About Me

Hi, and welcome to my Web page. I'm the family medicine residency director at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Center for Medical Education and the regional lead physician for Community Benefit for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. I am also chair of the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. I am an associate clinical professor of family medicine for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. I am on the board of directors of the Venice Family Clinic and will be the board chair in 2008.

Biography

I was born in an internment camp for Japanese Americans. I grew up in Los Angeles, went to UCLA for undergraduate studies, and graduated from UC San Francisco School of Medicine. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, I became a Kaiser Permanente physician in 1974. I was physician-in-charge of our La Cienega Clinic and later our Inglewood Medical Offices. I then directed the West Los Angeles Urgent Care Clinic prior to my relocation to the Los Angeles Medical Center in 1984.

About my practice

I am a family physician and a medical educator. I regularly work with medical students from UCLA and USC and was supervising 27 family medicine residents at the time I wrote this. I also regularly volunteer at the Venice Family Clinic, two venues of the Los Angeles Free Clinic, and the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture.

How I thrive

I am a loyal fan of UCLA and Los Angeles Lakers basketball. I have a large koi pond in my backyard and also enjoy gardening. I serve on the board of directors of Physicians for Social Responsibility, work toward the elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, and also take action to promote a clean and healthful environment.