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Vanila Mathur Singh
Born
Vanila Mathur

Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley, George Washington University Medical Center
Occupation(s)Physician, educator
Years active1990s-present
EmployerStanford University
Political partyRepublican Party
Board member ofCalifornia Medical Association, Santa Clara County Medical Association
Websitevanilasingh.com

Vanila Singh is an American physician and professor with involvement in United States health policy.[1] Singh was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 2014.[2] Early in her career she taught at UCLA Medical Center,[3] and she is currently an associate professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford University Medical Center.[4] On June 12, 2017,[5] she was appointed the chief medical officer to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[6]

With various Republican Party endorsements,[7] in early 2014 Singh announced a campaign against incumbent Mike Honda to represent California's 17th congressional district (Silicon Valley) in the US House of Representatives.[2] In the primaries Singh came in third, with the race receiving attention[8] in the national press.[9][10][11][1] In August 2014, Neel Kashkari named Singh the chairperson of the Indo American Coalition during his campaign for the governorship of California.[12][13] In 2016, the press reported that Singh was serving as a California delegate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.[14]

Singh is vice chairman of the National Physicians Council on Health Policy. She is also on the California Medical Association among other organizations, and in 2016 she was named to the editorial board of Interventional Pain Letters.[15] For 2016 and 2017, she was named chair of the professional standards/conduct committee of the Santa Clara County Medical Association.[16]

Early life and education

Vanila M. Singh was born in Bikaner, India. Her name is an amalgam of the Sanskrit words for "earth" or "world." When Singh was one year old[17] when her parents Lalit and Leela Mathur[3] immigrated to the United States.[18] The family moved to California when she was four years old,[17] and she spent her youth in Fremont, California,[10] attending Niles Elementary School, Centerville Junior High School, and Washington High School.[13] During her childhood her parents helped establish the Hindu Temple in Fremont, also founding the Rajasthani Association of North America.[17]

Singh was accepted to the University of California, Berkeley where she double-majored in economics and molecular and cell biology.[13] Graduating with a B.S.,[4] she then moved to Washington, D.C. to become a medical student at the George Washington University Medical Center.[3] She graduated from George Washington University with an M.D. in medicine.[4]

Career

Medical roles

Singh completed her initial medical internship at Yale University Medical Center in 1997 and 1998. An anesthesia resident at Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan from 1998 until 2001, from 2001 until 2002 she was a pain management fellow in various locations, including Cornell University, Columbia Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.[4] She is double-certified in anesthesia and pain management from the American Board of Anesthesiology.[15] After serving as a clinical assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center,[3] she became a clinical associate professor at Stanford University Medical School[17] for anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine.[4] An expert in ultrasound-guided interventional procedures for pain and regional anesthesiology, Singh earned a Masters of Academic Medicine from University of Southern California.[15]

Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Singh was named Chief Medical Officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on June 12, 2017. Serving as the primary medical advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health on the development and implementation of HHS-wide public health policy recommendations.[19]

As CMO Dr. Singh was integral in the launch of the National Pain Strategy, the government's first broad-ranging effort to improve how pain is perceived, assessed and treated. "The opioid epidemic is impacting men and women of all communities, including Indian-Americans. Having been a clinical professor of anesthesiology at Stanford and specializing in chronic pain issues for many years, I have seen it from close up and have the necessary skills to address it," Dr. Singh said.[20] The Task Force, also chaired by Dr. Singh, consists of representatives from relevant HHS agencies, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The Task Force, which was authorized by section 101 of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 - PDF, is assigned the following responsibilities:

  • Determining whether there are gaps or inconsistencies in pain management best practices among federal agencies;
  • Proposing updates to best practices and recommendations on addressing gaps or inconsistencies;
  • Providing the public with an opportunity to comment on any proposed updates and recommendation.

The Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force released a draft report on December 30, 2018. The report was lauded by multiple groups including the American Council on Health & Science, The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. ASA President Linda Mason, M.D., FASA was quoted, “ASA commends Vanila Singh, M.D., the Chair of the Task Force and the Tasks Force members for their leadership on this important public health issue and for putting forth these comprehensive recommendations... We applaud the Task Force for its emphasis on the importance of multimodal approaches for perioperative pain, including highlighting models like the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH)." [21]

Additionally, Dr. Singh was named to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. A 14 member group established in November 2017, the panel was "established by the 21st Century Cures Act to improve federal coordination of efforts related to tick-borne diseases; the members' job is to review all HHS efforts related to tick-borne diseases, examine research priorities, and identify unmet needs."[22]

2014 campaign and platform

In January 2014[3] she challenged incumbent Mike Honda, a Democrat, to represent California's 17th congressional district (Silicon Valley) in the 2014 midterm elections. She was the first Republican-endorsed candidate to enter the race leading up to the June 3, 2014 open primaries held to select the two main candidates for the official elections in November.[17] She filed the paperwork for her candidacy on December 26,[17][3] and within a month had raised around USD$100,000.[2] Although new to politics, Singh had previously supported politicians such as Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, the first Hindu member of the House of Representatives.[3] On January 17, 2014, The South Asian Times reported that "observers believe… Singh could combine support from Republicans, women and Indian Americans to come in at No. 2 [in the district election]."[3] An early poll in March 2014 indicated Singh ahead of Democratic challenger Ro Khanna and behind Honda.[23] According to The Mercury News, after Singh announced her candidacy "Khanna spent big before the primary, even airing television ads, in trying to ensure Singh didn't peel away too many 'anyone but Honda' votes."[24] As campaign points[2] she focused on topics such as healthcare reform.[10] Criticizing the "totally political"[7] Affordable Care Act, she drew attention to the lack of physician involvement in the drafting of the legislation, arguing it needed to be overhauled or shut down.[3] Her campaign had led to a "sudden flowering of old-style urban ward politics in and around San Jose" with new candidates.[9] Receiving the endorsement of the Santa Clara and Alameda Republican Party.[7] House Republicans including congressmen Pete Sessions and Eric Cantor also came out in her support, and she was named "one to watch" by the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.[7]

Primary results and political roles

Voters began casting ballots by mail on May 3,[7] and on May 5, 2014, Singh published an op-ed on school choice in The Mercury News.[18] On May 14, 2014, Singh held a campaign event at her headquarters that included press and gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari.[25] Around that time, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that some of "Honda's supporters in the labor movement have also been donating to [Singh] in hopes of boosting her into second place and knocking Khanna out of a runoff."[26] On June 3, 2014 The Washington Post included Singh on their "she the people" list of women to watch.[11] On June 4, 2014, Honda and Ro Khanna were the top finishers in the election, followed by Singh with 16 percent of the vote.[8]

In August 2014, Neel Kashkari named Singh the chair of his "Indo American Coalition team." Kashkari at the time was campaigning against incumbent California governor and incumbent Jerry Brown,[12] with Singh supporting Kashkari in press statements.[13] On July 18, 2016, the press reported that Singh was serving as a California delegate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena.[14] In September, the Economic Times also reported that she was "actively working with national lawmakers on health policy issues."[1] In November 2016, Singh was named by India West as one of 2017 Asian-American women "trailblazers" in the annual "Saris for Suits" calendar.[27] On June 12, 2017,[5] she was appointed the chief medical officer to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[6] She has since co-published several government papers on dealing with the opioid crisis.[28]

Boards and committees

In 2016 she joined the editorial board of Interventional Pain Letters, and she serves on the health and information technology council of the California Medical Association. She is a member of the Ultrasound Committee of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, as well as the Scientific Planning Committee of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia. She also serves as vice chairman of the National Physicians Council on Health Policy.[15]

For 2016 and 2017, she was named chair of the professional standards/conduct committee of the Santa Clara County Medical Association.[16]

Election results

California's 17th congressional district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mike Honda (incumbent) 43,607 48.2
Democratic Ro Khanna 25,384 28.0
Republican Vanila Singh 15,359 17.0
Republican Joel VanLandingham 6,154 6.8
Total votes 90,504 100.0

Personal life

A resident of the Bay Area of California, Singh is married[17] with two children.[18]

See also

Honors and Awards

Honor - Leadership Panel
June 2019 Gentry Women in Tech

Presidential Commendation - Leadership
March 2019 American Academy of Pain Medicine

Recognition Award
January 2019 American Society of Pain Management Nursing

Visionary Leader Award
October 2018 National Spine and Pain

Recognition Award
August 2018 Maryland Society of Anesthesiology

Lifetime Achievement Award
March 2018 American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/congratulations-2018-asipp-award-winners.1300432/

