New Advisory Council Member Spotlight: Dr. Kapil Dhingra, MD, MBA, FACEP
The Asian Pacific Fund (APF) is excited to welcome Dr. Kapil Dhingra, MD, MBA, FACEP, Physician-in-Chief and Healthcare Executive at The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., at the Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center, as one of our newest Advisory Council members.
As part of APF’s Advisory Council, Dr. Dhingra will help increase our impact by providing his knowledge and expertise to advance our strategic goals, promote our work, and support our annual fundraising efforts.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in New Jersey and have lived in several states across the country, with Louisiana playing a significant part of my formative years. I moved to California to pursue undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bears!). My interest in healthcare grew during college when I worked as an analyst at Kaiser Permanente and through personal experiences with my mother’s battle against breast cancer. These experiences highlighted the importance (and challenge) of designing systems that deliver compassionate, culturally competent, and coordinated care. After graduating from the MD/MBA program at Tulane University School of Medicine and the A.B. Freeman School of Business, I completed my Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of California, Davis.
Currently, I am a board-certified Emergency Physician for The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) and have served as the Physician-in-Chief for the Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center since 2017. In this role, I oversee clinical operations, quality, safety, and finance for our medical center, which serves over 367,000 patients with 60+ spoken languages. I also serve as the Chief of Staff, representing the voice of our clinicians and ensuring alignment with our organization’s mission and vision. Additionally, I serve on the TPMG Board of Directors, supporting over 10,000 physicians and 45,000 staff across Northern California.
My wife Vinita, who is an educator at our local public school, and I raise three children whose heritage spans Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Austrian cultures. The diversity of our community drew us to the Bay Area, and we remain rooted here because of the people, culture, and opportunity to enhance the intersections between communities.
I am an avid basketball fan—whether playing at a local court on weekends, reading about basketball history and culture, or attending our kids’ games. Basketball has taught me valuable lessons about life and teamwork.
What inspired you to join the Asian Pacific Fund’s AC, and what excites you most in this new role?
I have been deeply inspired by the APF’s dedication to enhancing the lives of our communities, particularly through focused efforts on improving mental health, addressing economic insecurity, and enhancing language access. As a physician leader, it has been a priority for me to address health equity by reducing healthcare disparities. I have witnessed what is possible when diversity, equity, and inclusion are prioritized. I am most excited to work alongside others in our community who are guided by similar values and goals.
As we look towards the next decade for the Asian Pacific Fund, what are your hopes for APF and our AANHPI community as an APF Advisory Council member?
I am excited about the opportunity to expand APF’s reach to synergistically serve our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as other ethnic communities. My hope is that through these community connections, we can enhance our collective learning and efforts for the benefit of all.
