Dustin Corcoran
Chief Executvie Officer
California Medical Association

Dustin Corcoran joined the California Medical Association in 1998 as the membership coordinator for its political action committee. When an opportunity arose to work as a lobbyist under the legendary late Steve Thompson, he jumped at the chance. Over the next six years, Thompson mentored Corcoran, who was responsible for bills related to access to care, emergency medicine, hospitals, tobacco usage, public health and health care system reform.

Corcoran played an important part in lobbying the Legislature to pass, and Gov. Gray Davis to sign, SB 2, groundbreaking legislation authored by Sen. John Burton that required employers to provide their workers with health insurance or pay a fee. The bill would have extended coverage to more than 1 million uninsured Californians, but voters subsequently narrowly overturned the law, after restaurants and retailers heavily financed a campaign against it.

After Thompson’s death in 2004, Corcoran took over as CMA’s head lobbyist and went on to become Senior Vice President. Corcoran was named the most effective lobbyist under 40 in 2005 by Around the Capitol and one of the 100 most powerful political brokers in California in 2009 by Capitol Weekly.
In addition to his work at CMA, Corcoran sits on the Board of Directors for the Neuropathy Action Foundation.