Patricia Padilla, MD

Bio

I have been at Kaiser Permanente since 1997 and I enjoy the opportunity to focus on taking care of my patients. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, I had a private practice in Marin County. Even though I became the Chief of Staff at Novato Community Hospital and was on the Board of Directors of the Marin Individual Practice Association, I became frustrated with the restrictions and roadblocks imposed on my practice by my patients' insurance companies. When I had to call some clerk to obtain permission to order an MRI for one of my patients and that clerk actually asked me, "how do you spell MRI?," I knew it was time for a major change.

I am currently the site leader at the Rohnert Park clinic, am one of the assistant chiefs of family medicine, and am honored to be the elected representative to the TPMG board of directors.

I chose to become a Family Practitioner because I enjoy the variety of patients I see and I want to develop a long-term relationship with my patients. For instance, I get a kick out of doing well baby checks and I enjoy discussing the amazing accomplishments of my retired patients.

My educational background includes a BS degree from Chapman University and an MD degree from UCSF. I did my internship and residency at San Francisco General Hospital, including an extra year as the Chief Resident. During medical school, I spent two months with a group of volunteer plastic surgeons who set up a clinic in a remote village in Guatemala.

I was raised bi-culturally, in a Spanish-speaking home, and I worked in college as a medical translator, so I have always practiced medicine in both English and Spanish.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

Family Practice is the specialty of caring for the family, from cradle to grave. Not only do I see the 80-year-old patient, but I also see their 50-year-old adult child, their 20-year-old college student and, in some cases, their new-born infant.

I chose to become a Family Practitioner because I love to develop a very long-term relationship with my patients. For instance, I want to watch my pediatric patients grow up and I would love them to bring me their children. When it's time, that is!

I think that it is important to be able to take care of the entire family, as family dynamics can have a profound effect on an individual's health.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

Diplomate of the American Academy of Family Physicians. (Board Certification.) Physician Recognition Award from the American Medical Association.

Current projects or research:

Physician leader of the Rohnert Park facility.

Great health resources that I refer to:

For general information on health, I often refer my patients to the following:

Kaiser Health Wise Handbook
www.webMD.com

For more details, I sometimes refer my patients to the standard medical text, The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, which is available at libraries and medical bookstore or on line at http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html

An interesting story from my training:

On my first rotation, at San Francisco General Hospital, I was in the neonatal ward, taking care of newborns, many of which had been high-risk deliveries.

One of the nurses alerted me to pay special attention to one particular baby. I repeated my physical exam and double-checked all of the lab results. I could find nothing out of the ordinary. However, that nurse insisted that "something's not right" with that child.

I had only been a doctor for a couple of weeks, but the nurse had been taking care of high-risk newborns for years. So, I took her concerns seriously and ordered some more elaborate lab tests and discovered that the baby had a serious kidney problem. The early diagnosis went a long way to saving that baby's life, as she needed a kidney transplant and got onto the transplant list right away.

That is how I learned the importance of experience and clinical judgment.

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

Delivering a baby in a primitive Guatamalan village while in my 3rd of medical school at U.C.S.F.

Interests

Currently reading:
Discover magazine, National Geographic,

My favorite book or author:
Steven King books have always scared me and were my escape from everyday pressures.

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I have been married to my husband, Oren, for nearly 20 years. He's an attorney, representing asbestos victims and their families. He's the Scoutmaster for our local Boy Scout troop.

He's a fantastic chef who often forgoes his fully-stocked kitchen and cooks up wonderful meals using primitive methods in the outdoors, including Dutch ovens, turkey fryers or simple sticks over wood fires.

My children and people I care about:

We have a son and daughter and now have full custody of our 14 year old niece. So I have 2 fourteen year olds, and a seventeen year old.

Harrison is a senior in high school. He's highly ranked academically and is a competitive debater. He is currently applying to college, so the whole family is awaiting the good news.

Mariah is a freshman in high school who combines her academics with a wide variety of activities. One day she will be an amazingly graceful actress, and the next she'll relish in getting dirty on a backpacking trip.

Our niece, Ariana, is also a freshman in high school, and is the class president. We are blessed that she has joined our family.

The whole bunch keeps life exciting and eventful.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

My daughter had just been born and we brought her home for the first time. My husband put her down on our bed, still in her car carrier, when our cat, Chewbacca, brought in his present for his new "sister": the largest rat I have ever seen in my life.

"Chewy" dropped his present for Mariah on the floor and the giant rat immediately ran into my closet. Our son, Harrison, then three, ran out of our room and returned with two baseball bats. He handed the real wooden one to my husband and climbed onto the bed with his plastic one.

He explained, "Dad, you go after the rat with your bat and, if the rat gets past you, I'll use my bat to protect the baby."

Fortunately, the rat ran out of the house after my husband got it out of my closet.

However, we will always remember the quick thinking, heroism and sense of family that our son displayed on that day.

Check out the photograph taken shortly thereafter.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

My husband preparing Dutch oven bread for the Guys Can Cook Too charity chef's competition (He won the next year!)

Harrison (at age 3), Mariah (just born) & Chewbacca

I recently lost my beloved 14 year-old cat, Chewbacca. He was a large, orange Tabby, that looked and acted a lot like his Star Wars namesake.

"Chewy" was the ideal family cat, as he acted more like a dog than a cat. He was always sitting on our laps and paying attention to what we were doing. In fact, when he was a kitten, he would retrieve balls for us!

Many of you have seen his pictures in my exam rooms.

Pet Photos:

Chewbacca laying on me while we both watch TV

Travel

An adventure I've had:

While a medical student, I spent two months with a group of volunteer plastic surgeons who had set up a clinic in a remote village in Guatemala. I was supposed to be the translator but when the anesthetist missed the flight, I was pressed into service handling anesthesia for children undergoing cleft palate repair, all the while translating for other doctors and nurses.

The people in the village were very grateful for our help. However, the area was not safe. Young boys with M-16s were there to protect us from the rebels that were in the area.

It was quite an introduction to the practice of medicine.

Travel Photos:

Doing anesthesia during cleft palate surgery in Guatemalan village