Julie Westberg, MD, is best known for using data to take action within Obstetrics & Gynecology. Whether it is resident feedback, survey results, or service exam performance, Dr. Westberg has leveraged information to improve resident education and the quality of…
Christopher Stokes, MD, chief of Outpatient Quality and PHASE (Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday) at KP North Valley, is an exceptional leader, widely respected for his clarity, empathy, and (often humorous) stories, which make complex quality concepts relatable and…
Cancer care is among the most complex challenges in modern medicine—and Dr. Dinesh Kotak, oncologist at KP North Valley, has spent his career making it simpler, smarter, and more precise for every clinician and patient across Kaiser Permanente. As the…
Despite a 14% increase in caseload since 2017, the pathology and laboratory department headed by Lirong Cheng, MD, MHA, at KP Roseville has delivered high-level performance without any increase in physician staffing. Her department achieved the fastest pathology turnaround time…
The field of ophthalmology is transforming from examining eyes directly to using images for monitoring disease progression and intervening to prevent vision loss. Reviewing digital images is now essential to how ophthalmologists diagnose and treat eye conditions. By the early…
For more than 20 years, Richard Campbell, MD, has served as a steadfast leader in vascular surgery, inspiring curiosity and creative thinking in both his peers and mentees. He has held multiple leadership roles during his tenure, including the Chief…
Christina Bilyeu, MD, became the Chief of Mental Health at a crucial time—just as the pandemic began. In the two years since, she’s transformed outpatient services by improving access to physician care, working diligently to engage physicians in meeting patient…
Dr. Chan’s passion for teaching was sparked by the joy she found educating young patients and their caregivers during her pediatric training. She says what sustains that passion—and has inspired her to devote her nearly 20-year career in The Permanente…
Andrew McDaniel, MD, gets excited about finding innovative ways to deliver world-class pediatric care in the greater Sacramento and Roseville areas, where 1 out of every 3 kids is a Kaiser Permanente member. He’s done this by pioneering the adoption…
Don Haugen, MD, is an accomplished, yet humble man—quick to attribute his success to the contributions of others. His passions at work include healing sick children, contributing to steady improvement in quality of care, and perhaps most of all, providing…
While most patients visiting the emergency department for chest or abdominal pain do not have a life-threatening condition like a heart attack or appendicitis, determining who is indeed at high risk and in need of urgent management can be a…
Just a decade ago, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) still presented something of a mystery: The risk factors for SIDS were not fully understood, nor was it clear whether the syndrome could be prevented. So when Dr. Ethan Cutts, a…