Physicians of Excellence

Starting in 2004, the Orange County Medical Association, in partnership with Orange Coast Magazine, launched its "Physicians of Excellence" program, the purpose of which was to "honor outstanding physicians in Orange County" through a fair and unbiased selection process. Guidelines were created and a nomination and evaluation process instituted that included leaders in the local healthcare community. Importantly, this included OCMA and non-OCMA members, and precluded members of the selection committee from judging the application of any physician with whom they had a personal relationship.

In order to be considered for selection, physicians must first meet a set of four baseline criteria. They must:
٭Be board certified within their primary practicing specialty.
٭Have more than five years of demonstrated excellence in practice.
٭Have their primary practice location in Orange County.
٭Be in good standing with the Medical Board of California.

Additionally, physicians must satisfy three of the following four criteria:
٭Exhibit physician leadership.
٭Be engaged in the teaching of other physicians, medical students or healthcare professionals.
٭Be active in clinical research and have unique skills within their specialty.
٭Volunteer or serve a special needs population.

In all seven years of the program's existence, Dr. Gersh has been honored as one of Orange County's "Physicians of Excellence." She has been cited for her work with L.A. and Orange Counties' uninsured poor and working poor, her teaching of surgery to interns and residents at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, and for her ongoing participation in research concerning family planning.