Robert Lundstrom, MD
“I have found it very gratifying to look more deeply into the pathophysiology of rare conditions that, in the past, we were willing to simply accept as mysteries,” Dr. Lundstrom says.
Ask anyone who knows Robert Lundstrom, MD, to describe in one word what makes him tick, and the answer likely will be why. During his 40-year career as a cardiologist with The Permanente Medical Group, Dr. Lundstrom has initiated, facilitated or participated in well over a dozen research projects, all driven by a profound curiosity.
“When he encounters something in his clinical practice for which there is a gap in knowledge, he always begins by asking himself why,” says Jonathan Zaroff, MD, Cardiology, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. “He looks at things very critically and tries first to understand something rather than simply accept it.”
Dr. Lundstrom has been involved in national and KP-centric studies spanning the spectrum of cardiac disease, from rare conditions in women such as stress cardio-myopathy and spontaneous coronary artery dissection, to heart attack management and the relationship between alcohol and heart disease. He has initiated collaborations among medical centers throughout the country, including Mayo Clinic, Stanford University, and University of California, San Francisco, many of which have helped shape cardiovascular care, both within KP Northern California and beyond.
“He inspires us all every day,” says Maria Ansari, MD, physician-in-chief, KP San Francisco. “He is an exceptionally talented, passionate and indefatigable clinician—the mentor whom everyone, including patients, physicians, researchers and fellows, wants to work with.”