A Word From Our CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group
Dr. Maria Ansari, was until recently the Chief of Cardiology at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. She was the main driving force in creating the fellowship program and has had a major influence on its growth and development. She has been asked to take on a larger leadership role and is now CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group.
“When I moved to the San Francisco Medical Center at Kaiser Permanente, it was only a few years after completing my cardiology fellowship at UCSF. I was taken aback at the varied and fascinating cardiac pathology presenting to this cardiac referral center. I felt I was going through a second fellowship learning from my experienced colleagues and our large diverse patient population. Soon after taking over as chief, I posed the question: why do we not have a fellowship program in San Francisco? No one seemed to have an answer and that is where it began. I felt that there was no better place to learn than here where clinicians make decisions for their patients in a collaborative environment.
When we graduated our first fellows in 2012, I was impressed at how much of a part of our group they had become. They had improved and enriched the whole department. The program has grown and strengthened, and I truly believe that we are training some of the best, well-prepared, and capable cardiologists of the 21st century. When we teach, we learn and as cardiologists, I know we all share in the success of our fellows. I will enjoy continuing to watch the program grow and see our graduates flourish into the next generation of highly skilled, caring, and creative cardiologists.”
Dr. Maria Ansari, CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group