Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Announces New Board Member

Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena on Thursday announced the appointment of Leong Koh, MD, to the school’s Board of Directors. As a respected leader in the healthcare community and President and CEO of Northwest Permanente, Dr. Koh will contribute his expertise and passion to serve as a trusted steward of the school’s vision to graduate a diverse community of compassionate healers, lifelong learners, and courageous leaders of change within the profession and in society.

“We’re honored to welcome Dr. Leong Koh to the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Board of Directors,” said Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, founding dean and chief executive officer of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. “His nearly three decades of experience and ongoing dedication to the improvement of patient care, quality, and safety are an invaluable resource to our school and are aligned with our mission to foster a commitment to improve the health and well-being of diverse patients and communities.”

In his role at Northwest Permanente – the largest independent, physician-led, multispecialty medical group in Oregon and Southwest Washington, Dr. Koh leads more than 1700 physicians, clinicians, and administrative staff delivering care to more than 620,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the region. During his 20-year tenure with Northwest Permanente, he has led as the vice president of the quality, care experience, and patient safety effort; achieved Medicare 5-star status and several other prestigious awards and recognition for the institution and its teams; and served as regional director of primary care operations for Oregon and Southwest Washington. Dr. Koh earned his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Riverside and has practiced family medicine for more than 25 years.

“I look forward to the opportunity to join the group of incredible leaders within the Board of Directors at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine,” said Dr. Leong Koh. “In addition to my healthcare expertise, a professional interest of mine is fostering and promoting physician wellness in all its facets, including physical, mental, and emotional health, and there is no better place to influence medicine in these areas than at the start of medical education and at a school that recognizes the importance of these factors.”

“Dr. Koh is an enthusiastic proponent of the Kaiser Permanente and Permanente Medicine model, which is critically important to the underpinning of our school,” said Holly Humphrey, MD, MACP, board chair of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Board of Directors. “We are fortunate to have him join the board and look forward to the impact he will have on the school.”

Dr. Koh also currently serves within the Kaiser Permanente Health Equity Group to bring together representatives from each Kaiser Permanente region to discuss health equity concerns and strategize improvements. As an executive sponsor and co-lead for the workgroup, he drives efforts for advancements in health equity. Dr. Koh’s passion lines up directly with the school’s mission to address disparities in health equity and its strong commitment to incorporate equity, inclusion, and diversity into every aspect of the school.