"Our success depends on our relationships - our relationships with each other, with our communities, with policy makers, and with funders." Rolland C. Lowe, MD.

The participants of 2003 Ethnic Physician Organization Summit were welcomed by Dr. Rolland C. Lowe, Chair of the Board of the CMA Foundation and Past President of the CMA. Dr. Lowe captured the spirit of the development of the Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations, remarking on his interviews of over 100 ethnic physicians to gather data for the first Summit. The interviews reinforced his understanding of the importance and the meaning of partnership and increased his understanding of the values shared by ethnic physicians and their organizations all across California.

Michael Sexton, MD, President of the CMA, added his welcome on behalf of the Association. He remarked on the importance of the partnership between the CMA and ethnic physicians especially in addressing such important health issues as Proposition 54, Medi-Cal access issues, and SB 2, the employer pay-or-play health reform legislation. He called for ethnic physicians to bring their strong voice to health policy issues and to support the efforts of the CMA to strengthen its relationships with their organizations.

In her welcoming remarks, Carol Lee, President and CEO of the CMA Foundation, updated participants on the progress that has been achieved since the previous Summit. Ms. Lee reported on the new funding that had been secured and on the hiring of Ernie Tai as the Director of the EPO project. Mr. Tai is an experienced health advocate who was previously employed by the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum in San Francisco as that organization's Policy Director. Ms Lee also reported that the EPO website had been completed and was already receiving "hits" from all over the United States.