A huge win for urology in a run-off election at the CMA HOD presidential election

October 14, 2018: The CUA is excited to announce that Dr. Peter Bretan, President of the California Urological Association and Western Section AUA Public Policy Council Representative, has been elected President-Elect of the California Medical Association, the voice of 43,000 physicians.

The CMA HOD presidential election went to runoff. The urologists helped get it done after a lot of work collectively. We are very proud of Peter and wish him every success during his tenure.

CONGRATULATIONS PETER!

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President-Elect Candidate Message:

Peter N. Bretan, Jr., M.D., FACS

Background, Motivations and Vision:

I’m Peter Bretan, a laparoscopic urologic and kidney transplant surgeon. I work in Marin, Sonoma and Santa Cruz Counties. My main hospital serves Kaiser, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the County Alliance Medi-Cal with a large under and uninsured population. Thus my practice is as inclusive as possible, and interacts with all modes of practice.

In CMA I’ve been a past Trustee, President’s Forum Chair, current District X AMA Delegate, and CMA Small and Solo Group Practice Forum Delegate. I’ve served as President of my component medical society 3 separate times, and also bring extensive leadership experience in medicine outside of the CMA.

I’ve previously directed Transplant Programs at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, UCLA and St Joseph’s in Santa Rosa, and was an Associate Professor at UCSF. I continue to teach students as an immunology lecturer at UC Berkeley. My academic accomplishments include over 200 scientific publications, 2 medical patents, and service as a current reviewer for 5 medical journals. I completed a PhD curriculum in basic science that provides a solid foundation in medical science that can help our profession in health care policy making.

As a Professor at Touro Medical School in Clinical Urology, I have taught a Healthcare Policy Class for the past 15 years. This course for students and practicing physicians has been important for our profession in California to educate legislators not only what it takes for doctors to save lives, but that all lives are precious, not just to the families they are part of, but to society as whole. That is why I continue to teach a healthcare policy course, as it is important to our profession especially in these times of great changes.

Today we need this type of co-operation as we are faced with a complex and rapidly changing environment that threatens the foundation of all medicine, especially the doctor-patient relationship. We need a strong partnership with not just our current legislative allies, but to expand this base with a similar course offered state wide.

I am the Western Section Healthcare Representative for the American Urological Association (AUA). As the current President of the California Urological Association (CUA), I have tackled important medical practice issues such as: physician burnout from burdensome factors such as MOC, inefficient EMR, and unsustainable office overheads. I have a direct interest in this issue as the field of Urology several years ago had one of the highest burnout rates, approaching 65%. Now after much effort addressing the roots of burnout, the rate has decreased by 20%. The American Board of Urology, in response to the AUA and CUA, has eliminated MOC, and replaced it with a CME program named Life Long Learning. This new program has been much better received by our membership, and I am proud to have been part of changing this process that is so vital to our specialty.

I served for 28 years in the USPHS Reserves attaining the naval rank of Captain (O-6), and was deployed for the care of Cuban Refugees in 1980, to those displaced from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and to lead the rebuilding of hospital medical staffs in New Orleans afterwards. Thus I have a deep understanding of the need for a concerted Public Health response to disasters.

While my career has given me in depth medical knowledge, with rich and varied leadership experiences, the accomplishment I cherish the most is being the Founder and CEO of LifePlant International. LifePlant is a charitable organization that furnishes life saving transplants in developing countries, for which I was recognized by the AMA with the Benjamin Rush Award for Citizenship and Community Service.

My greatest motivation is in service to give back to society for my good fortune. I grew up as a child farm laborer, and I know what it is to be without adequate healthcare. Because of this I will fight for all physicians to be adequately represented, trained and heard too, so that they are adequately compensated for care of their patients. Universal coverage is an important goal of both the CMA and AMA, and must be sustainable for all physicians and their patients to succeed. With my broad and in depth leadership experiences, I can help CMA accomplish this aim in a time where a rapid understanding of complex issues is necessary – that is why I am running to be your next CMA President.

I humbly ask for your vote and support to lead our CMA as President Elect this upcoming year.

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