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Dr. Benjamin Chu was appointed president, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Southern California Region, in February 2005.
He oversees a health plan that serves more than 3 million members in Southern California from Bakersfield to San Diego. He also oversees operations at 11 medical centers, which include hospitals and medical office facilities. Kaiser Permanente is a fully integrated health care delivery system, which enjoys an exclusive partnership with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group.
Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Chu was president of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), with primary responsibility for management and policy implementation. Previously, Dr. Chu was senior associate dean at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also served as associate dean and vice president for clinical affairs at New York University Medical Center, managing and developing the clinical academic hospital network.
Dr. Chu is a primary care internist by training, with extensive experience as a clinician, administrator, and policy advocate for the public hospital sector. He was senior vice president for medical and professional affairs at HHC from 1990 to 1994. During that period, he also served as acting commissioner of health for the New York City Department of Health and acting executive director for Kings County Hospital Center.
Dr. Chu also has extensive experience in crafting public policy. He served as legislative assistant for health for Senator Bill Bradley as a 1989-90 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow. His areas of interest include health care access and insurance, graduate medical education policy, primary care, and public health issues. He has served on numerous advisory and nonprofit boards that focused on health care policy issues.
Dr. Chu received a master’s in public health from the Mailman School at Columbia University and his doctorate of medicine from New York University School of Medicine. | 