Patient autonomy is paramount to the oath that we take when we enter the profession of medicine. That is why I am appalled when the federal government gets between my patients and their right to the full range of medical information and complete access to health care.

My job as a physician is to make sure I have provided my patients with the best options to make the decisions that affect their lives.

I was born and raised in California and benefited from California's excellent public schools, from kindergarten through medical school.

Just like you can't cure a patient without listening to what he's feeling, you can't cure a nation without hearing what the people are really asking for.

If you want to do things right, you have to dig deep for that inspiration.

People are learning to feel more comfortable hearing one another's dreams. It used to be that if you told a dream in public, someone had to make a joke to relieve the tension introduced by that alternative reality.

My wife and family, to say the least, are the center of my life; they are my grounding. I don't want to sound schmaltzy, but they are my inspiration and you name it.

I hope my story inspires everyone out there to keep hustling and chasing their dreams.