Teaching Scholars Award
July 2012 Stanford University School of Medicine: Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

References

  1. ^ a b c Duttagupta, Ishani (September 18, 2016), "With US election day round the corner, desi techies in Silicon Valley talk politics", The Economic Times, retrieved March 19, 2017
  2. ^ a b c d Marinucci, Carla (January 14, 2014), "Silicon Valley Republican raises $100K for House run", SF Gate, retrieved March 19, 2017
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dr Vanila Singh joins contentious Silicon Valley House race", South Asian Times, Forsythe Media Group, January 17, 2014, retrieved March 19, 2017
  4. ^ a b c d e "With demographics shifting, Congressman Mike Honda faces political challenge of his life", East Bay Times, May 17, 2014, retrieved March 19, 2017
  5. ^ a b "Vanila M. Singh M.D., MACM". HHS.gov. 7 July 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Notable People". News Center.
  7. ^ a b c d e Marinucci, Carla (April 25, 2014), "Vanila Singh uses odd tactics in Silicon Valley House race", SFGate, retrieved March 19, 2017
  8. ^ a b Silicon Valley Rep. Mike Honda, Challenger Ro Khanna Advance To November Election, CBS San Francisco, June 3, 2014, retrieved March 19, 2017
  9. ^ a b Klein, Joe (May 15, 2014), "California's New Jungle Primary System", Time, retrieved March 19, 2017
  10. ^ a b c Duttagupta, Ishani (February 16, 2014), "Ro Khanna vs Vanila Singh: Indian-Americans may clash for a Congressional seat in Silicon Valley", The Economic Times, retrieved March 19, 2017
  11. ^ a b Henderson, Nia-Malika (June 3, 2014), "The women to watch for in Tuesday's primary battles", Washington Post, retrieved March 19, 2017
  12. ^ a b Sohrabji, Sunita (August 25, 2014), "Neel Kashkari Names Vanila Singh to Head Coalition", India-West, retrieved March 19, 2017
  13. ^ a b c d "Vanila Singh to Head Republican Candidate Neel Kashkari's Coalition Team", India.com, September 5, 2014, retrieved March 19, 2017
  14. ^ a b Anthony, Laura (July 18, 2016), Contentious no-vote against Trump leads off RNC, ABC News, retrieved March 19, 2017
  15. ^ a b c d Bio - Vanila Singh, Stanford University, retrieved June 8, 2017
  16. ^ a b 2016-2017 SCCMA Committees, Santa Clara County Medical Association, 2017, retrieved March 19, 2017
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Dutt, Ela (2014), "Another Physician Enters Race for Congress in California", New India Times, retrieved March 26, 2017
  18. ^ a b c Singh, Vanila (May 5, 2014), "Dr. Vanila Singh: School choice is the key to student success", Mercury News, retrieved March 26, 2017
  19. ^ https://www.hhs.gov/ash/about-ash/leadership/vanila-m-singh/index.html
  20. ^ https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2018/05/01/members-appointed-new-pain-management-best-practices-inter-agency-task-force.html
  21. ^ "https://www.newswise.com/articles/asa-commends-hhs-pain-taskforce-recommendations-to-address-safe-opioid-use-and-multimodal-approaches-to-control-pain"
  22. ^ https://ohsonline.com/articles/2017/11/30/lyme-disease-experts-appointed.aspx
  23. ^ "Ro Khanna trails behind Mike Honda, Vanila Singh: Poll", The Indian Eye, March 7, 2014, retrieved March 26, 2017
  24. ^ Richman, Josh (November 19, 2015), "Fremont Republican enters race to unseat Rep. Mike Honda", Mercury News, retrieved March 26, 2017
  25. ^ Mason, Melanie (May 14, 2014), "In Silicon Valley, Kashkari touts GOP's inclusivity", Los Angeles Times, retrieved March 27, 2017
  26. ^ Green, Joshua (June 3, 2014), "A Bitter Silicon Valley Primary Shows Democrats Squabble, Too", Bloomberg, retrieved March 27, 2017
  27. ^ Rathore, Reena (November 4, 2016), "Former CNN News Anchor Patti Tripathi Releases 'Saris to Suits' Calendar to Empower South Asian Women - Updated", India West, retrieved March 26, 2017
  28. ^ "Advancing the Practice of Pain Management HHS Opioid Strategy". HHS.gov. 1 November 2017.
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