Kaiser Permanente Announces New Leadership Team for Hawaiʻi Operations

Greg Christian. Photo Courtesy: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente, Hawaiʻi’s largest integrated health care system, announced Greg Christian and Dr. John Yang will be the new leadership team for its Hawaiʻi operations. They will continue the mission of providing high-quality care and services to members, patients and the Hawaiʻi community, according to a news release.

Christian was named president of the Hawaiʻi Market of Kaiser Permanente’s Health Plan and Hospitals. Dr. Yang was named president and medical director of the Hawaiʻi Permanente Medical Group .

Christian brings more than 38 years of health care leadership experience, with a strong background in health care delivery, operations, finance and people development. Christian previously served as senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente’s San Bernardino County Service Area in California, leading the opening and directing operations of two state-of-the-art hospitals: Kaiser Permanente Ontario and Fontana medical centers. He led the service area to several quality and service awards, delivering high-quality, affordable care and coverage to more than 636,000 Southern California members.

Christian graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA with a bachelor’s degree in business and economics, and received his MBA with an emphasis in health care management from American InterContinental University in Schaumberg, IL.

Dr. John Yang. Photo courtesy: Kaiser Permanente

Yang has been a Permanente physician with Southern California Permanente Medical Group since 2001 and the physician director for primary care operations for SCPMG in Orange County since 2015. He was accountable for and led high performance in all aspects of care delivery and operations provided by 360 primary care physicians who served 580,000 Kaiser Permanente members in 17 primary care medical offices and three urgent care locations.

He is a family medicine physician by training and received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago. Dr. Yang completed his residency in family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine/Providence Hospital in Washington, DC and was a fellow in medical informatics and faculty development. He was named Family Physician of the Year for Kaiser Permanente Orange County and also received the Parke-Davis Resident Teacher of the Year award.

Kaiser Permanente has been a part of the islands’ health care infrastructure for more than 60 years. This leadership change and a closer working relationship with Kaiser Permanente Southern California will help to ensure long-term sustainability for many years to come.

“Greg’s longstanding tenure at Kaiser Permanente positions him to effectively leverage the scale, systems and experience of our Southern California region, while honoring the legacy and expertise that is part of our 60-year history in Hawai’i,” said Julie Miller-Phipps, president for Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii Health Plan and Hospitals. “I am confident he and John will guide the region to financial sustainability while continuing to deliver on our commitment to improve the health and well-being of the communities that we serve.”

Dr. Ed Ellison, executive medical director and chairman of the board for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group and Chairman and CEO of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, said about Dr. Yang: “John is committed to excellence in patient care and service. He brings with him a truly collaborative spirit, and he values the importance of connection and community in providing exceptional health care. I’m confident that these qualities, combined with more than 20 years of clinical practice as a family physician, will further elevate Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s outstanding track record for high-quality care.”

Christian and Yang succeed Ron Vance, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals president Hawai’i, and Geoff Sewell, MD, president and executive medical director for Hawai’i Permanente Medical Group.