Ruiz, Raul, 1972-

Raul Ruiz (born August 25, 1972) is an American physician and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served the U.S. Representative for California's 36th congressional district since 2013.

Born in Zacatecas City, Mexico and raised in Coachella, California, he graduated from Coachella Valley High School before earning a B.S. from the University of California, Los Angeles and three graduate degrees from Harvard University: a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from Harvard Medical School, a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) from the Harvard School of Public Health. After graduating from Harvard University, Ruiz spent time working abroad in Mexico, El Salvador, and Serbia and completed emergency medicine residency training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2006 before taking a job as an emergency physician at the Eisenhower Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital in the Coachella Valley. He founded the Coachella Valley Healthcare Initiative in 2010. In 2011, he became senior associate dean at the School of Medicine at University of California, Riverside.

Ruiz ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2012 as a first-time candidate in California's 36th congressional district, defeating 15-year incumbent Mary Bono. Ruiz has been re-elected four times. He currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He has said he approaches the job of congressman "through the lens of a scientist, viewing gun control and other controversial issues from a public health perspective." In May 2013, Ruiz voted against repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In 2014, Ruiz voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. He described Obamacare as "a giant step in the right direction" while acknowledging that "it is imperfect and needs to be improved."