Do you have a unique passion in the care of diverse populations and want to be part of our mission of eliminating disparities in health outcomes? Read on!
Oakland serves incredibly diverse populations, whether defined by socioeconomic status, social determinants of health, race, or ethnicity. You can be part of the tradition of the first Kaiser medical center that offered dedicated clinics in HIV care (in the 1980s) and in the care of LGBTQ individuals. You could say ensuring the best possible health outcomes for individuals of all backgrounds is in our DNA.
Nationally, such diversity is usually matched by similar discrepancies in healthcare outcomes. Kaiser Northern California has been shown to be a significant exception to this rule, thereby providing you a unique window to train in a model of healthcare delivery that can reduce or even eliminate disparities in healthcare outcomes within a diverse population.
The Health Equity and Disparities track will allow you opportunities to examine the Kaiser model alongside a community health model and will position you to be leaders in eliminating healthcare disparities. As a Health Equities and Disparities resident, you will have continuity clinics both within the Kaiser Permanente system and in the community at a safety-net clinic.
National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Code: 1042130M0
Residents interested in both the Health Equity and Disparities and Categorical IM tracks at KP Oakland should know that these programs have unique NRMP code numbers and are separately matched programs.
- Clinical Experience: You will have the unique opportunity to manage patients longitudinally in a Kaiser Oakland adult medicine clinic and in a community partner clinic along with the core requirements of an internal medicine residency
- Scholarly Activity: You will engage in scholarly projects mentored by Kaiser Division of Research investigators who specialize in Health Care Delivery and Policy.
- Community Advocacy & Health Policy: By being embedded in community sites, you will help build meaningful and collaborative partnerships to support our surrounding community organizations in Oakland and the greater East Bay. You will also take part in a fully funded, special 2-week Health Policy elective, led by Kaiser in partnership with policy experts from Washington, DC.
- Health Equity Training: In addition to our Academic Half Day Curriculum and other noon conferences and Grand Rounds, our disparities track residents have dedicated time for exploring topics focused on eliminating health disparities by focusing on the barriers our communities are facing, and the many things outside of the walls of our healthcare systems affecting the health of our communities.
- Clinical Experience:You will have the unique opportunity to manage patients longitudinally in a Kaiser Oakland adult medicine clinic and in a community partner clinic along with the core requirements of an internal medicine residency
- Scholarly Activity: You will engage in scholarly projects mentored by Kaiser Division of Research investigators who specialize in Health Care Delivery and Policy.
- Community Advocacy & Health Policy: By being embedded in community sites, you will help build meaningful and collaborative partnerships to support our surrounding community organizations in Oakland and the greater East Bay. You will also take part in a fully funded, special 2-week Health Policy elective, led by Kaiser in partnership with policy experts from Washington, DC.
Elective Opportunities for Residents in the Health Equity and Disparities Track
Our flexible program encourages you to bring your unique background, perspective, and passion to create an individualized schedule of experiences to meet your goals.
A partial list of electives includes:
African American Health
- Rotation in our Specialty Blood Pressure Clinic (founded by Dr. Nailah Thompson), focused on hypertension in African American Patients.
- Teaching in our group visits for hypertension and Diabetes for African American Patients.
Latino Health
- Rotation in La Salud en Español (on-campus clinic at Kaiser Oakland)
- Continuity clinic at a federally qualified Latino health center
- Intensive Spanish Immersion Course
- Medical Spanish Classes
Health Policy Elective
Learn key aspects of U.S. health policy and how it impacts community health delivery through a special 2-week elective in Health Policy co-taught by professors from George Washington University and Kaiser.
Elective includes Seminars with policy experts in:
- Health Disparities
- Health Economics
- Quality Improvement
- Community field trip site visits to explore the range of federally and locally supported community clinics, including branches of the California Department of Public Health.
You may also opt to witness policymaking first-hand, through trips to state and local health policy sites and will have the opportunity to apply policy analysis to real-world challenges by completing a project in health policy.
Resident Elective in Health Policy Course
See comments below from residents who have experienced this elective.

Global Health Disparities
- You can learn key aspects about the unique challenges in eliminating disparities globally. A variety of international experiences are available through Kaiser Permanente Global Health Programs
- HIV: Work in a multi-disciplinary team in the HIV clinic at Kaiser Oakland and in community HIV clinics
- LGBTQ Health: Work in a multi-disciplinary team in the LGBTQ clinic at Kaiser Oakland
- Native American Health Center
Selected Publications by KP Oakland Health Equity and Disparities Track Residents
Gong C, Heins CA. Discovering and Reflecting on Bias: A Discussion about Challenges and Benefits of Culturally Centered Patient Care with Women Physicians of the East Bay. Perm J. 2020 Sep;24:1-5
Lee DR, Chavez K. More Than Words: Reflections to Build Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Perm J. 2020;24:20.149
Gong C, Dyer W, Yassin M, Neugebauer R, Karter AJ, Schmittdiel JA. The effect of mail order pharmacy outreach on older patients with diabetes. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Jul;69(7):2028-2030
Gu KD, Ettinger B, Grimsrud CD, Lo JC. Progression of atypical femur stress fracture after discontinuation of bisphosphonate therapy. Osteoporos Int. 2021 Apr 29. Online ahead of print.
Recent Recognition/Awards received by KP Oakland Health Equity and Disparities Track Residents
Chelsea Gong received the Community Advocacy Award for her abstract entitled: “Advance Directive Completion Rates Among African American Patients within an Integrated Health Care System “ at the 5th Annual EBY Academy of Medical Educators Research Symposium, May 7, 2021.
