Dr. Wilson, when did you decide that you wanted to be a physician, and why did you choose to become an ER physician?

I decided I wanted to be a physician when I was seven years old. I was influenced by Dr. Lloyd Dayes, a neurosurgeon from Loma Linda. He started his career as a teacher and preacher in Jamaica (my birth place) and had gone on to study medicine at Loma Linda and the Montreal Neurosurgical Institute. I decided I wanted to be a brain surgeon like Dr. Dayes. I started out by trapping and doing surgery on little lizards and birds because I wanted to see what they were made of. Unfortunately they didn't survive my attempts. After completing two years of college in Jamaica, I came to the United States at age 18 to attend La Sierra University in Riverside.

I completed medical school at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1984. Emergency medicine is one of the newest of the specialties recognized by the American College of Graduate Medical Education and at that time there wasn't a residency-training program at Loma Linda. I spent some time at White Memorial Medical Center as a senior medical student doing a rotation in surgery; however, I felt I wasn't getting enough time assisting. There was an opening in the ER program at King Drew, so I spent the next month there, fascinated with the range of pathology that I observed, the diversity of skill that the ER physicians had to acquire, the variety of cases, and the ability to interact closely with people.

What leadership experience do you bring to the presidency?

Let me take this opportunity to introduce the leadership team that surrounds me. President-Elect Edward Hess MD, MBA, endocrinologist; Vice President Dennis Flynn, MD, MBA, family medicine, Medical Director, EPIC Management (Beaver Medical Group); Secretary, Manmohan Nayyar, MD MBA, MHA, neurologist; Treasurer Ruchir Sehra, MD, pediatric cardiologist (completing MBA at UC Irvine).

I got involved with organized medicine about ten years ago because I wanted to gain leadership experience and I enjoyed the camaraderie with the SBCMS leadership. Along the way I completed an MBA program sponsored by the medical society and California State University San Bernardino. I served on the SBCMS Board of Directors, as a CMA Alternate Delegate, as a member of CMA's Professional Liability Committee, and have filled leadership roles as SBCMS Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President and President-Elect. I was Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Hi Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree for two years, 1989-1991, and since 1993, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Barstow Community Hospital. I am also an Associate Professor in the emergency residency-training program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. I am the Director of Inland Wellness Information Network's African American Health Initiative (AAHI) and I serve as head elder of my church in Victorville.

What are your major goals for your presidency?

My primary goal is to help remove the barriers to the implementation of information technology in the practice of medicine locally. I would like to promote the concept of a partnership of insurance companies, physicians and hospitals in deploying a basic framework for an electronic medical records system that is affordable. A system where records information is easy to share, important information can be readily extracted, and data necessary for achieving reasonable quality goals can be effortlessly demonstrated.

I would also like to promote education about the big picture of medicine (the influence of the media, legislation, the Medical Board and other competing interests). I will encourage the SBCMS Executive Committee and Board of Directors to continue to meet and become familiar with the physicians at all hospitals throughout the county in an attempt to make organized medicine a familiar face, answer questions and be relevant to their lives and practices. I would like the Medical Society to be one of the resources for information about the influences that have an impact on our patients and our practices. I would also like to increase community awareness of resources that are available to them through the SBCMS and IWIN web sites, our Speakers' Bureau, the African American Health Initiative, the Healthy Lifestyles program, and the Live & Then Give organ donor awareness program.

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

I feel there is nothing more important to protecting the future of physicians than joining the California Medical Association and the San Bernardino County Medical Society. Over half the practicing physicians in California are members of CMA and SBCMS. We are fighting the abuses of commercial health plans, regulators and government insurance programs against physicians and patients. Just one example: our RICO (racketeering) lawsuit against California's largest for-profit health plans - in late May CMA settled with Aetna in this class action lawsuit. Aetna agreed to make its fee schedules and payment rules available to physicians; adopt a clear "medical necessity" definition that will allow physicians to care for their patients without being second-guessed by insurance administrators; abide by fairer payment rules, and establish an independent appeals process for physician billing disputes.

Unless physicians stand together to fight threats and injustices, our practices cannot remain viable in the future. Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and for-profit HMOs are better positioned to receive all new dollars, unless physicians make our case more emphatically together. Regardless of a physician's mode of practice, CMA and SBCMS provide physicians with a host of programs and services. These include fighting physician battles with the Medical Board, Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Managed Health Care, and the Department of Justice, alleviating bureaucratic hassles with reimbursement and unnecessary paperwork. SBCMS/CMA stand for quality of care, medical ethics, expanded access to care, public health improvement, and a patient-centered future.

What are physicians' greatest challenges today?

One of the biggest challenges to medicine is the incorporation of information technology in our practices. It is an important way to increase our effectiveness effectively, wield the deluge of information that is coming at us, and organize information about patients that has to be used to make their lives better. Implementing the new technologies will make us considerably more effective and allow us to teach and communicate with our patients in a way we are not physically able to do now.

What advice would you give young physicians just starting their practices? Get an MBA?

I would say to young physicians that the more you intentionally improve the lives of the people in the community you serve the better your life will be and the greater your value will be to the community. A commitment to a lifetime of personal intellectual development is what's necessary. While technical and clinical information is acquired through a residency program, we are basically committed to a lifetime of ongoing education. There are a whole range of disciplines that we must integrate to be successful - communications operations management, budgeting, public relations are just examples. If we can incorporate some of those things that have allowed efficiency in business and that are applicable in medicine, we will be more successful in increasing our value to our community. Two years ago, the Medical Society helped organize an MBA program through California State University San Bernardino's Office of Extended Education. The two-year course was held in the SBCMS conference center. As a graduate of this valuable program, I am grateful to the University and the Medical Society.

Let's talk about your commitment to the African-American Health Initiative.
http://www.sbcms.org/southcalphysician/2000/jan-feb/art1.htm

I accepted the position of director of the AAHI in late December 2002 when AAHI's three-year director, Dr. Lisa Perry-Gilkes accepted a position in Atlanta, Georgia. Lisa worked diligently from July 1999 through December 2002 in building the AAHI to involve over 30 community-based organizations. The Initiative is focused solely on improving health disparities (http://healthdisparities.nih.gov/whatare.html) among the African American community.

I am excited about my leadership role with the AAHI. The Initiative was formed in 1999 when our Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Prendergast requested the assistance of SBCMS to address the health risks of African Americans in our county. AAHI's Advisory Council now represents 65 individuals and organizations. AAHI has many sub-committees, all of which deal with health problems that affect African Americans. In March 2003, the AAHI received a two-year $268,620 grant from The California Endowment. The grant will allow AAHI to address the health disparities of African Americans in San Bernardino County by engaging in a participatory planning process that will identify, assess, and implement culturally specific strategies for the prevention and treatment of targeted chronic diseases (hypertension, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, prostate & breast cancer).

What are your interests outside of medicine?

I met my wife, Arlene Braham, M.D. while at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Arlene practices industrial medicine in Victorville and we are both involved in Arrowhead Regional Medical Center's High Desert Community Center, a clinic serving the High Desert community. We make our home in Apple Valley. Twice a week we meet with several neighbors to exercise in our home gymnasium. This is a welcome relief from our usual round of activity. In addition, a group of men from our church are involved in a weekly cycling exercise routine. We routinely ride 15-35 miles on an average weekend and on special occasions 70 to 100 miles. I am also actively involved in my church and its community activities. We have programs to improve the lives of our congregation and programs of outreach in the community.