Robert E. Wailes, M.D., a Southern California pain specialist and board-certified anesthesiologist, is the immediate past president of the California Medical Association.

He has served as president of the San Diego County Medical Society; represents the American Academy of Pain Medicine at the American Medical Association; and is the founder, co-owner and medical director of Pacific Pain Medicine Group in Oceanside and Encinitas. He has also served as Chair and Vice Chair of the CMA Board of Trustees.

He is also an active member of the medical staff at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and recently became medical director for the Ketamine Research Institute.

Dr. Wailes earned his M.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina and holds a bachelor’s degree in public finance and pre-medical sciences from UC Berkeley. He completed an internship at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego in 1982 and his residency at UCSD Medical Center in 1984.

Dr. Wailes has been providing pain medicine services in Southern California for the past 30 years, and has lived with his family in Carlsbad since starting his practice in 1984. He is an avid sports enthusiast who loves to travel.