Jessica Himmelstein received a 2020 NIDDK/NIH travel award to participate in the NIDDK workshop and 2020 National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) Conference (meeting deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Dr. Chelsea Gong’s abstract submitted to the 2020 American Geriatrics Society was selected for the Presidential Poster session and a travel stipend. Her poster was titled: Age matters! Effect of pharmacy outreach in older patients (meeting canceled due to the pandemic).
Where our Graduates are Headed
Karina Chavez, MD, will be joining The Permanente Medical Group at Kaiser Permanente Pinole Medical Center as a primary care provider in Adult Medicine.
Jessica Himmelstein, MD, MPH, is completing a two-year Harvard Medical School Fellowship in General Medicine and Primary Care at Cambridge Hospital (Boston, MA).
Chelsea Gong, MD, is a Geriatrics Fellow at the University of California Los Angeles.
Kristine Gu, MD, MPH, is an Endocrinology Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital.
FAQ
How does the Health Equity & Disparities track differ from the IM/MPH track at Kaiser Oakland ?
If you are interested in in-depth training in social justice and in eliminating disparities in health care you should consider the IM/MPH or Health Equity & Disparities tracks. Both tracks have separate NRMP codes and it is not uncommon to apply to either (or both) of these tracks in addition to applying to the categorical program.
The IM/MPH track extends your training by a year so residents can obtain their MPH degree from UC Berkeley while still being fully supported and funded by Kaiser. In this track, you will gain epidemiologic research skills in a mentored setting, obtain an MPH, and use your elective time during residency and the MPH year to tailor their public health experiences to meet your unique career interests, whether it be public or global health, leadership, clinical practice in diverse settings, academic medicine, or fellowship.
Health Equity & Disparities track residents spend over a third of their 3-year residency training in community settings, truly experiencing the ‘best of both worlds’ clinical practices at Kaiser Permanente and in several FQHCs in the East Bay. As a Health Equity & Disparities resident, you will learn the intricacies of different systems of care delivery by managing longitudinal panels of patients at both Kaiser and at our community partner, Lifelong Medical, an FQHC in Oakland, and have unique access to rotations such as San Quentin Prison. In this track, if you are interested in scholarly activity you will work with mentors in the Disparities division of the Kaiser Division of Research. Upon completing training in the Health Equity and Disparities track, you will be a well-trained internal medicine physician able to care for underserved and vulnerable populations and actively address the multi-level factors that influence health disparities in the communities you will serve. You will have dedicated mentoring by faculty who are passionate about diversity and eliminating disparities and who are engaged in community advocacy and policy initiatives.
How does the schedule of the Health Equity & Disparities track differ from that of the traditional categorical residents?
As a Health Equity and Disparities track resident, you will be fully integrated into the residency program alongside your peers in the categorical, IM/MPH, and preliminary year tracks. Like the categoricals, Health Equity & Disparities residents will fulfill all of the ACGME and ABIM requirements, including wards, ICU, and subspecialties. In addition, you will have an increased focus on Community Medicine and will spend over a third of your residency time in community sites. Thus, unlike categoricals, Health Equity & Disparities Residents:
- will follow panels of patients longitudinally at both an FQHC community site and at Kaiser Oakland and will be well-versed in the intricacies of providing medical care in various health care systems
- will spend more time in community sites
- will be able to select from a variety of unique community-based elective experiences tailored to your interests.
Residents in the Health Equity and Disparities track who are interested in research will be paired with research mentors from the Kaiser Division of Research Health Care Disparities branch.
Is there a separate application process for the Health Equity and Disparities track?
Yes, there is a separate National Resident Matching (NRMP) code for this track: 1042140M0.
If I am interested in the Health Equity and Disparities track, do I need to apply to both the categorical internal medicine residency and to the Health Equity and Disparities track?
Applicants to the Health Equity & Disparities track are strongly encouraged to apply to both the Health Equity and Disparities track and the categorical internal medicine track.
Many of the opportunities available in the track are also available to categorical residents as an elective. However, categorical residents do not follow a longitudinal panel of patients at a community site and do not spend as much time in community sites as the Health Equity & Disparities track residents (who spend over a third of their training in community settings).
Who are the mentors for residents in the Health Equity & Disparities track?
In addition to mentoring by the faculty and Program Directors in the Internal Medicine Residency program all residents in the Health Equity and Disparities track will also establish additional mentors tailored to their specific research and program interests. All residents will also have as mentors Kaiser Division of Research investigators who specialize in Healthcare Disparities.
Which community sites are Kaiser Oakland partnered with?
The residency program at Kaiser Oakland has established several community partnerships, including affiliations with:
Lifelong Medical, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FHRQ)
LaClinica de la Raza
Native American Health Center
Asian Health Services
Oasis Clinic, specializing in the care of individuals with Hepatitis C, HIV, and Addiction Medicine
San Quentin prison
The Order of Malta Clinic
Tri-City Health Center
What careers does the Health Equity & Disparities track prepare residents for?
Residents in the Health Equity & Disparities track will be poised for careers in Primary Care Medicine in any setting, from Safety Net Clinics to Kaiser. In addition, the track can be a springboard to an academic career in community medicine or to leadership roles in eliminating disparities in health. Recent graduates and senior residents in the track are launching academic careers in Primary Care Research at Harvard’s Cambridge Health Alliance, and in Geriatrics and Endocrinology fellowships.
Medical Student Rotation – Diversity Scholarships
To promote our Medical Center’s mission to enhance diversity and to help to defray the costs of housing, airfare, and other expenses, Kaiser Oakland is offering scholarships of up to $2000 to senior medical students wishing to pursue fourth year rotations in internal medicine at our medical campus. Recipients will be selected based on their record of promoting diversity and inclusion. More information can be found on our medical student rotation page or applications can contact our Student Programs Coordinator, Lyn Espinosa for more information and for the brief application at: Whenalyn.P.Espinosa@kp.org