also served BCH as a member of the Hospital Board and Chairman of the Professional Activities Committee for several terms. I represented BCH medical staff at CMA-HMSS/OMSS for more than a decade and currently represent the same at AMA-OMSS. I am also a medical staff member at Victor Valley Community Hospital (VVCH) in Victorville, St. Mary Regional Medical Center in Apple Valley, and Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville. I am very familiar with the structure and function of hospital medical staffs.

My involvement with SBCMS and CMA goes back to 1987 when I joined as a regular member and then began serving as a CMA Alternate Delegate from 1999 to 2005. In 2006 I moved up to CMA Delegate and continue to serve in that position. I began serving on SBCMS' Board of Directors in 2003 and was elected to the Executive Committee in 2007 as Treasurer, moving up the ladder to my current position of President. I have successfully completed several courses related to medical staff leadership and my special interest is in dealing with medical staff bylaws and in the hospital survey process.

As a part of my long-term care practice, I am actively involved in rendering care to the elderly in a local Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) called Rimrock Villa Convalescent Hospital in Barstow where I have been the Medical Director for more than a decade. As the Medical Director of Rimrock Villa, I play a key role in improving the quality of medical care rendered to the elderly. Implementing Clinical Practice Guideline (CPGs) of various diseases is one of my important duties at this SNF.

4.  What are your major goals for your term?

To recruit additional new members to SBCMS and CMA, and if possible to the American Medical Association (AMA). To achieve this, a new - Membership Committee - has been formed this year. I will be approaching Medical Staff leaders of hospitals in San Bernardino County and also the leadership of major medical groups/IPAs in our county. We will add at least 100 new members into SBCMS.

A new Bylaws Committee has been formed, to review the bylaws of SBCMS. If any amendments are to be made, they will be recommended to the Board for approval.

Recently, CMA released its "Strategic Plan Road Map 2011-2030". As a component society of CMA, SBCMS shall unite with similar societies and will do whatever possible in its capacity in implementing this plan. The CMA President's Forum is one of the resolutions approved by CMA's House of Delegates a couple of years ago to achieve the goal of "better communication" with its members. All county medical societies Presidents, President-Elects and Immediate Past Presidents are members of this forum. I will be participating in their meetings and will be bringing new information to our medical society membership.

5.  What is the value of organized medicine? Why did you become involved?

Value of organized medicine is clearly mentioned in CMA's mission statement "...To promote the science and art of medicine, the care and well-being of patients, the protection of the public health and the betterment of the medical profession..."  

In 1987 when I joined as a member of the medical staff at BCH, then President of BCH's medical staff, the late Doctor Gebre Gobezie encouraged me to become a member of the SBCMS and CMA. The CMA model medical staff bylaws and the California's Physician Legal Handbook published by CMA are a couple of examples I can quote to justify the value of membership in organized medicine.

6.  Define the major issues that challenge physicians state-wide this year. How should SBCMS respond?

Some of the issues that would challenge physicians of California in the near future are:

• 65 and older population in U.S. will nearly double in next 20 years placing enormous pressure on our systems of long-term care, including end-of-life care.
• Current trends suggest 86% of U.S. adults will be overweight or obese by 2030.
• Medicare/Medi-Cal payment systems will remain a major policy challenge.
• Keeping up with the technology and adopting the new technology to meet the requirements of regulatory agencies shall be a challenge to the physicians practicing in California and other states.
• Protecting the current provisions of MICRA shall continue to be a high priority iitem for all of us!

7.  What are your interests and achievements outside of medicine?

"Community Service" is my main activity outside of medicine. I held several leadership positions in community service-oriented organizations which are mainly involved in various activities benefiting communities of U.S. and of India. For example, I held the following leadership positions in the organizations serving the communities in U.S. and in India during various periods during 1987-2011:

• Advisory Council Member - North American Telugu Association (NATA)
• Chairman - Federation of Andhra Pradesh Medical Graduates in USA (APMGUSA)
• President - Indo-American Cultural Society of the High Desert (IACSHD)
• President - Sri Venkateswara Medical College Alumni Association Inc. USA (SVMCAA)
• "Adopt a Village" - This is my favorite community service project. I sponsored several "safe drinking water plants" and health camps in my own village in India. The gratification expressed by villagers benefiting from these project is unbelievable! 

8.  Tell us about your family.

I come from a village called "Thondavada" in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh State in Southern India. Both of my parents are deceased. My father served as a teacher in an elementary school. We are an agricultural family. My mother was a housewife. I have two brothers and two sisters. I am the youngest in the family of five. My eldest brother, who is deceased, was an engineer. My second brother is a physician, and both of my sisters are housewives.

I was married in 1980 in India. My wife Padma works as administrator in our office. We have two daughters and one son. My eldest daughter Divya graduated this year from Medical School - SUNY Down State Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. She just started her residency in Internal Medicine at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA. My second daughter Sravya is taking pre-medical courses at USC in Los Angeles. My son Srikanth is taking Pre-Engineering courses at UCSD, San Diego, CA.

9.  Feel free to discuss any other ideas or interests that you would like to share with the membership.

I am very familiar with the purpose of SBCMS. Because of my extensive leadership experience, familiarity with CMA and involvement in organized medicine, I am confident that during my Presidency, I will add value to SBCMS and take it to a higher level. I am lucky to have efficient staff in the offices of SBCMS!!!

With personal regards,
Mohan Mallam, M.D., FACP, CMD
President, SBCMS 2011-12