As executive medical director of Northwest Permanente (NWP), Leong Koh, MD, leads more than 1,700 physicians, clinicians, and administrative staff at the largest independent, physician-led, multispecialty medical group in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Together, these physicians deliver evidence- and value-based health care with humanity — Permanente Medicine — to more than 600,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the region.
Dr. Koh has practiced family medicine for more than 25 years and has served in a variety of key operational and strategic leadership roles at both regional and national levels. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Benard J. Tyson Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. Additionally, he has co-led Kaiser Permanente’s national health equity workgroups and served as a member of the health equity sponsor group. Dr. Koh was recognized as a Modern Healthcare Diversity Leader in 2024 and named one of the Portland Business Journal’s Executives of the Year in 2026. Prior to his current role, he led the Quality, Care Experience, and Patient Safety effort for the medical group. During his tenure, Kaiser Permanente Northwest won several prestigious awards and recognition for the high-quality, exceptional care our teams provide. Dr. Koh also spent over a decade in care delivery leadership. As the regional director of operations for primary care, he oversaw primary care operations in both Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Dr. Koh received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, in Loma Linda, California. He completed his family medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and practiced for 4 years in Seattle before coming to Northwest Permanente in 2003.
Dr. Koh has a keen interest in physician wellness in all its facets, including physical, mental, and emotional. He and his wife, also a physician, have 2 young-adult daughters, with whom they enjoy spending as much time as they can, both at home and afar