Raul Ayala, MD, has been selected as the new president of the California Academy of Family Physicians, The Sentinel reported March 28.
Dr. Ayala is currently the ambulatory medical officer and designated institutional official for Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health. He is responsible for clinical management of the system's Rural Health Clinics as well.
"Dr. Ayala has spent the last 10 years caring for rural patients in the Central Valley and collaborating with community partners to tackle health disparities," Arby Nahapetian, MD, Adventist Health's chief clinical officer and leader of the ambulatory physician enterprise, told the publication. "He has already been transforming healthcare in this state by implementing screenings and care plans into every clinic visit including those that impact a patient's overall well-being: food insecurity, mental health, opioids, substance use disorders, diabetes, asthma and heart disease."
He was named the California Community Star in rural healthcare by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.
Dr. Ayala has also served as a board member for the CAFP since 2012.