Board of Trustees and Officers 2024

Wes Fifield

Chair

Wes Fifield has served on the Board of Trustees since July 2017 and was elected Vice Chair in 2020 and Chair in 2022. He is the Owner of Panorama Development and serves on the board of various community organizations including the Upland School Board, the Highlander Educational Foundation, and the Scheu Family YMCA.

Sohan Bassi, M.D.

Vice Chair

Sohan Bassi, M.D. has been a Trustee since January 2016 and was elected Secretary in 2019. He was President of the Medical Staff in 2004 and served as an ex officio Board member from 2003 through 2005. Dr. Bassi is the President/Partner for Foothills Infectious Disease Medical Group, Inc. He joined the San Antonio Regional Hospital Medical Staff in 1992 and is the Medical Advisor of Infectious Diseases for San Antonio. He is board certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine and is a member of several Infectious Disease organizations.

Dora Barilla, DRPH

Secretary

Dora Barilla has served on the Board of Trustees since February 2020. During her 30 year health care career, she has served as chair and founder of Partners for Better Health, a not-for-profit organization promoting community health initiatives, and co-founder and president of the national consultancy group HC2 Strategies. Dr. Barilla is Vice President of Community Health Investment at Providence St. Joseph Health.

Victor Ching, M.D.

Treasurer

Dr. Ching has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since September 2017. He has been a member of San Antonio Urology Medical Group since 1983. During his tenure, he served as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees from 2008 through 2010 including and was President of the Medical Staff in 2009. He is a member of numerous organizations including the American Urological Association and the Inland Empire Foundation for Medical Care.

John T. Chapman

President and Chief Executive Officer

John T. Chapman joined the hospital as Chief Operating Officer in October 2018 and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2020. He is a microbiologist by training previously served as Chief Operations / Administrative Officer at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA and also led the clinical and support services for the Alameda Health System.

Ali Heidari, D.O.

President of Medical Staff

Dr. Heidari is an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees, serving a three year term that expires December 2025. He was appointed to the San Antonio Medical Staff in 1997. He is Board Certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery specializing in plastic surgery, hand surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

Steven Barag, D.O.

Past President of the Medical Staff

A Board Certified Family Physician and Master Preceptor in Medical Education. Dr. Barag has been In active private practice for 48 years with no plan on retiring. Residing in Rancho Cucamonga for the past 30 years, all of his children were born at SARH and his right hip was replaced here. His goal is to serve SARH, the community of physicians, our patients and influence the future of healthcare through Graduate Medical Education.

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Basim Abdelkarim, M.D.

President-Elect of Medical Staff

Basim Abdelkarim, M.D., is an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees, serving a three year term that expires in December 2026. Dr. Abdelkarim is a Board Certified Gastroenterologist and was appointed to the Medical Staff of San Antonio in 2010. Dr. Abdelkarim earned his degree at University of California, Irvine and is a Southern California native. He has also served as Chief of Staff at Kindred Rancho and Director of Gastroenterology at Casa Colina Hospital.

Al Arguello

Al Arguello

Trustee

Mr. Arguello has served on the Board of Trustees since January 2019. He is a 50-year veteran with Bank of America and currently serves as Sr. Vice President and Inland Empire Market President for San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Mr. Arguello has served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations and he is presently a board member of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Rancho Cucamonga Community and Arts Foundation, Inland Empire Economic Partnership, and Monday Morning Group of Riverside. He is also on the Dean’s Advisory Board of the UCR School of Business Administration, a member of the Steering Committee of the Micro Enterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California and a past board member of the San Antonio Hospital Foundation.

Deborah Freund

Deborah Freund, Ph.D.

Trustee

Deborah Freund has served on the Board of Trustees since January 2016. She is President Emerita of Claremont Graduate University where she was President from 2010-2015 and currently serves as a University Professor there. Dr. Freund is a current member of numerous Boards, professional and civic organizations including Cedars-Sinai Health System, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and the advisory board to the University of California Riverside School of Medicine. She has written more than 100 articles and chapters, two books, and is an internationally-recognized health economist.

Susan Leonis-Jensen

Susan Leonis-Jensen

Trustee

Susan Leonis-Jensen has served on the Board of Trustees since April, 2017. She is a current Board member of the Leonis Family Foundation, past Board member of the Hospital Foundation and the National Charity League, Inc.

Mary Lopez

Mary Lopez, RN, MSN, PHD

Trustee

Mary Lopez has served on the Board of Trustees since July 2020. Dr. Lopez currently serves as the Dean of the College of Graduate Nursing at Western University. She has practiced in a variety of nursing settings over the past 25+ years and has been teaching second career students since 2004 in both pre-licensure and graduate levels. Dr. Lopez is certified as a public health nurse and a legal nurse consultant.

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Bob Mendez

Trustee

Bob Mendez has served on the Board of Trustees since July 2020. Mr. Mendez currently serves as a Business Administration Professor at Whittier College. He was an accomplished television industry attorney who held senior-level positions with global entertainment companies managing business affairs, legal affairs, contract administration, as well as serving as chief diversity officer.

bob-mendez

Devorah Lieberman

Trustee

Devorah Lieberman has served on the Board of Trustees since July of 2024. Devorah Lieberman continues to contribute to higher education and the region through Lieberman & Associates. Her clients include: Phoenix Philanthropy, The International Association of University Presidents, The American Council on Education, and several executive coaching clients.

Trustee Emeritus

Anderson
Richard Anderson
Milhiser
James Milhiser
Estes
Coy Estes
Cummins
Charles Cummins
Sherwood
Robert Sherwood
Dwight 
Dwight Bert

 


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