Contemplating Passing the Baton as Consul

I had a normal day in surgery and thereafter saw patients last Friday and am doing the same today. In between, I flew to Indianapolis to participate on a panel at the American Latvian Association annual meeting. Yes, it was an interesting panel and I ran into a lot of very interesting people, most of whom I have met previously because of my role as the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Latvia. On an average week, I spend many hours every day working on consular duties – for Latvians, on behalf of Latvians, with non-Latvians wishing to do business, study or travel to Latvia.

I also spend a lot of time working the Los Angeles Consular Corps and attend events on behalf of Latvia. All of this has been incredibly rewarding but also very tiring. After serving as Consul to Latvia for the past 12 years, I find myself contemplating passing this role over to someone else. It has been a privilege and an honor to represent this beautiful Baltic nation here in Southern California. Over the years, I have developed deep connections with the Latvian people, and I am proud of the positive impact we have made on diplomatic relations, trade, and cultural exchange. At the meeting in Indianapolis on Saturday, I did tell the Ambassador that I would be willing to step down if he were to find someone to replace me, but he did not seem very receptive to that idea.

On a panel on diplomacy at the Indianapolis American Latvian Association meeting with Anrdis Bērzinš, Honorary Consul of Latvia in Indiana, the Honorable Maris Selga, Latvia’s Ambassador to the United States, and myself

I approach the thought of giving up my duties with a mixture of excitement and nostalgia. While I will miss the daily challenges and rewards of diplomatic service, I am eager to spend more time with my family and pursue personal interests. Reflecting on my tenure, I am grateful for the experiences, friendships, and memories I have gained. As I consider my future, I am open to new opportunities, whether in consultancy, mentorship, or community engagement. The lessons learned during my time as Consul will undoubtedly guide me as I step into this next phase of life.

I have mentioned previously that we were sending our MÖLLER Liposat® Pro Device to the OC office and it is now here. In a nutshell, this machine injects the tumescent fluid (the fluid we inject prior to the start of liposuction to drastically reduce blood loss during the procedure), has a power-assisted vibrating cannula to expedite the liposuction procedure, automatically separates the fat from the fluid and allows us to reinject the fat into a buttocks during a microfat grafting procedure (i.e. BBL) seamlessly, without changing cannulas or using a different machine.

Male in his 40’s, before and after an aggressive 360 lipo with removal of 5 liters of fat (surgery performed by Dr. Bunkis

But so much for the surgeon’s perspective. What advantage is there for the patient? Since aspiration process is simplified with the vibration, the fat fluid separation and fat reinjection are done with the same set up, total surgical time is lessened and the procedure can be performed more efficiently and with a better final result.

Dr. Compoginis and I will be the main ones using this device and we have specials that we will be offering for procedures with this device during the month of November. Give us a call if you are interested and would like to learn more about body contouring with the MÖLLER Liposat® Pro Device.

For CA, please call 949-888-9700 or visit www.orangecountyplasticsurgery.com
Or for MA location, call 508-755-4825 or visit www.salisburyps.com

You can write to
Dr. John Compoginis at Contact Us Form
Dr. Staci Compoginis at Contact Us Form
Dr. Deborah Ekstrom at Contact Us Form
or Dr. Juris Bunkis at Contact Us Form