Chris Palkowski, MD, has been elected chair of the board of directors of The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG), the governing board of the largest medical group in the nation with 8,000 physicians serving 3.4 million members in Northern California. His term took effect on March 1.
Dr. Palkowski is the seventh individual to hold the position of board chair since the medical group’s formation in 1948. TPMG currently provides clinical care in 21 Kaiser Permanente medical centers and over 55 medical office facilities across Northern California.
“I am honored and very excited to serve as the chair of the board of the largest and finest medical group in the country,’ said Dr. Palkowski. “During these challenging and promising times in health care, I am committed to helping Kaiser Permanente lead the way in inventing the future of health care for the rest of the country.”
Dr. Palkowski, an internal medicine specialist, joined TPMG in 1994. In 2006, he was appointed to the position of physician-in-chief of our Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center, where he is responsible for all of the inpatient and outpatient services provided to nearly 270,000 Kaiser Permanente members in that area. In total, there are nearly 700,000 Kaiser Permanente members who receive their care in the greater Sacramento Valley.
“It will be a privilege to work with Dr. Palkowski in his role as board chair of The Permanente Medical Group,” said Dr. Robert Pearl, CEO. “Chris is a remarkable leader and will do an outstanding job helping to set Kaiser Permanente’s future direction and ensuring we provide the best quality medical care in the nation. In this time of major health care change, Dr. Palkowski has the experience and vision to provide strong and stable leadership for our organization, and allow Kaiser Permanente to continue to serve as a model for our nation.”
Dr. Palkowski received his medical degree and completed his three-year residency in internal medicine at UCLA. He had a private practice in Humboldt County for five years before coming to Kaiser Permanente in 1994.