Mark Rudow, MD

Bio

I was born in New York city in 1949, but my parents, in their infinite wisdom, relocated the family to California when I was in middle school. I started UC Santa Cruz in 1966 and have been hooked on Northern California ever since.

I attended Medical School in Chicago, at Northwestern University and did my pediatric training at Northwestern and Stanford. While I was practicing pediatrics in San Jose, I had numerous discussions with a friend from training who had gone on to become an anesthesiologist. I was fascinated by the direct application of pharmacology and physiology in the practice of anesthesia. At that point, I decided to pursue additional training. I completed an anesthesiology residency at the University of Michigan and spent one year on the faculty of the University of Michigan CS Mott Children's Hospital before deciding to return once again to Northern California in 1985.

When I came back to California, I decided to join the anesthesia group at Kaiser San Francisco. I was impressed with the benefits of an integrated health care system such as we have in our organization. When a patient comes for surgery, I have easy access to all the medical information I need to formulate a safe anesthetic plan for the patient. If I need to consult a specialist, they are readily available.

In 1990, when my friend and colleague, Dr. John Freedman, was picked to head the Department of Anesthesiology for the new hospital in Santa Rosa, I decided to join him, leave the city, and head for the north bay. My wife and I thought this would be a great place for family living.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

About Our Department

Should you need surgery, the members of the Department of Anesthesiology will strive to make your experience as safe and as pain free as it possibly can be. We are experts in managing the physiological and psychological stresses associated with surgery. We also act as consultants for the hospital in the areas of acute and chronic pain, as well as procedural sedation. A good part of our work involves providing pain relief for childbirth.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I am interested in pediatric anesthesia, but given the fact that I practice in a community hospital setting, my practice is limited to low-risk patients and surgeries.

Current projects or research:

I am one of the lead people helping facilitate the use of a computer program for documenting care given to patients in the hospital. It is a powerful tool that has the potential for greatly improving the quality of care delivered.

Great health resources that I refer to:

I am a regular reader of the major journals within my specialty. In addition, I read the New England Journal of Medicine to stay abreast of advances in the wider field of medicine. For more focused research on specific topics, I use a web site called MD Consult that is available to all Kaiser Permanente physicians. It provides online search capabilities for a wide variety of medical resources. There is an extensive library of online, full-text journals and textbooks that can be accessed immediately. It is like having a medical library on your desk 24/7. I also use another subscription online source called UpToDate.

Interests

Currently reading:
The War of the World by Niall Fergusson

My favorite book or author:
Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon, Quicksilver, Snow Blind)

Great movie:
The Godfather Trilogy

Hobby Photos & Links:

Heading for the Gate aboard Halcyon

Interesting site. The sections on the ocean are fascinating.
NOAA site for San Francisco Bay/Monterey Marine weather.

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I have been married for 23 years. My wife is a fine art photographer.

My children and people I care about:

My daughter graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 2007. She is presently in Israel on a nine month program of study and volunteer work. When she returns, she'll be attending UC Berkeley.

Acorn is our 15-year-old Tonkinese cat. To steal a quote from the animated feature An American Tale: "He's a cat that's more like a dog."

Travel

An adventure I've had:

A couple of years ago, I helped a friend sail his forty-foot sailboat from San Francisco to La Paz. The experience varied from quite gentle days in the Channel Islands to some scary, high wind nights well off the coast of Mexico. The night skies, with no light or land in sight, were magnificent.

Favorite place in the world:

I have always enjoyed the Caribbean. Sailing in the warm winds and water is a real change from San Francisco. I enjoy the great variation in cultures you experience from island to island.

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Anchored off the Pitons

Sunset off of St. Lucia