At this weekend’s House of Delegates, the California Medical Association (CMA) Young Physicians Section (YPS) named Los Angeles urological surgeon Vito Imbasciani, M.D., the 2020 recipient of the YPS Young at Heart Award for his commitment to helping young physicians become tomorrow’s leaders.

Dr. Imbasciani—who currently serves as secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs—is a community leader, educator, LGBTQ rights advocate and mentor, who has devoted his career to public service and the health of all Californians.

“He is always engaging the newest generation and encouraging young physicians to pursue leadership and advocacy,” said YPS Chair Alex McDonald, M.D., who presented the award. “He is a role model for all physicians and is well deserving of this award.”

Dr. Imbasciani served as a member of the CMA Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2015 and is past-president of the Los Angeles County Medical Association and the California Urologic Association. He is currently a member of the CMA House of Delegates and CMA’s new Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) committee.

Dr. Imbasciani previously served as surgeon in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1986 to 2014 and as state surgeon for the California National Guard from 2006 to 2014. He also served on the Board of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group from 2003-2013, and was its Director of Government Relations from 2007-2015.

Dr. Imbasciani received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and has Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in musicology from Cornell University.