The 3rd Ethnic Physician Organization Summit, held October 25-26, 2003 in Oakland, California, brought together more than 75 ethnic physician leaders, community health leaders, academics and policy makers for two days of networking, sharing of ideas and strategies, and discussion of the future development of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations.

The Summit maintained the successful agenda and structure of the first and second Summits. It began with a critical assessment of the progress the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations has made since their first Summit in June 2002. Participants heard their colleagues report on successful programs and practices implemented by the Ethnic Physician Organizations in the areas of mentoring, advocacy, and organization development. Highlights of the presentations included:

Assemblymember Wilma Chan (D-Oakland) discussed the implications of the current budget crisis on health issues and encouraged the Network to quickly engage Governor Schwarzenegger's new administration as a collective policy voice.

Wilma Wooten, MD recounted the history and accomplishments of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations. Hector Flores, MD discussed the importance of the Network maintaining a nonpartisan approach to policy and encouraging diversity of opinions among the Ethnic Physician Organizations.

Drs. Margaret Juarez, California Latino Medical Association (CaLMA), Jacqueline Long, Golden State Medical Association, James Wesley Vines Jr., MD Medical Society, and Lene Martinez, Philippine Medical Society of Northern California reported on Model Practices of their respective organizations. CaLMA has developed a comprehensive mentoring program that provides informs, encourages, and supports students through all stages of their education from secondary school through medical school. Dr. Long described the policy advocacy effort undertaken by the J.W. Vines Medical Society to make the Biomedical Sciences Program at the University of California at Riverside more responsive to African American students. Dr. Martinez described the evolution of the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California from a social organization to a formally constituted non-profit organization that makes significant contributions to the health of Filipinos in the United States and in the Philippines.

As with the previous Summits, breakout sessions were held that focused on peer-to-peer information sharing and capacity building:

The session, "Working with Health Plans to Provide Care in a Multicultural Community," provided an opportunity for health plans and ethnic physicians to discuss this topic from their respective perspectives. Representatives from the health plans described the programs and services they have developed. Ethnic physicians voiced some of their frustrations with health plan policies and procedures and offered several recommendations for streamlining approvals, claims submissions and other administrative tasks.

Drs. Michael A. LeNoir and Richard Allen Williams discussed the problem of our lack of understanding of racial and ethnic differences in response to medicines and provided recommendations to increase the participation of people of color in clinical trials.

Sandy Close, Executive Director of New California Media presented the results of an opinion survey of 1200 immigrants on their attitudes toward and experience with California's health care system. Ms. Close reported that health is rated as the number one issue of California immigrants and that many have faced poor health outcomes as a result of an inability to communicate effectively with their healthcare providers.

Drs. Ulysses Carbajal and Ralph Kuon reported on their experiences planning and conducting medical missions to the Philippines and Peru, respectively. They identified the keys to successful missions and the benefits the missions generate for the participants from the United States, as well as for the people and physicians of the host country.

Other presentations throughout the two-day event included updates on the defeat of Proposition 54 by Carmen Nevarez, MD, MPH and on the continuing impact of the health care crisis in Los Angeles on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drew Medical School and Hospital presented by Arthur Fleming, MD. The conference's dinner featured a talk on culture, cultural competence and institutional racism by Jose Luis Calderon, MD.

On the second day of the Summit, ethnic physician leaders developed recommendations for the further development of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations and how the Network could support their efforts to address health issues in their communities.