Honorees
The Rafer Johnson Breakfast with Champions
2024 Rafer Johnson
Humanitarian Award Recipients
Dr. Aaron Rubin, MD
Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente
Aaron Rubin, MD, FACSM, FAAFP, is the chief medical officer (CMO) of Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) and a partner emeritus of Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG). Dr. Rubin, who previously served as medical director of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles, has held the role of CMO since 2018 when Kaiser Permanente became an official health partner of SOSC.
Dr. Rubin is a clinical director for Healthy Athletes, which provides free physical exams to Special Olympics athletes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped established drive-up clinics with MedFest and advised SOSC on the safe return to in-person activities. He will be supporting the 2025 Special Olympics World Games Torino as a member of the medical team.
During his career as an SCPMG physician, Dr. Rubin practiced family and sports medicine at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center and served as founding director of the organization’s first Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. He is currently a clinical associate professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine.
Dr. Rubin completed his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin and his Doctor of Medicine from Texas Tech University Health Science Center.
Dr. Ramin Zolfagari, MD
Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente
Ramin Zolfagari, MD, is chief of anesthesiology in Kaiser Permanente Orange County and a member of the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) board of directors. Dr. Zolfagari joined Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) in 2006, practicing pediatric and general anesthesiology.
Dr. Zolfagari has represented SCPMG on the SOSC Board of Directors from 2013 to 2023 and remains the Chair of Health-Initiatives Subcommittee, which is a part of the SOSC Executive Board of Directors. He also serves as a clinical director for MedFest, which provide free health screenings to Special Olympics athletes through the support of Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Zolfagari first became involved with SOSC as a student volunteer at the University of Southern California (USC), and later volunteered again as an SCPMG physician. He was instrumental in coordinating SCPMG’s participation at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles. In 2018, Dr. Zolfagari was honored with SCPMG’s ‘Physician’s Exceptional Contribution Award’ for his work with SOSC and AccessOC, a nonprofit organization that provides underserved Orange County residents with free surgeries and procedures.
Dr. Zolfagari completed his undergraduate degree from USC and his medical degree from University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.