Kevin Hamann, MD

Bio

I have been a general pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente since July 2005. I spent my first two years with Kaiser at the South Sacramento facility. In September 2007 I transferred to the Kaiser Permanente facility in Santa Rosa.

I completed my residency in pediatrics at UC Davis Medical Center in 2004 and served as the program's Chief Resident and as an Assistant Clinical Professor for one year before joining the Kaiser team. I enjoy working closely with patients and their families to help meet their medical needs.

As a resident I helped build the UC Davis Pediatric Hospice program, a service that cares for terminally ill children and their families. I use my additional training in pediatric palliative care to help children and their families cope with chronic medical illnesses. My experiences have taught me that addressing a child's and family's personal, emotional, and cultural needs is often as important as addressing their medical needs.

I also apply this holistic approach to all of my healthy patients and families to help them thrive. I chose to be a pediatrician because I love children, and I believe that pediatricians have a unique opportunity to help children and their families. I chose to be a Kaiser Permanente physician because I wanted to be surrounded by superb clinicians and to work for a national leader in pediatric health care. I look forward to meeting you soon.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

I am trained in the medical specialty of General Pediatrics. I have always known that my career would revolve around working with children. My choice to train in medicine so that I could practice pediatrics was a difficult choice. I had always thought that I would follow in my parents footsteps and become a public education teacher. Once I chose to pursue and attend medical school, choosing to practice pediatrics was an easy choice.

Like most pediatricians, I enjoy working with children and their families, establishing a trusting relationship with my patients, and advocating for their health. I try to use my experience as a parent to relate to my patients and their parents, understand their concerns, and effectively address them.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I enjoy caring for children and their wide spectrum of medical issues. This is why I chose to practice general pediatrics. I do, however, have a specific interest in palliative care and hospice. During my residency training, I helped build and manage a pediatric hospice service. This program offered medical, mental, social and spiritual services for terminally ill children and their families. I eventually served as this program's medical director for 3 years. I am very comfortable serving as the general pediatrician for children who have chronic illnesses or life-threatening diagnoses. I try to use my experiences in hospice and palliative care to provide the same holistic approach of physical, mental, social, and spiritual health care to my many healthy patients and families.

Current projects or research:

Since joining the Kaiser Santa Rosa Department of Pediatrics in 2007, I have become very involved in resident physician education. Santa Rosa has a nationally recognized family medicine residency training program. The Kaiser Permanente health system is a large supporter of this program and I have been given the opportunity to teach (and learn from) these residents on a regular basis. As the department's lead preceptor, I oversee preceptor assignments with residents, lecture to residents on various pediatric topics and work directly with residents in my own clinic. I have found this experience very humbling,energizing and rewarding. These residents are very caring, intelligent, and excellent clinicians.

In April 2009, I accepted a position as "Assistant Chief" of our Pediatrics Department. As an Assistant Chief, I spend a small portion of my day managing clinic issues such as scheduling, promoting teamwork between staff members, and supporting my colleagues and staff. I focus much of my energy on improving the patient experience in our clinic through all interactions with staff and physicians.

Great health resources that I refer to:

Books:
1. Caring For Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5; 4th edition; by American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Encounters with Children, Pediatric Behavior and Development; 2nd edition; by Suzanne Dixon and Martin Stein
3. Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems; by Richard Ferber
4. New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding; by American Academy of Pediatrics
5. Hit The Ground Crawling; by Greg Bishop (great information for NEW DADS)
6. Too Much of a Good Thing; Raising Children with Character in an Age of Indulgence; by Dan Kindlon

Websites:
1. http://www.aap.org/parents.html (parent information provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics)
2. http://kidshealth.org/parent/

An interesting story from my training:

During my residency training, after I entered a room and introduced myself to a patient and parents, they would often not believe that I was the doctor. Many of them thought that I was a high school student volunteer, as I look somewhat young. They would commonly ask me, after I had spent extensive time taking a history, performing an exam, and giving them my recommendations, "So, when do we get to see the doctor?". For this reason, my fellow residents nicknamed me "Doogie Howser".

