Pioneers and groundbreakers

Learn about the trailblazers from Kaiser Permanente who shaped our legacy of innovation.

Our founders

Henry J. Kaiser

Kaiser’s concern for public welfare and his skill at mobilizing resources during World War II provided an opportunity for an innovative and effective health care program.

Learn more about Henry J. Kaiser

Sidney R. Garfield, MD

The inventive way Dr. Garfield provided care for workers during the Great Depression evolved into a bold new model for our affordable, quality health care program.

Learn more about Dr. Garfield

A legacy of leadership

Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing students learned a new philosophy emphasizing prevention, wellness, and integrated patient care.

See how we revolutionized health care

More about our pioneers and groundbreakers

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Pink Jeep Surrey with pink and white striped seats and fringed top

February 2, 2010

Myth buster: Henry J. Kaiser and the Jeep

In 1953, Henry J. Kaiser bought Willys Overland, maker of the Jeep during …

1954 Kaiser-Darrin convertible

November 14, 2010

Kaiser-built 1954 sports car delights today’s collectors

Henry J. Kaiser and Howard Darrin collaborated on producing and designing …

Henry J. Kaiser and Sidney R. Garfield, MD, survey the site for the Walnut Creek Medical Center, completed in 1953.

December 31, 2010

Permanente embraces its partnership with labor

Henry J. Kaiser's legacy of labor relations continued after World War II …

1951 graduating class of the Permanente Foundation Nursing School standing and facing Dorothea Daniels standing at the left

Iron nurse Dorothea Daniels had a soft spot for nursing students

The Kaiser Foundation School of Nursing students received effective curriculum …

Permanente Oakland hospital Nurses

Nurses begin quest for professional recognition after World War II

Co-founder Dr. Sidney Garfield makes history by signing the first nurse …

Betty Runyen wearing a hard hat

Kaiser Permanente nursing excellence: 75 years in the making

The founding principles and vision of nursing started in 1933. and paved …

2 hands holding a Kaiser Permanente brochure that says "Your Journey Home" and features a photo of a woman with 2 small children

Maternity care evolves to embrace family

Shortened in the 1970s led Kaiser Permanente to offer prenatal classes …

A line of business people walking, with a snow-covered mountain in the distance behind them.

January 19, 2012

Physician publishes story of Permanente in the Northwest

Dr. Ian C. Macmillan's book provides a history of Kaiser Permanente and …

T. Hart Baker, MD and William D. Finkle, Ph.D reviewing quality data

Permanente physicians strive to prove high quality of care

Early nation-wide health care quality assessments and evaluations became …

Leonard Rubin and Sam Sapin seated at table and reviewing medical charts

Permanente pioneers step out to blaze their own quality trail

Dr. Leonard Rubin and Sam Sapin pioneered and piloted new quality assessment …

Photo of David Lawrence

How do physicians know they’re doing the right thing?

Collaborative Kaiser Permanente physicians implemented a new quality program …

Cecil Cutting, MD

Early Permanente physician leader views health care future from 1966 vantage

Dr. Cecil Cutting, executive director of The Permanente Medical Group from …

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