CMA - California Medical Association

The Network of Ethnic Physician Organization (NEPO) is a coalition of 41 of California's Ethnic Physician Organizations. NEPO was established in June, 2002 at the first Ethnic Physician Organization Summit held in Burlingame, California. The Summit was a milestone of the Ethnic Physician's Project conducted by the CMA Foundation and funded primarily by the California Endowment and the California Wellness Foundation. NEPO also partners with the California Medical Association's Ethnic Medical Organization Section (EMOS), especially on the annual EMOS/NEPO Ethnic Physicians Legislative Day.

This project is designed to identify strategies for building the capacity of Ethnic Physician Organizations to reduce health disparities and improve access to health care for their communities through increased collaboration with community organizations and policy advocacy in both the public sector and within organized medicine, and address diversity in the health care workforce and cultural competency.

Goals of the project include:

1. Support a network of ethnic physician leaders to serve as community health advocates throughout California.
2. Strengthen the collaboration between ethnic physician and community-based organizations.
3. Deepen the relationship between physicians and community members to improve the health of their communities.
4. Encourage ethnic physician leadership development at the local, regional, and statewide level.
5. Address the issues of health disparities and access to care.
6. Increase the workforce diversity and cultural competency of California's health care system.
7. Encourage and identify young ethnic physicians to become involved in ethnic physician organizations.
8. Encourage ethnic physicians to expand their roles in the local community beyond their role as clinicians.
9. Provide the local community with the ethnic physician's perspective on community health issues.

Participating Organizations

Afghan Medical Association of America
American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Northern California Chapter
American Lebanese Medical Association
Armenian American Medical Society of California
Association of American Indian Physicians
Association of Black Cardiologists
Association of Black Women Physicians
Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America
Bangladesh Medical Association of North America, West Region
California Latino Medical Association
California Latino Medical Association, Bakersfield Chapter
California Latino Medical Association, Fresno Chapter
California Latino Medical Association, Sacramento Chapter
California Latino Medical Association, San Diego Chapter
Chinese American Medical Association of Southern California
Chinese American Physicians' Society
Chinese Community Health Care Association
Ethnic Medical Organization of Ventura County Medical Association
Federation of Chinese American and Chinese Canadian Medical Societies
Federation of International Physicians in the USA
Golden State Medical Association
Golden State Medical Association, Capitol Medical Society
Golden State Medical Association, Charles R. Drew Medical Society
Golden State Medical Association, Daniel Hale Williams Medical Forum
Golden State Medical Association, James Wesley Vines, Jr., M.D.
Golden State Medical Association, John Hale Medical Society
Golden State Medical Association, Sinkler Miller Medical Association
Golden State Medical Association, Stockton
Golden State Medical Association, Visalia
Hispanic American Allergy, Asthma and Immunization Association
Indian Medical Association of Greater Los Angeles
Indian Medical Association of Southern California
Indian Physicians of Central California Inland Empire Chapter of Indian Medical Association
Islamic Medical Association of North America
Korean American Medical Association of Southern California
Miller-Lawrence Medical and Dental Society
Minority Health Institute
National Arab American Medical Association, California Chapter
National Medical Association - San Diego Society
North American Taiwan Medical Association, Northern California Chapter
North American Taiwan Medical Association, Southern California Chapter
Northern California Taiwan Medical Association
Peruvian American Medical Society, Southern California Chapter
Philippine Medical Association of Southern California
Philippine Medical Society of Northern California
Russian American Medical Association
Sacramento Asian Physician Association
San Diego Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
South Asian Physician Network Association
Thai Physicians Association of American, West Chapter
The Academy of Persian Physicians
Tri-Valley Indian Medical Association
Ukrainian Medical Association of North America
Vietnamese Physicians Association in San Diego
The Vietnamese Physicians Association of Northern California
Ventura County American Chinese Physician Club
Vietnamese Physician Association of Southern California

Contact Info

Phone: (916) 779-6620
Fax: (916) 779-6658
www.ethnicphysicians.org

Phoua Moua
Project Coordinator
(916) 779-6636
pmoua@thecmafoundation.org