At the California Medical Association’s (CMA) annual House of Delegates (HOD) meeting, Sacramento OB/GYN Ruth Haskins, M.D., was selected as the association's President-Elect. She will serve in this capacity for one year and will be installed as president at the conclusion of next year's HOD.

“I am thrilled to have been elected to become CMA president and cannot wait to positively contribute to ensure this wonderful organization, and the doctors it represents, continues to move closer to achieving its full potential,"" said Dr. Haskins.

As one of her main goals, Dr. Haskins plans during her term to encourage the active participation of all CMA members by optimizing the year-round process of policy-making.

"I encourage all physicians to incorporate health advocacy as an integral part of the practice of medicine," said Dr. Haskins. "I encourage doctors to look at health advocacy as an outlet for enhancing their passion for practicing medicine by the empowerment gained by speaking out in the political arena."

Dr. Haskins attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She was selected in 1980 for a Health Professions Scholarship Program position and while in medical school began active duty in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Upon graduation, she reported to the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, for training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the rank of Captain.

Dr. Haskins completed her four-year residency and was transferred to Scott Air Force Base Medical Center in Illinois. She was promoted to Major in 1991, and was involved in the military’s readiness campaign during Desert Storm and Desert Shield. In 1992 she was appointed Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scott Air Force Base.

From 1997 through 2008 Dr. Haskins was an Associate Professor at the University of California, Davis. There, she initiated a course in legislative advocacy that grew into an annual lobby day for OB/GYN residents, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Today, Dr. Haskins has a very busy solo practice in the Sacramento area. She has been a member of CMA and the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society for 22 years, serving a CMA trustee from 2013 to 2015 and as chair of the CMA Council on Legislation from 2010 to 2013. She has been an active delegate representing the voice of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the House of Delegates for over 20 years.

“Now I look forward to being the voice for all doctors and an advocate for all patients of California," she said.