Former health chief leads heart group

Answer: Lewin has been appointed chief executive officer of the American College of Cardiology.

Lewin has been CEO of the 35,000-member California Medical Association, the nation's largest state medical association, since 1995.

InterestAlert, reporting Lewin's new position, described him as "a physician, an experienced association leader and a public policy expert and veteran health care advocate."

Lewin went to California after an unsuccessful run for governor against Ben Cayetano in the 1994 Democratic primary election.

As state health director from 1987 to 1994, he founded the State Health Insurance Program, designed to cover self-employed people and small businesses, and led other efforts to improve access to medical care.

From 1979 to 1987 he had a private practice on Maui and served as medical director of Kula Hospital.

Lewin appeared before the state Legislature last year to discuss California's malpractice insurance law, which Hawaii doctors want to see replicated here.

Among his other activities in the past 11 years as head of the California Medical Association, Lewin founded and is chairman for MEDePass, designed to provide security, confidentiality and authentication for physicians and other health care professionals over the Web, according to InterestAlert.

Excited about opportunities in his new position with the American College of Cardiology, he told InterestAlert, "While others are talking, the ACC is taking bold action to promote and measure quality of cardiovascular care."

Lewin and his wife, Sandy, will move to Washington, D.C., in September, when he will assume his new post with the 34,000-member nonprofit medical society.