Dr. Donald Parazo Elected Board Chair

The Antelope Valley Healthcare District (AVHD) board of directors has elected longtime board member Don Parazo, M.D., to serve as board chair. Dr. Parazo previously served as board chair for three years and has twice been named Trustee of the Year by the Association of California Healthcare Districts. He is board certified as a family practitioner and gerontologist.

"I am honored to have been selected to once again serve as board chair," said Dr. Parazo. "I am looking forward to working with the board to ensure that Antelope Valley Medical Center continues to meet the healthcare needs of our community now and in the future."

Other board appointments are:

• New board member Kristina Hong, RN, was elected 1st vice chair. Hong has been a nurse in the Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) emergency department for nearly 10 years and has dedicated her career to direct patient care. She has represented patients as a legal nurse consultant and has served as a liaison between the emergency medical services system and the hospital. Hong is currently pursuing a master’s degree in nursing as a family nurse practitioner.
• Board member Mukund Shah, M.D., was elected 2nd vice chair. A board-certified physician specializing in oncology and internal medicine, Dr. Shah has cared for patients in the Antelope Valley for more than 35 years. He is an active member of the medical staff at AVMC and other hospitals. Dr. Shah previously served as chief of staff at AVMC and as president of the Antelope Valley Healthcare District board of directors.
• Board member Abdallah Farrukh, M.D., was elected secretary. Dr. Farrukh is a board-certified neurosurgeon. He was first elected to the AVMC board of directors in 2000. He served as chief of staff at Palmdale Medical Center from 1983-84 and as chief of surgery at AVMC in 1995. He was chief of staff at AVMC from 1996-99. Consistently active in the medical community, Dr. Farrukh has presented numerous lectures on a variety of neurosurgery topics at conferences around the U.S.
• New board member Mateo Olivarez, RN, was elected treasurer. Olivarez has spent the past three decades working in the medical field caring for patients. He first earned certification as an emergency medical technician and later earned a radiology license. He worked as a monitor tech at Century City Hospital and found his passion in the acute care environment. He studied to become a licensed vocational nurse and then later a registered nurse. Olivarez has been a registered nurse for 10 years, working all of those years in the intensive care unit at Antelope Valley Medical Center.