Facility Martinez Medical Offices Department of Adult Medicine Address 200 Muir Road Ensenada Building Martinez CA 94553 Map & Directions Telephone Appt/Advice: (925) 372-1999 Cancellation: (925) 372-1999 View your preventive services

Department Hours

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Closed	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	8:30 am 5:00 pm	Closed
Closed during lunch, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

Welcome to My Home Page!

About Me
Becoming a doctor of medicine was not my career choice when I was growing up. I had many career dreams. My mom called me a dreamer because I would tell her a different job that I would like to do every other day, from airline pilot, teacher, chef, lawyer, accountant, movie star, singer, pianist, musician, politician, writer, to the President of the United States. Being a doctor or an engineer never made it to my list when I was a child. I guess that was the rebellious side of me since most of my family members are either physicians or engineers.

Life always works in a mysterious way. At age 18, I moved to America to be with my family. Life in America was a constant struggle for my family for many years. I knew first hand from my parents what it was like to be sick and not be able to afford to see a doctor. Many childhood ambitions had truly become unrealistic dreams. It was a very low point in my life. I was stressed by the struggles that my family experienced as new immigrants. After college, I saw no possibility of entering medical school. I considered myself lucky to get a job in a lab right after college. However, for the next 12 years, step by step, doors of opportunity opened for me to get into medicine when things seemed impossible. When I look back at my journey, my heart is filled with joy and gratitude.

Practicing medicine is like being a detective. We have to sort through layers of evidence, interviewing witnesses (patients) and collecting data (labs or imaging studies) before we can make the arrest (diseases). Medicine is not an exact science. Medicine is a composite of different shades of gray. Our human body is full of mysteries. As much progress as there is with modern science, we still cannot totally comprehend the full scope of life. Studying and practicing medicine is a very humbling experiencing for me. It makes me appreciate and celebrate life even more. Of course, the best reward in practicing medicine is to see patients that I have advised take charge of their health and get better either physically, mentally, or spiritually.

I finished my training in family practice and community medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania in June of 2003. I started here at Kaiser Permanente in July of 2003. I am fairly new to this organization; however, the Kaiser Permanente Team has been very supportive in helping me to adjust my transplantation from Pennsylvania. There are many physicians that have practiced here for 20 to 30 years, and I am looking forward to that type of longevity.

I am very fortunate to practice here at Kaiser Permanente where I can truly focus on practicing medicine and not worry about the paperwork which can take time away from patient care. I also appreciate Kaiser Permanente’s efforts in preventive medicine and evidence-based medical approaches. If we can prevent diseases from happening, we can prolong life spans and enhance quality of life. Another benefit of practicing here is that we are constantly educated and updated with the most advanced information in different medical fields. Specialists are fairly accessible to primary care doctors for a quick consultation. I truly like the team approach to health care. Since our patients are seen and cared for within the Kaiser Permanente system, all medical information from all different fields are within reach with a few key strokes on the computer. We are also a nationally well respected institution. I have known about Kaiser Permanente’s preventive care approach and its research efforts since my residency years back in medical school. I consider myself fortunate to be a member of this organization. Let me put it this way, if my parents lived in California, I would not hesitate to enroll them with Kaiser Permanente because I know they would receive high quality care here.

I strongly believe in partnership between patients and doctors. I consider a doctor to be like a prime minister to a King or Queen. We can only advise the King or Queen (you) what has to be done. The ultimate decision is in your control. By being a good prime minister, I provide information so the King and Queen can make the right choices and the kingdom (your body) will be in good condition.

My philosophy of health is based on the balance of four fundamental approaches of life. They are biological, sociological, psychological, and spiritual approaches. They all have to be well balanced to achieve ultimate health. I try to follow these principles when I see patients. I attempt to detect if there is any imbalance among these four corner stones and use appropriate means to make adjustments so we can live in harmony with ourselves and our environment. Prevention is the key to a long healthy life. Another important part of my philosophy is the concept of giving back to the community. In this way one can truly thrive. When the hurricane Katrina disaster hit I felt strongly motivated to travel cross-country to offer my medical services. Click here to read my Hurricane Katrina Journal.

I have broad interests in different medical fields including pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology; however, I am currently focusing my clinical practice on adult medicine and HIV care. I really enjoy learning and reading about new things in all other medical fields.

I am very proud to say that I am an official Californian now and hope to have many more years to come. I love traveling. I have visited many cites and countries. I enjoy learning about different cultures and foods. It is fascinating to learn about differences among people, yet we humans in fact are so much alike. This is truly a global village that we live in. Besides traveling, I also enjoy hiking. It is always a good way for me to clear my mind when I hike and surround myself with the beauty of nature and find the cricket voice in my heart.

I am fluent in Chinese.

The following websites are quite useful for you to look up information on disease prevention and health promotion, as well as general medical information.

For preventive medicine:
National Guideline Clearinghouse under the U.S. Department of Human Health Services

For general medical information:
American Academy of Family Physicians
United States Department of Health & Human Services

My Credentials

Medical school	University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford, NJ
Internship	Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, West Islip, NY
Residency	University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Board certification	Family Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.