Orange County Medical Association honors UC Irvine physicians
Dr. Shalini Shah becomes first Orange County Medical Association president from UCI Health
July 12, 2024
Dr. Shalini Shah specializes in the management and treatment of adult and pediatric pain.
Orange, Calif. ― UCI Health is pleased to announce Dr. Shalini Shah has been appointed as the president of the Orange County Medical Association (OCMA), marking a historic moment for UCI Health. Shah is the first physician from UCI Health to serve as the president of OCMA. Dr. Phyllis Agran, professor emeritus in the UC Irvine School of Medicine, was named 2024 Physician of the Year.
The 135th OCMA Installation of Officers took place in late June at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Outgoing president Dr. William Woo presided over the beginning of the dinner before passing the leadership reins over to Shah.
"It is an incredible honor to serve as the president of OCMA. In the 135 years of the OCMA organization, this is the first time that a UCI physician has held the role leading OC's healthcare mission as president of the organization. This role underscores the high level of expertise and dedication that UCI Health physicians bring to our community every day and where we are going in the future,” said Shah.
“I am committed to continuing our tradition of excellence and advancing healthcare standards for all."
This achievement also highlights the exceptional caliber of UCI Health physicians and their unwavering commitment to providing top-tier medical care to the community.
Advancing the standards of care
UCI Health and UC Irvine School of Medicine comprise one of California’s largest academic health systems, dedicated to scientific discovery, clinical innovation and advancing standards of care while providing access to world-class care.
Physicians and leaders such as Shah and Agran reflect UC Irvine’s commitment to excellence and improving the health of our communities.
The OCMA’s Physician of the Year award was established in 1983 to recognize an Orange County physician whose career exemplifies extraordinary professional ability and a commitment to their patients and colleagues.
Previously honored as OCMA Physician of the Year are UCI Health clinician Dr. Alpesh N. Amin in 2022, geriatrician Dr. Lisa Gibbs in 2017, and psychiatrist Dr. Rimal Bera in 2014. In addition, the association annually recognizes Physicians of Excellence. For 2024, UCI Health had more Physicians of Excellence listed than any other Orange County health system.
Shah has served as an OCMA board member since 2018. Amin also serves on the board.
Leading pain management specialist
Shah specializes in the management and treatment of adult and pediatric pain. She has extensive training in managing chronic pain conditions in children, specifically in head and neck pain, abdominal pain and pain related to cancer, scoliosis or spasticity disorders.
She is also a professor and vice chair of the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Shah is the recipient of the ASRA Chronic Pain Grant Award in 2017 for her landmark work in onabotulinumtoxinA (BOTOX®) use in pediatric migraine pain. She has been featured in Time Magazine, The Doctors, NBC Nightly News, Business Insider and is a frequent guest on NPR on the topic of safe pain care options.
Shah is strongly committed to pain advocacy and healthcare regulatory reform both in the state of California and nationally to improve healthcare experiences for patients.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system based in Orange County. UCI Health is comprised of its main campus, UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Listed among America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
