Six physicians across Northern California have been awarded the 2025 Sidney R. Garfield Exceptional Contribution Award.
The award is named after Sidney R. Garfield, MD, who is the physician founder of Kaiser Permanente and regarded as one of the great innovators of 20th century American health care delivery. He is known for his adoption of novel principles of prepayment, prevention, and group medical practice as well as for pioneering computers as a health care tool.
This year’s winners may hail from a cross-section of disciplines, but all have made Kaiser Permanente a best place to work and receive care.
Ravi Bains, MD, spine surgery, KP East Bay
Dr. Bains has elevated KP Northern California Spine Surgery, nationally known for its technical expertise, highly skilled surgeons, and evidence based, patient-centered outcomes. Among his accomplishments are developing a fellowship, enrolling patients in clinical trials, and peer-reviewed research. Read more about his achievements and watch a short video on him.
Louai Bilal, MD, Inpatient Psychiatry, KP Greater Southern Alameda Area
As founding medical director of the only KP Northern California inpatient-med psych unit, Dr. Bilal assembled a multi-disciplinary team to treat patients with severe psychiatric illness who also are managing other health conditions, such as diabetes, wound care, and heart disease. The facility has a record of low hospital readmission rates and high patient satisfaction scores. Learn more about Dr. Bilal’s work and watch a short video on him.
Stacy Fletcher, MD, FAAFP, Adult and Family Medicine, KP Napa‑Solano
Stacy Fletcher, MD, developed RESET, a physician-led, trust-based transformation of primary care to change the culture and processes that were contributing to burnout. She worked with Andrew Muck, KP Napa-Solano director of strategic initiatives, on RESET, which stands for Reward Efficiency, Set priorities, Empower Teams. RESET is now found across every KP Northern California service area, with more than 2,400 physicians and medical assistants participating. Read more about her work and watch a short video on Dr. Fletcher.
Alicia McCarthy, MD, Maternal‑Fetal Medicine, KP Diablo Service Area
Kirtan Patel, MD Internal Medicine, KP Diablo Service Area
Alicia McCarthy, MD, and Kirtan Patel, MD, developed a program that compiles best practices and guidance from various resources with select words or phrases. Through Super Smart Phrases, physicians can best share information with patients while cutting down on physician clerical time. Learn more about how Dr. McCarthy and Dr. Patel worked together to solve a problem. Watch a short video on their work.
Molly Tolins, MD, Emergency Medicine, KP East Bay
Molly Tolins, MD, created the Peer Outreach Support Team (POST) program in 2019 to help her colleagues navigate the more challenging circumstances in medicine. The regionwide, voluntary peer-support network supports staff through unexpected patient deaths, difficult interactions with patients or family members, compassion fatigue and other potentially traumatic work experiences. In its first 5 years, POST had more than 550 successful physician interactions in the East Bay alone. Learn more about Dr. Tolins’ accomplishment and watch a short video on her work.
