Dr. Charles J. Hamori, a Kaiser Permanente physician with ties to La Mesa, Rancho San Diego and Bostonia, has been named chair of the Board of Regents for the American College of Physicians, according to East County Magazine.

East County Magazine reported that Hamori, a Mount Helix resident, has spent nearly 30 years with Kaiser Permanente and practices at Kaiser offices in Rancho San Diego, La Mesa and Bostonia. The publication said he will take a leave of absence from Kaiser Permanente as he takes on the role, though he plans to continue some per diem work.

The American College of Physicians said the appointment was announced at its annual internal medicine meeting in San Francisco. East County Magazine reported that the organization represents more than 160,000 internal medicine physicians, subspecialists and medical students across 172 countries.

Hamori has been a fellow of the American College of Physicians since 2007 and previously served as governor of the group's California Southern Region III, according to the report. In the article, he said listening closely to patients has shaped his approach to medicine since he diagnosed his own appendicitis as a teenager.

The appointment places an East County physician in a national leadership post within one of the country's largest medical specialty organizations. Source: East County Magazine.