About Us

On January 23, 1987, the James Wesley Vines Medical Society Inc. (JWV) was granted a charter to organize as a component society of the National Medical Association and the Golden State Medical Association in the Pomona Valley Area. The first meeting was held on February 21, 1987, at that time we elected our first president, Benjamin G. Vines MD, an internist who practiced in the Montclair area. Dr. Vines held this position until he passed away in 1989. The honor of succeeding president of our society was upheld by Dr. Rodney Parker from 1989 to 1994. Ernest Levister, MD, FACP served as President from 1994 until Dr. Lisa Perry-Gilkes reached for the baton in February 2000. Ancel J. Rogers, MD, FACS, then served as President of the J.W. Vines, Jr. Medical Society until visionary Richard T. Kotomori Jr. MD, ABPN assumed the role. In 2014 the charismatic Anthony T. Fenison, MD was elected president in an effort to connect the bridge between physicians and aspiring physicians in the Inland Empire.

In 1994 our name changed from JWV, to James Wesley Vines, Jr. M.D. Medical Society, Inc., a component of the National Medical Association. The Vines is a non-profit 501 © 6 organization representing African American physicians in the Inland Empire and High Desert. Our Mission is to provide mentoring and educational opportunities for African American Students seeking professional careers in the Health Sciences. The Organization sponsors the Elma Vines Summer Health Academy, a Haiti Medical Missions tour, the Cal State University, San Bernardino Pan-African STEM Society (PASS), the UC Riverside student organization, African Americans United in Science (AAUS) and many more activities. Our physician members are actively involved in mentoring programs, community speakers bureaus and other key community organizations. The Vines organization also supports and advocates for critical issues such as equal opportunity education, the development and retention of African American Medical Students and improving medical education and the quality of patient care throughout the Inland Empire.

Meet our Society President

Michael Nduati

Society President

Dr. Michael Nduati is President of The J. W. Vines Medical Society, a nonprofit organization representing African American physicians in California’s Inland Empire.
The society is a component of the National Medical Association, which sponsors a program called the Elma Vines Summer Health Academy, designed to attract medical doctors and other professionals in related medical fields to the Inland Empire. In fact, Dr. Nduati graduated from the Elma Vines Summer Health Academy in 2002.
Dr. Nduati is a product of Southern California. He grew up in Upland and attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR) for his undergraduate studies. He completed the seven-year UCR/UCLA Biomedical Sciences program, earning a BS at UCR and an MD at UCLA in 2004.

While at UCLA, he also completed a combined MD-MBA program and earned his MBA from the Anderson School of Management. He then completed a Family Medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente, Fontana.

After finishing his residency, he wanted to consolidate what he had learned and spent a year earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2009. He returned to Southern California, where he worked as a Hospitalist for Kaiser Permanente.

Wanting to pursue his academic and management passions, he joined the new UCR School of Medicine as a member of the founding leadership group – serving as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and shortly thereafter was promoted to Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and CEO of UCR Health. In that role, he began working with SoCal Universal Health Systems (UHS) leadership and became very interested in the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program UHS was launching.

In early 2019, Dr. Nduati joined UHS as the SoCal region’s Designated Institutional Official and Regional Physician Advisor. Since his arrival, the Southwest Medical Education Consortium has launched 13 Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs, including both residency and fellowship programs based in Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Corona, and Palmdale.

In 2022, Dr. Nduati was promoted to Chief Academic Officer of the UHS Acute Care Division and now oversees medical education programs and research across the UHS system. Under his leadership, UHS has grown to include more than 35 UHS-sponsored GME programs and more than 700 residents and fellows across the country as of 2026.

Programs

Speakers Bureau

The Vines Society has historically held seminars advocating for healthy lifestyles within the community and promoting careers in health care to hopefuls.

Mentoring

The Foundation, in conjunction with the Vines Medical Society will match college students interested in the health professions with mentors. The mentor program offers students support and access to individuals in their field of interest.

Skill Building Workshops

The following workshops are designed to increase the skills of the students, to expose them to opportunities in the health professions, and to successfully complete their programs

Statement of Entrance Preparation
Interview techniques
Resume writing
Conducting and Publishing Research
Money Management

Membership

Thank you for your interest and support of the
J.W. Vines Jr Medical Society
a non profit 501 c 6 organization

Yearly dues help the Vines Society continue to provide monthly forums where community professionals and pre-health students can come together and discuss topics that affect the Inland Empire and one another’s advancement.

The Vines Medical Society has the following categories of membership:

Professional Membership –

all professional members in good standing who joined the association during 1986 shall also be; Members A M.D. or D.O., licensed to practice in California, who has paid annual dues established by the membership; licensed M.D. or D.O. in training or intern { post graduate } who has paid the annual dues ; Partner of the Society or other person who is not a student who has paid the annual dues. Submit your annual tax deductible dues of $150 below or to 1550 E Washington St. #101, Colton, CA 92324.

Student Membership –

Student Member, Students duly matriculated in an accredited M.D. or D.O. degree program who has paid the dues established by the membership shall be a student member. Submit your annual tax deductible dues of $20 below or to 1550 E Washington St. #101, Colton, CA 92324.

Student Engagement. The J.W. Vines Foundation is a strong supporter for on campus organizations with a mission to educate and empower students interested in exploring careers in healthcare. These student are regular attendees of our annual events and are the first to hear about our shadowing opportunities and medical mission trips.

Membership Application