Lawrence Lapsley, MD

	Joined Jul, 1984 Department: Family Medicine Services [Map] Hospital Based Specialists Title: Physician Degree: MD Interests: I have a range of interests outside medicine, some of which include Woodworking, Metal Sculpture, Folk Guitar, Creating Strange Bicycles, Building and Paddling Wooden Kayacks, Photography, and Home Brewing and Winemaking. Languages: Some Spanish Physician Homepage
Bio I was born and raised in the East Bay area. My undergraduate degree was taken at Hayward State, after which I received a Masters of Science in Human Physiology from U.C. Davis before attending medical school there from 1979 to 1983. I did my Internal Medicine residency at the U.C. Davis School of Medicine Sacramento Medical Center from 1983 to 1986. I am an American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certified Internist. This means I have completed the above training and passed a comprehensive exam given by the ABIM. An Internist is a specialist in diseases of adults such as high blood pressure, heart, lung, kidney, endocrine (glands), musculo-skeletal, urinary, and digestive systems. Most people wonder how this differs from a Family Practitioner (sometimes so do I); mostly I have more depth in the above fields but don't take care of children or obstetrics. (Although I have learned a lot from my outstanding Family Practitioner colleagues over the years.) I started my practice with Kaiser Permanente in 1986 although I have been a Kaiser Permanente member since my birth at the Oakland Medical Center in 1951. I enjoy practice here because I get to practice MEDICINE, not BUSINESS. My philosophy of medicine is to help the patient direct his or her healthcare. Many of the most important things we can do to live longer, healthy lives are simple changes in lifestyle such as exercise, proper diet, avoidance of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, and common sense safety. Please use my webpage to get to know me better, look up some tips and link to other useful websites!
My Medical Specialty
More details about my specialty: The specialty of Internal Medicine bills itself as "Doctors For Adults." Sometimes when I tell people I am an Internist, they comment that I look a little old for that (that would be an INTERN - a doctor in the first year out of medical school). I chose this specialty because of the challenge of caring for adults with disordered physiology and trying to understand the underlying causes. My specialty interests and affiliations within my field: I am board certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the American College of Physicians, the professional association of Internists in the United States.
Interests
I recently talked a friend out of a 1960's era adult tricycle. It had been sitting in his back yard rusting for the last ten years. With a lot of elbow grease and a few new parts I've got the old Montgomery Ward Hawthorn trike as good as new. Too bad it only has one speed and I live on a hill.... My favorite book or author: The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian	Hobby Photos & Links: After the Rebuild on my 1960's Hawthorn Before the Rebuild
Family & Friends
People in my life: My wife, Justine Lott, and I have been married since 1983. She is a very skilled quilter and fabric artist. I sometimes get to help her with fabric dyeing, and other aspects of quilt production. (The Christmas of 2004, I sewed the bindings on 14 quilts in 4 weeks. Of course, more impressive is that my wife MADE the 14 quilts in the same time.) You can view some of Justine's recent work here: http://community.webshots.com/album/237618995jHkTmv My children and people I care about: Justine and I have two children; Jonathan, age 21, is in college at Chico State. Janis is 18 and at Sonoma State. Janis is an avid equestrian and was overall champion for the NorCal riders group in 2004.	Jonathan Graduation Photo Janis Graduation Picture My family at Christmas a Few Years Back
My pets: We have one elderly cat named Juanita . She was NOT pleased when we recently brought home two Aussi Shepard puppies. (She thought they were just staying for the week end...)	Pet Photos: Titan the Aussi
Travel
Favorite place in the world: We enjoy occasional trips to Cancun, Mexico to relax on that white sand on the blue waters. It's especially good when the fog has been hanging in too long here in Santa Rosa. A few years back I got to scuba dive at Cozemel. What a great trip! I also love local day trips out to our beautiful coast.	A Photo of One of My Favorite Places: One of our Home-built Boats on Drake's Bay
Other Links & Photos
Justine's Quilt page