Mark Klein, MD

Bio

I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the eldest of six children, and was raised in the Chicago area. My mother's parents, who were from Calabria in southern Italy, lived across the street. My father's family were from southern Illinois and New York.

I attended Loyola University of Chicago, majoring in English and Club Football until two knee injuries ended the latter endeavor, and a draft notice the former.

I spent three years as a US Army medical corpsman and clinical specialist (the equivalent of an LPN in civilian life), and qualified as an EMT. I returned to school during my last year in the Army and finished my pre-med studies with a BA in Biology at the University of Colorado's Denver campus two years later. It was there that I met and won the heart of the magnificent Karen Keller-Klein, my wife.

I went on to medical school at the University of Colorado, receiving my MD in 1981. I remained at CU for two years of General Surgery residency, then completed three years of Urology residency in 1986. I have been certified in Adult and Pediatric Urology by the American Board of Urology since 1988.

I practiced in a small group practice in Boulder for three years, then moved here in 1989 to join Kaiser Permanente.

I've been very happy with the decision I made to join Kaiser Permanente 16 years ago. My colleagues and staff are excellent, and the quality of medicine we practice here is, I believe, superb.

I'm well trained in, and believe in, "Western" Medicine and surgery, but am also convinced that the "mind-body" connection is valid and powerful. I respect the personal and spiritual convictions of all of my patients and believe that the doctor-patient relationship is very important in healing.

In addition to my work as a urologist, I also serve as a "Provider-Patient Communication Consultant" -- teaching courses in communication to physicians and other health professionals here in Santa Rosa.

From a practical standpoint, I usually spend Monday afternoons on my administrative duties, here at the medical center. Tuesdays are usually my Surgery days, and I'm in the operating room for most or all of the day.

I sometimes operate on other days as well. My support staff, as I mentioned, is excellent, and can answer questions and arrange follow-up in my absence.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

Urology is the field of medicine that studies and treats problems with the genital and urinary systems in men and the urinary system in women. Urologists also work with congenital disorders of these systems in infants and children.

In medical school, I enjoyed surgery, pathology, and psychiatry the best. The professor whom I found the most inspiring was a Medical Oncologist. Urology is primarily a surgical specialty, but there is a great deal of understanding required of both pathophysiology and human nature in working with the genital and urinary problems that affect human beings.

There is the opportunity to relieve distress and pain quickly (e.g., kidney stones and urinary retention), but also to work with people who have serious and/or long-term illnesses, as in some of the urinary cancers.

Urology is the best blend of surgery, medicine and psychology for me, and I enjoy all of its aspects.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I was fascinated with Developmental Biology in college, and had considered pursuing a PhD in that field. How a single cell, an embryo, differentiates into many different kinds of cells, forms specific organs, and finally an individual being (like the one reading these words right now) is miraculous to me. Trying to discover, in my own small way, the how and why, is a never-ending journey, both scientific and spiritual. It also has the practical application of better understanding diseases involving cancer, viruses, aging, and death.

Great health resources that I refer to:

The NCI site at NIH is probably the most reliable for information about the genitourinary cancers, at www.cancer.gov

The American Urological Association has a site that provides information on a wide variety of genito-urinary conditions, at www.urologyhealth.org

An interesting story from my training:

Dr Bill Robinson, the Chairman of Medical Oncology at my medical school, would walk into the room of a dying patient and transform the atmosphere of the place with his presence. You could see the light in his eyes bring out the light in his patient's face. It was not only knowing that he was bringing the best that medical science had to offer with him, but that he was truly and fully "with" them, as a fellow mortal human being. He did this in the most matter-of-fact way, with humor, authentic fellowship, and a humility born of common sense. I don't think those things can really be "taught," but some of us "caught" a little of what he carried. He was highly contagious!

Interests

Family & Friends

People in my life:

My wife, Karen, was a practicing anesthesiologist at one time. Painting, music, helping with a children's group at Hospice, hosting a non-violent communication group, and chauffeuring our grandchildren now take most of her time.

My children and people I care about:

I have two grown stepchildren. Erin is the mother of our grandchildren, Ari and Luci (who allow me to see life's fresh beauty in and though their eyes). My stepson Sven (whom I've known since he was seven) lives in Los Angeles, and works at 20th Century Fox.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

According to family legend, my grandfather, Tony Broccolo, arrived in America at age 14 at the turn of the century with his 7-year-old brother. He became a tailor, then a real estate broker. He put his little brother through law school and put two of his sons through medical school.

To an outside observer, he was probably a short, chubby, bald man with a thick Italian accent, but in my memory, he was an incandescent light, radiating more love, life, joy, and spirit than any ten people I've met since.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Here is Karen with her Elton John glasses

Erin, Karen, Ari, and Luci

Our cat, and longtime friend, Daisy, died recently at the ripe old age of fifteen. She was just a gray striped tabby but she seemed to bring out the best in us in her own little way.

Pet Photos:

Daisy, being comforted by one of her best friends, our granddaughter, Luci.

Travel

Favorite place in the world:

When I first visited the island of Maui several years ago, I felt that the film in my life had changed from black-and-white to color. My beautiful wife wore flowers in her hair every day, just picked from the roadside. The old saw about there being only two speeds in the Islands, "slow and stop," took hold of us. The sea and stars combined with the flowing fullness of the night air to immerse us in a little approximation of that ineffable stillness that only mystics and poets can describe.

One of my recent trips:

The Civil War captured my imagination long ago and when I traveled to Gettysburg recently, I was struck by the spirit of the men who never left that "hallowed" ground. The full panoply of human emotion, hope and despair seemed to be still drifting in the air there, or tied to different patches of the land.

The memorials some of the states have erected there are so surprisingly tender in the words they use to remember their lost sons. If any of you have read and enjoyed "The Killer Angels," by Michael Shaara, I think you will find a visit there to be time well spent.