After ousting Port of San Diego Commissioner Sandy Naranjo in May after being censured by fellow port commissioners, on June 13, the National City Council unanimously voted to make Dr. GilAnthony Ungab as its new representative in the Port of San Diego out of five candidates. Ungab was sworn in on June 14 by his nephew Richard Ungab.
“I have lived and worked my whole life here in National City,” said Ungab. “When pollution is high, you see me at the ER. When I see the disparities in care, and the health inequity in care, I will never let you be alone. And during COVID our disparity and health inequities were even worse…We need someone that can look at these projects with scientific rigor, complete the projects, and advocate for citizen safety.”
Commissioner Ungab is a National City native and the first Filipino to serve on the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. He is a retired private practice cardiac electrophysiologist and former medical director of cardiac electrophysiology at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. He served as a member on research and development committees at Boston Scientific, St. Jude, and Biotronik. Dr. Ungab is co-founder and chief medical officer for Lucia Health Guidelines, which works to advance guideline-based treatment focused on atrial fibrillation and stroke prevention. Commissioner Ungab was also a co-founder of Geneva Healthcare Solutions, a remote monitoring company (acquired by BioTelemetry Inc.).
“I look forward to working with Commissioner Ungab to advance and implement the National City Balanced Plan which will expand public park space and provide new commercial recreation opportunities for visitors and the community as well as improve maritime operations for our working waterfront businesses,” said Chairman Frank Urtasun, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners in a press release. “Additionally, his perspective and experience as a medical physician and community advocate will be invaluable as we continue improving public health and air quality through our electrification efforts as part of our Maritime Clean Air Strategy.”
