Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in Pasadena Will be Named in Honor of CEO Who Died Nov. 10

The new Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine being built in Pasadena will be named after late Kaiser Permanente Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard J. Tyson, who passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 10, at his Oakland residence.

The name change will reflect Tyson’s commitment to the future of healthcare and the school.

Dr. Holly Humphrey, board chair, made the announcement Monday at the memorial service for Tyson in San Francisco.

“Bernard Tyson’s passion for this medical school was a driving force in its creation and will be a daily reminder of his own lived commitment to equity, diversity, and courageous leadership,” Humphrey said. “These same values are at the core of the mission and vision of this school and will serve to inspire current and future generations.”

The new medical school is scheduled to welcome its inaugural class of medical students next summer. In June, the school began accepting applications from prospective students for admission to the school’s first class.

Earlier this year, the school announced that it will waive all tuition for the full four years of school for its first five classes.

“The brilliant new medical students who will receive their education at our school, learning the tenets of Permanente Medicine and our Kaiser Permanente system of care, and the world-class physician faculty who teach them, will serve as a testament to the medical excellence we have at the heart of our mission,” Dr. Edward M. Ellison, an executive sponsor and board member for the school, said. “Bernard’s shared commitment to our mission and values allowed us to achieve this dream together.”

Dr. Mark A. Schuster, Founding Dean and CEO of the medical school, said Tyson’s vision for the School of Medicine was to help transform health and health care in America.

Tyson’s career with Kaiser Permanente spanned more than 30 years. He was named CEO of Kaiser Permanente in 2013 and chairman of the Board of Directors in 2014. Over the course of his career, he successfully managed nearly every major part of the organization’s health plan and hospital system, serving in roles from hospital administrator and division president to chief operating officer before assuming the top posts.

Ed Pei, chair of the board executive committee of Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Hospitals, said Tyson understood that social determinants of health, including housing, transportation and food, have a huge impact on personal and community health.

“Bernard drove us as an organization to take a stake in housing and food security, clean air, safe recreational space, and reducing gun violence, among other concerns,” Pei said. “These and other topics will be woven into medical education at the new school, and that consciousness among generations of newly minted physicians will be a lasting part of Bernard’s legacy as a national health care leader.”

The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine will be located at 198 South Los Robles Avenue.

Kaiser Permanente announced plans for the school in 2016, aiming to redesign physician education around the pillars of patient-centered care, population health, quality improvement, team-based care, and health equity. Students will learn to provide outstanding clinical care and to address the factors outside the healthcare system that affect health and disparities, the organization said.

To learn more about the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, visit www.medschool.kp.org.