The Summit was underwritten by generous contributions from:

• The California Endowment
  
• Office of the Patient Advocate, State of California
  
• PacifiCare
  
• Chase
  
• Wyeth
  
• HealthNet
  
• Aetna

Pfizer Provides Major Support for the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations
Robert Popovian, Pharm.D., MS, Director, Regional Medical Specialist, announced that Pfizer is providing a $100,000 grant to the CMA Foundation to support the development of a statewide action plan on health disparities by the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations. In his remarks, Dr. Popovian said that this grant reflected Pfizer's commitment to eliminating health disparities and its recognition of the increasingly important role that ethnic health professionals are playing in ensuring access to quality care for all Californians. Based on input from the Ethnic Physician Organizations, the action plan will focus on eliminating disparities in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Ernie Tai Joins the CMA Foundation Team
Mr. Tai is the new director of the CMA Foundation's Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (EPOs) project. In that role, he will provide leadership and staff support for the growth and further development of the Network. With experience as a policy advocate and community activist, Mr. Tai will assist the Network and the individual EPOs to increase the effectiveness of their policy advocacy and community health activities.

Prior to joining the CMA Foundation in August 2003, he was Director of Policy for the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national advocacy organization that promotes policy, program and research efforts to improve the health and well being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Mr. Tai has practiced law for nearly twenty years, most recently as Senior Associate Counsel at Blue Shield of California. He's a graduate of Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). In addition to his law background, Mr. Tai earned a public health masters in health planning and policy from the Johns Hopkins University and has conducted research at the Hastings Center in New York