Alexander Nguyen, MD, MPH
Harbor-UCLA
Regional VP Southern California South

CIR has been an extremely powerful conduit and voice that has allowed us to negotiate for a $150,000+ QI Fund for resident-led projects, a Patient Care Fund for supplies that to help improve patient care, and has allowed our residents to have a medium by which to

I’ve learned that a strong physician voice is not only needed, but absolutely necessary if we care about improving our patients’ quality of life. Residents have a stronger voice when we are united and united we should stand. CIR is ‘our union.’

I firmly believe that a strong National Voice for Residents begins with a strong Regional Voice. I definitely see room for improvements through greater collaboration between hospitals within each region and for CIR delegates to learn from each other’s successes and failures through sharing of institutional knowledge. In order to be a more effective National Voice, I believe that CIR should outline a few points of emphasis/goals for the year agreed upon by all the Regions to focus on for that year so that individual chapters can have more direction.

In the coming year I intend to help CIR grow by reaching out to our interns, residents, and fellows and actively listening to what they have to say. I really want to spend more time at the various hospitals within my region and a few hospitals outside of my region to learn more about the good things that are happening as well as common issues that we are facing so that we can be an even more powerful voice. And of course, I’ll bring some fun!