Associate Director of Virtual Medicine, Technology, Innovation & Research, The Permanente Medical Group

Kristine Lee, MD is an associate executive director with The Permanente Medical Group. Dr. Lee oversees the areas of Virtual Medicine as well as Technology, Innovation, the Division of Research, and TPMG Consulting Services.

Dr. Lee’s main focus is to use technology to enhance and support inbasket management and patient chronic conditions management. The focus on virtual health is also meant to be an adjunct to traditional care to educate and engage patients in their own care and to enhance remote monitoring capabilities. There will be considerable overlap with innovation and IT with a focus of operationalizing AI and digital health technology tools.

Dr. Lee joined TPMG at Kaiser Permanente (KP) San Francisco (SFO) Medical Center in 2008. Throughout her career, Dr. Lee has held numerous leadership positions starting with Data Quality, Coding and Medicare physician lead in 2010 and was promoted to Assistant Program Director with the Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2013.

Dr. Lee became the Chief of Chronic Conditions Management, Assistant Chief of Population Management, AND Assistant Chief of Adult and Family Medicine (AFM) in 2014. She developed and implemented SFO’s strategy to engage AFM pharmacists as advance practice providers to offload pharmacy items from the inbox; created and managed the Message Management Center; and piloted numerous projects in asthma, osteoporosis, tobacco cessation, diabetes, depression, hypertension, breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer screening, and pediatric immunization. This led Dr. Lee to take on the role of AFM Department Chief in 2016 and Chair of AFM in 2018.

In 2021, Dr. Lee joined the Regional Offices as the Regional Medical Director for Desktop Medicine. She developed a central Regionwide Pharmacy Program to support 4.5 million patients, as well as, designed and executed workflows and technology solutions to help all physicians manage their inbasket secure message volume.

Dr. Lee received her Medical Doctor at the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. Dr. Lee also participated in the TPMG Emerging Leader Program and completed the Executive Leadership Program at the Harvard School of Business in 2023.

Dr. Lee is a parent of three kids, age 16, 13, and 4, with many interests. When she does have down-time, she loves whipping up a feast for her family or guests in her kitchen.