Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, named CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group, and president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group

Dr. Ansari becomes first woman to lead 2 of the nation’s premier medical groups, assumes role of co-CEO of The Permanente Federation

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) and Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG) today announced that Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, has officially assumed the roles of CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group and president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group.

Dr. Ansari becomes the first woman to lead TPMG, the largest physician-led medical group in the nation, and MAPMG. Together, the 2 medical groups have more than 11,000 physicians and over 44,000 nurses and staff delivering high-quality health care to more than 5.4 million Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

In her new roles, Dr. Ansari succeeds Richard S. Isaacs, MD, FACS. She also succeeds Dr. Isaacs as co-CEO of The Permanente Federation, the national leadership and consulting organization for the 8 Permanente Medical Groups, which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente.

“Dr. Ansari’s commitment to high-quality health care, service to patients and dedication to the well-being of physicians and staff exemplifies the principles of Permanente Medicine,” said Ken Grullon, MD, chair of the TPMG board of directors. “She has a demonstrated record of success in leading change and building and empowering teams to deliver industry-leading results.”

Dr. Ansari had served as physician-in-chief and chief of staff at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center since 2014. Under her transformational leadership, Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco designed and implemented advances in primary care and specialty care by supporting physicians and staff in creating and sustaining a culture of trust, innovation and teamwork. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as the chief medical office liaison to the San Francisco Department of Public Health COVID Vaccine Taskforce.

“I am tremendously honored to assume the role of CEO of both The Permanente Medical Group and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, and to co-lead The Permanente Federation,” Dr. Ansari said. “As we look to the future, I’m excited to help our physicians and care teams deliver on the promise of Permanente Medicine by transforming patient care delivery, encouraging and accelerating innovation, and creating an environment where we invest in our physicians and staff so they can do their best work.”

Dr. Ansari has also served on the boards of TPMG, MAPMG and the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.

She became chief of the Cardiology Department at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center in 2007 and has served as chair of chiefs of cardiology at regional and national levels during her 19 years at Kaiser Permanente.

Originally from Michigan, Dr. Ansari earned her Bachelor of Science and medical degree and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan. She completed a cardiology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and is a graduate of the Kaiser Permanente Executive Leadership Program from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Ansari is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, a member of the American Society of Echocardiography and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF.

About the Permanente Medical Groups

The Permanente Medical Groups are self-governed, physician-led, prepaid, multispecialty medical groups composed of nearly 24,000 physicians. We are dedicated to the mission of improving the health of our patients and communities. Together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, we are Kaiser Permanente — an award-winning health care system that delivers Permanente Medicine to more than 12.7 million Kaiser Permanente members. We work collaboratively, enabled by state-of-the-art facilities and technology, to provide preventive and world-class complex care in eight states — from Hawaii to Maryland — and the District of Columbia.

About The Permanente Federation

The Permanente Federation LLC (the Federation) is the national leadership and consulting organization for the 8 Permanente Medical Groups (PMGs), which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works on behalf of the PMGs to optimize care delivery and spread Permanente Medicine — medicine that is person- and family-centered, compassionate, evidence-based, technology-enabled, culturally responsive, team-delivered and physician-led. The Federation, based in Oakland, California, fosters an open learning environment and accelerates research, innovation and performance improvements across the PMGs to expand the reach of Kaiser Permanente’s integrated care delivery model and to lead the nation in transforming care delivery.