Last Halloween, my clinic staff reinvented my nickname and dressed me up as Doogie Howser.

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

My graduating class from Residency, UC Davis, 2004

Interests

Currently reading:
Cooking Light, Money Magazine, California Fly Fisherman

My favorite book or author:
Thomas McGuane; favorite musical artists: Ben Harper, ALO, Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews

Great movie:
The Italian Job, Out of Africa, The Natural, Good Will Hunting

Hobby Photos & Links:

Teton River with Grand Tetons in the background

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I met my wife, Kendal, when we were both 17 year old freshmen at UC San Diego. She initially tutored me in Spanish and Calculus, and after asking her numerous times, she finally went on a date with me. We dated throughout college and she was the first to show me that medicine would be a wonderful career to allow me to effectively reach children. We both attended medical school together, also at UC San Diego and were married in 2000 in a ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Having a spouse who is also a physician can be difficult at times, as we often have little free time. However, it has allowed us to be very supportive of each other throughout our careers. Kendal practices adult endocrinology with the Kaiser Santa Rosa group.

My children and people I care about:

We have one daughter, Jillian, who was born in 2005. We often call her "Silly Jilly" or the "Jilly Bean" as she is always smiling, laughing, running, jumping and climbing. We also have a son, Kenneth, who was born in 2008. Kenny almost always has a smile on his face, especially when his big sister is near. He chases her around the house.

Being a parent has become a full time hobby for us and it has given me great insight for my career. I often ask myself, while treating a patient, how would I feel if this was my child. This insight often permits me to listen to my patients/parents concerns more attentively.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

We moved from Sacramento to Santa Rosa, in large part, so that we could be closer to my wife's family. All three of my wife's siblings and her parents live in the Marin/Sonoma area. We are excited that Jilly and Kenny will be able to grow up surrounded by her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Jillian's Uncle Harrison, our brother-in-law, recently joined the Kaiser Santa Rosa Department of Medicine as a family physician.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Kendal and Kenny

Jilly helping make brownies

Kenny learning to hold a frog SOFTLY

Jilly learning to flyfish (note small fish flying through the air...)

Kenny in action

Jilly, Kenny and cousins ready for Halloween fun

We have a cat, Hector. He has been a part of the family since we graduated from college. He is not a "social butterfly", but is especially tolerant of the kids. Jillian has a goldfish named "Goldie", whom she asked for after noticing that Elmo has a goldfish on Sesame Street. Kenny's pet is his pacifier.

Pet Photos:

Hector, posing for a rare photo

Travel

An adventure I've had:

I go on an annual backpacking trip in the Eastern High Sierras with friends from college and medical school. We have done this for 10 years now, and it is a great retreat from the hustle of daily life.
Once, while hiking to the Minarets Peak, near Mammoth, we came across another backpacker who had dislocated her ankle. As we were 12 miles away from trail head and at 9,500 feet elevation, the only way to evacuate her was by an airlift. It took 2 hours for the CHP helicopter to find us, find a suitable landing spot, and for us to carry her to the helicopter. I missed out on fishing that evening, but it was worth the inconvenience.

Favorite place in the world:

I have many favorite places to travel. Argentina is probably my favorite destination. Paris is also a favorite. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico holds special memories for us also.

We haven't done much international travel since the kids were born. I look forward to returning to Hawaii agin someday.

One of my recent trips:

Jilly loves to visit San Francisco and travel over the Golden Gate Bridge. She calls it the "magic city" with the "magic bridge". Whether visiting friends, the zoo, pier 39, or a baseball game, a day trip to the city is always a family favorite.

Travel Photos:

Our usual group of friends on the annual trip

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Maui (before kids....)

Trip Photos:

Jilly and Grandpa at her first Giants baseball game