Edgar Schoen, MD

Dr. Schoen shares this award with Dr. Ronald Bachman.

The collaboration began in 1968 when Dr. Schoen, then Chief of Pediatrics, Oakland, hired Dr. Bachman to join his department. From the beginning, Dr. Schoen supported Dr. Bachman’s desire to establish a clinical genetics practice and helped him obtain a Kaiser Foundation Research Institute grant to do research and create a cytogenetics laboratory.

In 1969, Dr. Bachman joined forces with John Mann, MD, Pediatrics, Santa Clara, to develop a Regional Genetics Program, establishing centers in Oakland and Santa Clara (later moved to San Jose). Having expanded to Sacramento and San Francisco, it is now the largest clinical genetics program in the country, if not the world, with 250 FTEs. It provides a full spectrum of genetics services: prenatal, neonatal, clinical consultations for children and adults, multispecialty clinics and cancer genetics.

“We are able to offer consistent, state-of-the-art services for our entire KP population in Northern California,” says Dr. Bachman. The collaboration came full circle in 1990, when Dr. Schoen stepped down as Chief of Pediatrics, and Dr. Bachman invited him to join the Genetics Department to oversee the Regional Genetics Screening Programs. “In my 49-year career with TPMG I’ve been able to do everything I’ve wanted to do,” notes Dr. Schoen, “clinical practice, teaching, clinical research and administration.”