LANSING — Gov. Snyder appointed Dearborn resident Paul Sophiea to the Michigan Board of Medicine on Wednesday, Oct 12. Sophiea will serve the remainder of Cindy Pasky’s four-year term, ending on Dec. 31, 2017.

The board, which is comprised of 10 doctors, one physician’s assistant and eight public members, “is responsible for making sure the licensure is correct,” Sophiea said. “They have to do a lot with continuing medical education for the hospitals, making sure the doctors stay up with the licensing and that the residents, hospitals and medical community are up to the standards of the licensing board. [Doctors] need to practice within the scope of their licensure, things like that.”

Sophiea still must be confirmed by the State Senate, but does not anticipate any problems as the procedure is a mere formality. 

His diverse background, including his master’s degree in business, his more than 30 years of experience working in the medical field and his run for state representative during the primary season this year, has helped qualify him for his current position. 

During his time in the medical field, Sophiea had his hand in a variety of tasks to help make changes in the healthcare industry. 

“I worked primarily for pharmaceutical companies and I’ve done everything from sales to account management, contracting and setting up strategic initiatives with large healthcare institutions,” he said. 

Being in a leadership role and in the public arena while running for state representative gave Sophiea key insights into himself and it has allowed him to build trust with the public. 

“It helps you form who you really are as a person internally,” he said. “And it helps you stay true to your beliefs. One of my core personality traits or core values is that you have to stay true to yourself. If you do that, then people will hopefully see you’re an honest person. They may not like policy or they may not like positions, but they can understand you’re being honest and true to yourself and to the population and that you can serve.”

Sophiea has yet to attend a meeting with the board and get complete guidance from members who have been on the board for a long time. This includes learning what needs to get done and should be done, and he hopes to continue doing the good things the board has already been doing.

“I think we as Michiganians and people that are in positions of power have a responsibility, because the medical industry takes a lot of training and it’s quite complex,” Sophiea said. “We have a responsibility to make sure that complexity is understood by the lay population.”

Because everyone will need medical attention at some point, whether it’s through surgeries or just getting a flu shot, Sophiea said the importance of keeping medical standards up-to-date with current technological breakthroughs and advancements is crucial. Integrating these new advancements into current medical care and keeping them current with licensure, is an important part of working on the board.

This includes making sure there are enough doctors and physicians’ assistants to give quality care to all patients, particularly the large number of senior citizens in need of care. 

“I just want to make sure that the rules are adhered to and patients and consumers get the best possible care they can to the extent that the board can actually influence individual care,” Sophiea said. 

Overall, Sophiea encourages everyone to create goals and pursue them in hopes of making a difference in their own communities, because it is possible.

“It’s kind of inspirational to the community, I would hope,” he said. “Follow the formula of success. Go and work hard, whether you want a college education, whether you’re going to start your own business, whether you’re going to go into the trade, just work towards a goal and eventually you will get it. Nobody is saying it’s going to be easy, and it’s not going to happen overnight, but everybody that has been successful has kind of followed that formula.”