An Ode to Trailblazing Women in Medicine Earlier this year, SCCMA requested that our community nominate trailblazing women who’ve demonstrated fearless creativity and innovation in healthcare leadership, research, education, medical practice, and community service. We were floored by your submissions. Below are your SCCMA Woman Trailblazers, in the words of their nominees.
Suchada Nopachai, MD Physician | Kaiser Permanente
Nominated by: Colleague, Sharon Ngo Tran | Community Engagement Manager | Kaiser Permanente
The Trailblazing Woman I’m Nominating is a: Ruckus-maker, Change-maker, Altruist What strikes you most about this person? I first met Dr. Suchada Nopachai when she volunteered to teach a group of at-risk high school youth from the Eastside Union High School District hands only CPR. She’s a humble physician with a sparkle in her eyes as she taught this interactive class. It was inspiring to learn how she turned her almost personal tragedy and into a monumental calling. I am putting forth Dr. Suchada Nopachai as my nominee for the TRAILBLAZING WOMEN IN MEDICINE award because of all the work she’s done in just 5 years with the California Medical Association, local schools, fire departments, the American Heart Association, and other entities around education of the life saving hands only CPR training. She is a ruckus maker and catalyzed change in putting forth a law to ensure that teachers and staff of K-12 and high school students all over California are CPR trained. She is an altruist in empowering all, even our youth, with the tools to save lives. She has made a huge impact to our community and society and continues to drive that message every day in her passion.
Tell us a story about something extraordinary this woman has done. Dr. Suchada Nopachai, a gynecologic surgeon at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, took an almost personal tragedy and turned it into a greater calling. In 2014, her then 4 year old son suddenly collapsed into cardiac arrest while playing in a park. She administered CPR and immediately rushed him to Kaiser Permanente San Jose, where he would fully recover. Following this event, Dr. Nopachai wrote to the California Medical Association (CMA) advocating that all teachers and staff of K-12 and high school students be CPR trained. This resolution was passed and she helped push it forward to becoming California law. Because of her efforts, bill AB 1719 mandates that all public and charter high schools require a course in health education for graduation to include instruction in performing hands-only CPR. This work has become her passion and not only has she helped implement CPR recertification training for physicians, piloted a program with the American Heart Association that provides infant CPR kids and training to new moms with premature or health-compromised babies, but can be found training students all across the bay area. She saw an opportunity for positive change and her impactful work may double or triple a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.
Tanya Spirtos, MD
OBGYN| Stanford’s Women’s Care Medical Group Nominated by: Colleague, Cindy Russell, MD | Palo Alto Medical Foundation
The Trailblazing Woman I’m Nominating is a: Altruist What strikes you most about this person? Her persistent calm stability and fairness in the face of conflict or chaos. Tell us a story about something extraordinary this The Bulletin | 5
