Richard Permutt, MD

Bio

I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and always wanted to be a doctor.
I had a public school education but after high school decided to leave for a more
sedate setting and attended college at the University of Florida. From there my education led me all over the south- medical school at the University of Alabama, and internship and residency at Baylor University.

I finally left the south for San Francisco where I trained in Gastroenterology at UCSF. Having experienced cooler weather for the first time in my life, my family and I decided to stay in the Bay Area and settled in Santa Rosa at Kaiser Permanente where we have been since 1981.

I believe in partnering with patients in helping to care for them. Healing is natural but, at times, needs to be facilitated through medical interventions and patients' intervention. I am classically trained in science but am open to new ideas which can help patients. I prefer complimentary style medicine over alternative style medicine when dealing with unproven methods.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

I love gastroenterology. It requires a healthy understanding of psychology as well as other organ systems. Each patient I see is unique and challenging.
The practice of endoscopy allows me to use many fine motor and visual skills that I learned as a musician.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I work closely with UCSF where I was trained and keep an active association there.

Great health resources that I refer to:

I love to google websites related to medicine and find this a wonderful source of informationfor my patients.
a word of caution- try to get info from reputable sites

Interests

Currently reading:
Kafka on the Shore

My favorite book or author:
Haruki Murakami

Great movie:
Step Into Liquid , Ray

Hobby Photos & Links:

Playing music with friends and family

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I have been with my loving wife, Jill, since 1973 and my mother now lives in Santa Rosa.

My children and people I care about:

I have 3 children, 2 boys and 1 girl. My oldest is in the mortgage business in San Jose, my middle is a medical student at Washington University in St. Louis , and my daughter is a world arts and culture major at UCLA

An interesting story about my family or friends:

Here I am surfing with a dear old friend.

My pet tabby cat named "Trouble"

Travel

Favorite place in the world:

I love Europe. I like the relaxed way of life there and of course the food. I enjoy meeting people traveling from all parts of the world.I recently spent time in Guanajuato Mexico.

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Relaxing on vacation