Surgeon, Innovator named Chief MD at Kaiser Permanente San Jose

Dr. Efren Rosas, a cancer surgeon and long-time leader at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center team has been named Physician-In-Chief at the Medical Center, where he will guide and oversee more than 500 physicians and staff members of The Permanente Medical Group.

Dr. Rosas is stepping into the role held by Dr. Raj Bhandari, a neurologist, who served as Physician In Chief for 14 years and is now retiring.

“I’m looking forward to continuing Dr. Bhandari’s excellent work at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, which has received multiple honors for quality during his watch,” said Dr. Rosas.

For example, the Kaiser Permanente San Jose was recently honored--- along with Kaiser Permanente’s other Northern California medical centers----by the American Heart Association for an innovative protocol providing rapid stroke care to patients, resulting in excellent outcomes.

During his 25 years at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, Dr. Rosas innovated a pioneering program in surgical care called ERAS, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, where patients can return to their homes the same day after the operation, and recover faster with fewer complications. ERAS is now part of Kaiser Permanente’s entire Northern California hospital system.

For his work, he was awarded The Permanente Medical Group’s Dr. Cecil Cutting honor for leadership. And Dr. Rosas has held many leading roles at Kaiser Permanente San Jose.

“I like to fix things,” says Dr. Rosas. “I want to remove barriers that doctors encounter in taking care of patients.”

“Dr. Rosas’ work with patients, surgical programs, and ERAS here at Kaiser Permanente San Jose are major enhancements for our hospital and our members,” says Irene Chavez, Senior Vice President and Area Manager at the Medical Center. “I’m so looking forward to his leadership with me here at Kaiser Permanente San Jose.”

Dr. Rosas is a native Californian raised in a small town on the border of California and Mexico. He attended the University of California-Los Angeles for undergraduate studies and received his medical degree from Stanford University. Dr. Rosas completed his surgical training in San Francisco: first at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco followed by UCSF. He has been at Kaiser Permanente San Jose for 25 years, both in leadership roles and in clinical care.

“I’m passionate about maintaining a good relationship with my patients, because that will lead to better communication,” says Dr. Rosas. “The better connected we are, the healthier my patients are.”

Said Dr. Raj Bhandari, the retiring Physician in Chief at San Jose, “Dr. Rosas represents the very best in Permanente Medicine. He has helped solve complex problems to improve access, quality, and service for our patients.”

Dr. Rosas is married with two adult sons and lives in San Jose with his wife Cynthia. One of his sons is now attending medical school.