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Before he joined Congress, Rep. Raul Ruiz, a Democrat from California, worked in another chaotic environment: the emergency department. Today, he says, he tries to bring his background in medicine and public health to policymaking. In particular, he has turned his attention to a shortage of infectious disease physicians that threatens U.S. preparedness for the next pandemic.

“As an emergency physician practicing during the H1N1 pandemic, I know how busy the front lines can be, and I know how important infectious disease doctors are to helping us with diagnosis, with decisions, with administrations, with follow-ups, and also reporting to local agencies. And so that’s why I’m so passionate about this issue,” he told me on this week’s episode of the “First Opinion Podcast.”

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We also discussed what it’s like to be a doctor in Congress: “I’m seeing my policy being implemented and its effect in improving the lives of our patients. And that to me is why I’m here,” he said.

Our conversation was based on his recent First Opinion essay, “The infectious disease doctor shortage threatens future pandemic preparedness.”

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