Mark Fahey, MD

Bio

My practice philosophy is simple....I provide the best patient care I can as an anesthesiologist and I color it with the spiritual commitment I learned as a Catholic seminarian. Anesthesiology is an intense, brief physician/patient interaction which requires great skill and attention to detail. It is a career that I was attracted to as a junior medical student in Wisconsin and it continues to be a very fulfilling career, both personally and professionally.

My anesthesia career began with 10 years of teaching anesthesia at UCSF, which was highlighted by a year of anesthesia research in Italy. The next decade was spent at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where I served as both an anesthesiologist and OR Medical Director.

Kaiser Permanente represents the final chapter of my long and varied career in anesthesiology. I chose a full-time position with Kaiser in December 2005 because I feel that Kaiser has the best health plan model to deliver outstanding patient care, while recognizing how best to enhance and reward physician commitment to quality care.

In my homepage, I have emphasized what I consider are two of the key ingredients to good health....progressive resistance strength training and the practice of yoga.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

Being an anesthesiologist is a lot like being a pilot....there is the thrill of making a good flight and the constant danger. A good anesthesiologist works to control all the risks in exposing patients to powerful drugs and gases, hoping to work with the surgeon to improve the health and well-being of the patient before them. I enjoy that challenge and am very happy with my choice of medical career.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I have a special interest in intravenous muscle relaxants administered to surgical patients. I did research at UCSF for 10 years with experimental muscle relaxants and helped drug companies introduce new relaxants into clinical practice.

I am also interested in leadership roles in hospital administration with special focus on OR management and utilization.

Current projects or research:

In 2008, we will be opening our new ambulatory surgery site, named MOB5/OSD, located north of the hospital on Old Redwood Highway. I have the privledge of working as the medical director of this impressive facility and my project for 2008 is to make it deliver the best patient care possible.

Great health resources that I refer to:

The most important key to health is to maintain muscle mass throughout your life. Muscle on your body allows you to more easily control your weight, it provides stronger bones, and a more healthy cardiovascular system. One book explains it best:
"The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise the Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week" by Fred Hahn and Drs. Eades & Eades.
This book has improved my health dramatically, added inches of muscle to my arms and chest, and at 30 minutes a week I have maintained my exercise schedule for almost 3 years. I recommend this fitness regimen to anyone from 20 to 90 years of age.

An interesting story from my training:

I was fortunate in 1977 to interview for the anesthesia residency program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Highlights were staying at the Boston Men's Club and seeing the Ether Dome (see below) where one of the first ether anesthetics was performed in 1846. Earlier that year I visited Hartford, CT, home of William Morton, the anesthetist who had performed that first anesthetic in the Ether Dome!

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

Ether Dome

Interests

Currently reading:
Everyman by Phillip Roth

My favorite book or author:
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss MD

Great movie:
Capote

Hobby Photos & Links:

Slow Burn

Rolling Stones Website
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Website

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I recently remarried and now have a wonderful wife, daughter and granddaughter that are the center of my life and activities away from Kaiser.

My children and people I care about:

My granddaughter keeps me young at heart and in body with her love of soccer.

An interesting story about my family or friends:

I worked in a college kitchen as a medical student and my boss drove a
Corvette....I said to myself that when I finally made it in life I would own a Corvette. Well about 5 years ago, ecame friends with a UPS pilot who let me borrow his 1995 Corvette for my
birthday. Luckily, while I had his car, he became interested in a later model with a "heads up" speedometer display...and so I am now a proud owner of a Corvette and I truly feel that I have MADE it!!

I don't have a pet now but I used to have Queensland Blue Heelers. They are great sheep and cattle herding dogs and hold the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest living dog....28!! Check it out yourself!!

Pet Photos:

Blue Heeler

Travel

An adventure I've had:

As a medical student,I was awarded a MAP Readers Digest Scholarship to travel to Madagascar to work in a mission hospital for 10 weeks. It gave me a great appreciation for tropical medicine and world travel and a unique opportunity to see an exotic island. I think often of the lemurs and ocean swimming that I enjoyed there.

Favorite place in the world:

After living in Northern Italy for a year, I would choose the Valtellina Valley, north of Milan, as my most favorite place in the world. The mountains, the rural people and the untouched antiquity of life is what attracts me and calls me back often.

One of my recent trips:

The healthiest place my wife and I travel to is a spa in Mexico called Rancho La Puerta. A week of vegetarian cooking, yoga, no TV or phone....allows your mind and body to rejuvenate and revitalize. Check out their website at:
http://www.rancholapuerta.com/

Travel Photos:

An Operating Theatre in Madagascar

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Valtellina

Trip Photos:

Rancho La Puerta