Permanente physicians in the news – August 2023

Permanente physicians provide expertise on a variety of topics in news media reports, from discussions on how to address the health effects of climate change to understanding menopause’s effects on women’s hair. The following are samples of recent physician newsmakers.

Week ending August 4

• Colin Cave, MD, medical director of External Affairs, Government Relations, and Community Health, Northwest Permanente, discussed the benefits to the environment from the increase in virtual visits or telehealth in an article in The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Cave shared how Kaiser Permanente has made a concerted effort to reduce its hospital carbon emissions, but also said the increasing use of telehealth has provided a side advantage of reduce the organization’s carbon footprint by about 7,500 metric tons as fewer patients drove to appointments and instead received care through virtual visits.
• Paradi Mirmirani, MD, dermatologist, The Permanente Medical Group, was quoted in a New York Times story looking at how hormonal changes from menopause may be contributing to women hair loss. Dr. Mirmirani pointed to age as a natural cause of hair changes, and noted that there was no real data on whether hormone therapy could help with hair changes.