Robert Schultz, MD

Bio

I was fortunate to grow up in the Santa Cruz area with my parents and two older sisters. I loved playing baseball and did well in school, especially math and science.

I went to the University of Santa Clara where I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. I worked briefly as an engineer before spending a year at the School of Public Health in Berkeley. I then went to Medical School at the University of California at Davis followed by an Internship and Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Valley Medical Center in Fresno.

After a brief stint in private practice in Oregon, I joined Kaiser Santa Rosa in 1981 and have been here ever since. I estimate that I have delivered about 2,000 babies during that time. I love working for Kaiser Permanente because of its uniquely integrated system of care delivery that is keenly focused on keeping our patients healthy. I served as Assistant Chief of the OB/GYN Department from 1990 to 1992 when I took over as Chief of the Department. In 1995, I was selected to serve as Physician-in-Chief (PIC) of the Santa Rosa Medical Center. As PIC, I have worked hard to provide high levels of quality and service to Kaiser Permanente members.

In addition to serving our members, I believe that we are here to serve the greater community as well. I have served in leadership roles in a variety of community organizations including Sonoma County Medical Association (eight years on the Board plus a term as President), the United Way (nine years on the Board, currently Chair of Leadership Giving), the Sonoma Health Alliance, the Children’s Health Network and the Sonoma State University Academic Foundation (Board member). I frequently speak to local organizations on the issue of health care.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

My son was born a few months before I started medical school. The whole process of going through the pregnancy with my wife and supporting her during the delivery was greatly enriched by her obstetrician. This experience was so positive that it made me consider obstetrics and gynecology as a specialty choice before starting medical school.

The first two years of medical school are focused on studying basic science. In the third year of medical school, students rotate through various services. I found the rotation through OB/GYN to be the most enjoyable. During my fourth year, I did two elective rotations in OB/GYN and, by that time, was certain that that was the specialty I wanted to go into.

I did my internship and residency at Valley Medical Center in Fresno, California. It was a high-volume training program and I felt very well trained at the end of four years.

After a brief trial private practice in Oregon, I went to work for Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa. I loved my clinical practice and enjoyed working with the patients and my colleagues.

In 1990, I began a transition to more administrative work by becoming assistant chief of the OB/GYN department. In 1995, I took over as the Physician-in-Chief of the Santa Rosa Medical Center. My OB/GYN practice is now very limited, but I still very much enjoy seeing my patients.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

As a result of my training as an engineer, use of information technology in medicine has been a strong interest. Over the years we have instituted a number of innovative IT projects in Santa Rosa.

Current projects or research:

We are involved in several major projects in information technology that will have a profoundly beneficial effect on the practice of medicine. We are working on developing high-quality and content-rich web sites for all of our physicians. We will soon be launching the ability for patients to communicate with their physicians via e-mail through a secure system. And in the biggest change of all, we are transitioning to a completely electronic medical record. We currently have a great deal of information available through our various IT systems, but our new Health Connect system will be a quantum leap forward in our ability to provide high-quality care to our members.

Great health resources that I refer to:

If I have a quick question on some medical issue outside of my specialty, I usually turn to the Health Encyclopedia on www.kp.org.

I have also enjoyed the Healthy Living Programs available on www.kp.org. After a recent self assessment, I am eating more vegetables and getting more exercise.

An interesting story from my training:

I did my internship and residency between 1976 and 1980. There were no restrictions on the number of hours worked in those days. I remember doing a rotation through the Emergency Department and the work schedule was three 12-hour days, followed by three 12-hour nights, followed by three days off.

I returned home one morning after completing my third 12-hour night sift. I was a little tired, but told my wife that I was fine to watch our children, aged three and five, while she ran a few errands. They were playing quietly as she left and I sat down to read the paper. I must have been more tired than I thought and drifted off to sleep. My wife returned to find me asleep on the couch and my son giving my daughter a haircut. He had cut out huge divets of her hair, but fortunately no one was injured. The hair grew back eventually.

Interests

Currently reading:
Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales

My favorite book or author:
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz

Great movie:
March of the Penguins

Hobby Photos & Links:

Pitching in High School

Enjoying the A's game!

Family & Friends

People in my life:

Priscilla and I have been married for 36 years and have lived in Santa Rosa for the last 25 years. We are both California natives. In fact, she is a seventh-generation Californian; her ancestors were here before the Gold Rush!

We have lived in the same house in Santa Rosa for 25 years and enjoy working in the garden and reading, though our taste in books is at the opposite end of the spectrum. She is a fan of fiction, while I prefer non-fiction.

We appreciate the natural beauty of Sonoma County and are glad we made the choice to come here many years ago.

My children and people I care about:

We have two grown children, Brandon and Tamsen, plus two grandsons, Rai and Liam.

I always thought having grandchildren would be fun, but it is much better than I expected. I love their energy and enthusiasm.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

In 1990 we decided to host a foreign exchange student. She was a lovely young woman from Sweden named Katrine. She fit in very well with our family and attended Santa Rosa High School. When she arrived, I was surprised to learn that her father was an OB/GYN physician in Sweden specializing in infertility (my area of interest at the time).

We have kept in close contact over the years. She has visited us in Santa Rosa and joined us on several vacations. We have also visited her family in Sweden. She has truly become our adopted daughter. She is now a lawyer in Sweden and engaged to be married.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Priscilla and I

Brandon and Tamsen 1980

Brandon and Tamsen

Rai and Liam

Katrine

We have two cats: Ben and Lucy. We also seem to have several strays that wander in and out of our backyard.

Pet Photos:

Lucy

Travel

An adventure I've had:

I have had a life-long fascination with Mount Everest. As a boy I read about attempts to claim the great mountain, most of which ended in failure. I was determined that someday I would visit the area and see the highest mountain in the world. That time came in 1994.

With a group of friends, we flew to Hong Kong and then onto Lhasa where we visited the Jokhang Temple (the spiritual center of Tibet) and the Potala Palace (home of the Dali Lama for centuries). We drove across Tibet for several days, stopping at ancient Buddist shrines along the way.

We departed from a small village on a 12-day trek toward the east, or Kamshung, face of Mount Everset. The views of the great mountain were truly spectacular!

As we struggled to cross a pass at 18,000 feet (the highest point on our trip), I looked back at Everest and realized that the peak was two miles higher than where we were standing! It gave me an added appreciation for those that have been able to successfully climb the world highest mountain.

Favorite place in the world:

My favorite place in the world is New England in October. Mother nature puts on a spectacular show with all the leaves changing color. It is difficult to explain to anyone who hasn't seen the change. It is something that has to be seen to be appreciated.

One of my recent trips:

My most recent trip was a quick jaunt to LA for my cousin's daughter's wedding. My father had eight siblings and they were very close. I have many cousins and we spent a lot of time together growing up. We really enjoy each other, but we are spread out and don't get to see each other often. It is wonderful when we are able to all get together again, especially for a happy occasion like a wedding.

Travel Photos:

Tibetan Monk

Sunrise on Mount Everest

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Sunset