Kaiser Permanente Riverside area medical director to speak at CBU Oct. 15

(RIVERSIDE, Oct. 10, 2012) - Dr. Richard Rajaratnam, area medical director of Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center, will be the featured speaker Oct. 15 as part of California Baptist University's 2012-2013 Allied Health Distinguished Speaker Series. The series is sponsored by Riverside Community Hospital.

Rajaratnam will present "Health Care Reform: Benefits, Challenges and Where Next?" at 6 p.m. in the CBU Business Building Innovator's Auditorium.

"Dr. Rajaratnam will bring forth ideas on an extremely crucial topic – health care reform," said Dr. Charles Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health. "Everyone has an interest in health care, and thus should have interest in health care reform. Therefore, hearing from Dr. Rajaratnam, a well-respected medical professional, will be of benefit to many."

Sands said the series is designed to advance participants' understanding of current local and national issues and trends and how they relate to the promotion of health.

Rajaratnam serves as area medical director for the Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center. A graduate of the University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine in Sri Lanka, Rajaratnam completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine in Sri Lanka, University of London Medical College St. Bartholomew's Hospital and St. Agnes HealthCare in Baltimore, Md. He also completed his residency in otolaryngology at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Rajaratnam is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Quality.

The next speaker in the series will be Dr. Dan Anderson, president and CEO of Riverside Community Health Foundation, who will present "Engaging Community in Better Health" on Nov. 12.

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