Anonymous
By the Central Coast Medical Association
The Central Coast Medical Association honored P. Joseph Frawley, MD, as the 2023 Physician of the Year for Santa Barbara County. Nominated by peers, the award is for a physician who has worked to improve the quality of health care, contributed to the education of other physicians, and engaged in community service and other activities outside of medicine.
Dr. Frawley’s academic journey includes a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1971, followed by graduate studies in physiology and biochemistry at the University of Southern California. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Southern California in 1976, went on to a rotating medical internship at Harbor General Hospital, with subsequent internal medicine residency at Sepulveda V.A. Hospital, which he completed in 1979. He received his certification in chemical dependency from the California Society for the Treatment of Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies in 1983.
From 1979 to 1992, Dr. Frawley served as the Medical Director at the Schick Shadel Hospital of Santa Barbara, which specialized in the treatment of chemical dependency. In 1992, he established an internal medicine practice, integrating addiction and chronic pain treatment, and providing invaluable hospital consultations for addiction and pain management. Collaborating with Dr. Sherif El Asyouty, he co-founded and directed the Recover Road Medical Center in Santa Barbara from 2006 to 2022—an intensive outpatient program focusing on dual diagnosis, mental health, and chronic pain disorders. In addition, Dr. Frawley has also served as one of the attending physicians at the Cottage Hospital Chemical Dependency Program.
Dr. Frawley has been a dedicated member of the Medical Association for nearly five decades. He is also a Past President of the California Society of Addiction Medicine and a Past Board Member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
At the Central Coast Medical Association’s Annual Membership Celebration, Dr. Barbara Hrach presented Dr. Frawley with the prestigious award. Dr. Hrach praised him as the quintessential family physician, stating, “Your dedication to your patients is apparent, and your unwavering contribution to the treatment of addiction and pain to thousands of patients in our community has not gone unnoticed.”
Surrounded by his family, including his wife of 43 years, Dr. Frawley expressed his appreciation for the medical community’s ability to function as a team when patients need help. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged colleagues he has worked with throughout the years and expressed gratitude to the spouses, significant others, and families who have supported physicians in their chosen profession.
The mission of the Central Coast Medical Association is promoting the science and art of medicine, the care and well-being of patients, the protection of the public health, the betterment of the medical profession, and to achieve health equity and justice. The 600-physician member organization includes medical doctors of all specialties throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. For more information, visit www.CCMAHealth.org.
Congratulations…..