Update: It’s with a heavy heart that we announce Dr. Ronald H. Lewis passed away on November 14, 2023.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) is proud to recognize Ronald H. Lewis, MD, FACP, a UAPD member of 15 years for his exemplary service throughout his career.
From 2008 to 2018, Ron was a physician for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at Ironwood State Prison dedicated to providing lifesaving healthcare services to the state’s incarcerated population. Prior to his career in the public sector, he worked in urgent care and emergency room settings in Palm Springs, CA, and the surrounding areas, along with San Diego, CA, and San Francisco, CA.
Throughout his tenure as a state employee, Ron served as an Expert Medical Reviewer on the Medical Board of California from 1995 to 2013. The mission of the Medical Board is to review the facts of medical cases cases and uphold medical practices to maintain the standard of patient care. Ron was then appointed as a member of the Medical Board of California in August 2013 by former Governor Jerry Brown and served as secretary from 2016 to 2018 and as vice president from 2018 to 2021. He was the first union physician and the first publicly employed member of the medical board.
“Our physicians needed to have an advocate on the board who understood both the roles and responsibilities of being publicly and privately employed. Patient safety is of paramount importance as it is a Mission of the Medical Board of California. I was honored to fill that role and be the voice for publicly employed physicians,” Ron said.
As an active union member, he joined the bargaining committee for contract negotiations with the state of California (BU16) in 2016. His involvement aided the bargaining committee in securing a contract that improved the benefits, wages, and working conditions of state-employed doctors.
Ron served as the President of the Board for the State Employed Physicians Association (SEPA) while serving on the UAPD board of directors in various positions. In 2022, he was elected treasurer where he works in conjunction with executive leadership to determine operating costs and budget.
He has also served on the Respiratory Care Board of California from 2013 to 2023.
Ron is currently working part-time examining veterans who are unable to leave their home.
Ron is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and obtained his medical education at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He received his medical training at the University of Pittsburgh and finished his internal medicine residency at St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center in San Francisco.