Louis Fehrenbacher, MD

Louis Fehrenbacher, MD, spearheaded the creation of the Kaiser Permanente Oncology Clinical Trials (KPOCT) Program in the early 1990s. He continues to lead a research team of oncologists, nurses, and research staff at 21 KPNC medical centers. The team coordinates 150+ oncology trials at any given time.

Under his strong leadership, more than 6,800 KP patients have had access to new trial treatments for breast, colon, lung, and other cancers. Today, between 400 and 500 patients enter these trials every year, making Kaiser Permanente one of the national leaders in the National Cancer Institute’s clinical trials program.

Dr. Fehrenbacher’s desire to build the program is driven by the positive results he’s seen in his own patients. “I’ve had women who were on our clinical trials with Herceptin who would have died from breast cancer if they had not enrolled,” he says. “Seeing how trials have affected my patients gives me a great feeling.”

In 2014, he played the principal role in securing a NCI grant for $10.4 million, making KPOCT and 4 other KP regions NCI designated Community Oncology Research Programs.

“Dr. Fehrenbacher has done a remarkable job in making ground-breaking new treatments available to our patients,” says Steven Stricker, MD, Physician-in-Chief, Napa/Solano. “His work helps ensure that our patients receive the best cancer care possible.”