Board Members Take Oath of Office

Newly elected board members Kristina Hong, RN, and Mateo Olivarez, RN, were sworn into office at Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) on December 8, along with re-elected board member Abdallah Farrukh, MD.

Hong has been a nurse in the 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.

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.

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 Regional 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.