The March installment of our Member Spotlight series features Richard Shih-Shien Chou, MD, MBA, FASA, CPE, nominated by David Provenzano, MD. Dr. Chou is a staff anesthesiologist at San Joaquin General Hospital.

“Dr. Chou currently serves as the alternate delegate to the AMA House of Delegates and his enthusiasm, knowledge, and determination continues to impress us,” Dr. Provenzano states. “He has a true understanding of how to represent ASRA Pain Medicine and move the society forward at the AMA level.”

Dr. Chou completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of California San Francisco in 2015, followed by an executive MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in 2019. Dr Chou is also a certified physician-executive through the American Association of Healthcare Leaders and fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He currently serves as the President-Elect of the Napa-Solano County Medical Society and a delegate to the California Medical Association. He also serves as member-at-large for the clinical leadership committee for California Association of Healthcare Leaders. 

Before his anesthesiology residency, Dr. Chou’s notable experiences include being a US Navy flight surgeon taking care of Navy fighter pilots for Training Air Wing Two; a flight surgeon, senior medical officer, and department head for Branch Medical Clinic Point MUGU; a NASA contingency flight surgeon and flight lead for Human Space Flight Support, 45 Operations Group/Det-3 supporting astronauts of the space shuttle program during liftoff and landing missions; and senior flight surgeon for Strike Fighter Squadron One-Twenty-Two, flying in F-18 Super Hornets. He has flown over 500 hours in military aircraft.

As a member of ASRA Pain Medicine since 2019, Dr. Chou reviews and votes on health care policy as the alternate delegate to the American Medical Association Congress. He is also a member-at-large for the Practice Management Committee, and the Advocacy and Regulatory Committee.