Long-time Kaiser Permanente pediatrician, physician leader to retire

In his career as a pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. James O’Donnell has cared for thousands of babies in in San Mateo County. Now Dr. O’Donnell is retiring, after 35 years in medicine.

Stepping into his shoes is Dr. William Firtch, a Kaiser Permanente Redwood City sports medicine and physical rehabilitation specialist, who is also one of the San Jose Sharks team physicians.

“I have a young family, and I’d like to spend more time with my two daughters,” said Dr. O’Donnell, who prefers the name “Jim”. “They’re both pre-teens and I want to be there for them more easily than I am now.”
Dr. O’Donnell has a pediatric practice at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City, and he is the Physician-in-Chief of the medical center, overseeing nearly 250 doctors, hundreds of nurses, and a large support staff at the medical center.
“I love medicine and over the years, I’ve become more interested in administrative duties as a way to improve the overall care provided at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City,” said Dr. O’Donnell.
Indeed, the newly opened Kaiser Permanente Redwood City hospital has been listed as a “Top Performer” on a prestigious national list of hospitals that provide health care of exceptional quality and safety. Over the 15 years that Dr. O’Donnell has been Physician-in-Chief, the medical center has won numerous awards for quality care.
O’Donnell oversaw the completion of a new Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Hospital as well as a new medical office in San Mateo. A project to build a new specialty center and parking garage on the Redwood City campus is on the drawing board.
“I grew up in an Iowa farming community of 300 people, and became interested in public service while I was a kid working in my father’s general store,” he said
That and a love of science led him to medicine where Dr. O’Donnell graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School.
“I chose pediatrics because I love watching young children grow and develop, and helping them shape healthy, productive lives for future generations.”
In his time, Dr. O’Donnell says pediatrics has become much more specialized, allowing doctors to care for more children who are extremely ill. Pediatric endocrinology, pediatric neurology and more sub-specialties are common these days. But for Dr. O’Donnell, the basics remain.
“The pediatrician is a vital part of family development,” he said. “We’re helping new parents prepare for this new phase in their life. Many new parents are simply exhausted, and need the pediatrician’s reassurance to grow.”
For his future, Dr. O’Donnell says he’s going to give himself six months to unwind, then explore other challenges, but one that keeps him close to his home and his daughters. He doesn’t rule out the possibility of volunteer work. But the physician in him will miss Kaiser Permanente.
“The major area I will miss is bringing on the next generation of physicians and watching them grow. We recruit physicians who have learned the science of medicine from the best medical schools across the country. I love to watch them as they enhance that knowledge and develop their skills in the art of medicine. Combining the two makes all the difference for both the physician and our members”
Dr. Firtch will take over as Physician-in-Chief early in January, 2016.