Los Angeles psychiatrist George Fouras, M.D., was newly elected as vice speaker of the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates at the association’s annual meeting this past weekend. He will join Speaker Jack Chou, M.D., on the dais to lead delegates as they shepherd resolutions into successful policy.

“During my professional career I have worked with numerous disadvantaged youth in several geographic areas across the state including the Central Valley from Modesto to Kern County. It has given me an important perspective regarding the diversity of issues California physicians and patients face,” Dr. Fouras said in a message to delegates during his campaign. “Nothing is more important to me than ensuring that the physician members of the CMA feel empowered to participate in the processes by which we set policy and lead the state.”

Dr. Fouras has been a CMA member since 1996. He has served in the CMA House of Delegates for more than a decade and has held many leadership positions during his 27 years of membership. He is a past president of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society (SFMMS), the Northern California Regional Organization of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Southern California Psychiatric Society. He is a past chair of the SFMMS Political Action Committee, the current chair of the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA) Political Action Committee (LACPAC), a councilor- at- large for LACMA, and the current secretary-treasurer of CMA’s Political Action Committee (CALPAC). Dr. Fouras also serves as a California delegate to the American Medical Association.

Dr. Fouras received his medical degree from Ohio State University. After graduating from medical school, he moved to Los Angeles where he completed his residency in general adult psychiatry and fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center.

After residency, Dr. Fouras spent 21 years working as a consultant to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Foster Care Mental Health Program, where he helped develop the first organized psychotropic oversight program in the State of California.

In 2017, Dr. Fouras moved back to Los Angeles to work in specialized foster care for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. He maintains membership in both SFMMS and LACMA.

Dr. Fouras is board certified in General Adult Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology  and the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and is on the register of specialist consultants with the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom.

CMA Speaker Jack Chou, M.D., was also re-elected by acclamation for a second term. A board-certified family medicine physician and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Chou is a Partner of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), where he is also Regional Chair for Health Information Management and Regional Co-Chair for Scanning Oversight Committee.

The full 2023-2024 CMA Executive Committee includes:

• President: Tanya W. Spirtos, M.D., Redwood City
• President-Elect: Shannon L. Udovic-Constant, M.D., San Francisco
• Chair of the Board: Sergio R. Flores, M.D., San Diego
• Vice-Chair of the Board: Eric Hansen, D.O, Hesperia
• Speaker of the House: Jack Chou, M.D., Los Angeles
• Vice-Speaker of the House: George Fouras, M.D., Los Angeles
• Immediate Past President: Donaldo Hernandez, M.D., Santa Cruz