New leader has spent last 8 years as head of research for Veterans Affairs
Rachel Ramoni, DMD, ScD, who has led research at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since 2017, has been named the new director of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research (DOR). She will be the sixth DOR director in its 64-year history; she starts Feb. 24, 2025.
At DOR, she will lead more than 720 employees, including 73 research scientists and staff scientists, along with 17 research fellows; the organization has annual revenue of more than $133 million.
“I am drawn to working within large, integrated health care systems that combine research with a mission-driven focus,” Ramoni said. “This combination is rare, with Kaiser Permanente and the VA often mentioned together. The Division of Research is highly regarded in the research community, and the opportunity to be a part of a new sector, after my experience in academia and federal government service, was appealing.”
At the VA, she was Chief Research and Development Officer and led an ambitious project to integrate more than 100 VA medical centers — which were each independently doing research — into a more efficient single enterprise.
Ramoni founded and led the Undiagnosed Diseases Network. In another role, she led an innovative effort to facilitate the sharing of electronic health information, which sparked an abiding interest in how innovation and technologies can improve health care efficiency and effectiveness.
“Dr. Ramoni shares our core beliefs that people can accomplish more by working together and that integrated care models offer the future of rapid, evidence-based, care transformation,” said Doug Corley, MD, PhD, a DOR research scientist and chief research officer for The Permanente Medical Group. “As we work together to help KPNC Research enterprise-wide become a more integrated, supportive, and efficient research effort, her skills will be invaluable for leading researchers in the Division of Research, bridging federal and foundation support, and creating broad collaborations across KPNC.”
DOR’s 6th leader
Ramoni will be just the 6th leader at DOR since its creation in 1961. DOR was established under the guidance of noted Kaiser Permanente physician and researcher Morris Collen, MD. Ramoni follows DOR’s past director Tracy Lieu, MD, MPH, who began her tenure at DOR in 2012.
“Dr. Ramoni is eminently well-qualified to lead the Division of Research and contribute to Kaiser Permanente as a learning health system,” Lieu said. “Her diversity of experience in academic research and in the VA gives her a rich well to draw on. She has a deep understanding of integrated health systems and brings both principle and passion to this important role.”
After Lieu stepped down from leadership in mid-2024 to return to research full time, she was succeeded by Michael Silverberg, PhD, MPH, as interim director. Silverberg is a longtime HIV epidemiologist and leads DOR’s Behavioral Health, Aging and Infectious Diseases section. “Rachel’s highly relevant experience from the VA and forward-thinking leadership will undoubtedly elevate the DOR to new levels of success,” he said.
Ramoni said she looks forward to applying her experience building bridges between research and clinical care.
“My work at the VA allowed me to forge meaningful partnerships with national clinical offices such as oncology and pulmonology, as well as with VA medical center directors,” noted Ramoni. “These experiences emphasized the core principles of a learning health system and highlighted the importance of empathizing with our clinical colleagues to reach our collective goals.”
Ramoni received a Doctor of Science in epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She held faculty positions at the Harvard Medical and Dental Schools, at Boston Children’s Hospital, and the New York University College of Dentistry.
Her work at the VA included leadership roles within the VA’s Million Veteran Program, on the VA Precision Oncology executive committee, and the White House’s National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Suicide, among others. She also served on the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) advisory council.
Ramoni’s arrival will bring DOR invaluable insights into how national policies and decisions significantly influence health care and research.
“The Division of Research, in collaboration with the broader Kaiser Permanente ecosystem, is uniquely positioned to define, implement, and refine evidence-based medicine for the benefit of Kaiser members and the wider community,” Ramoni said. “I am truly honored to join an organization with such an extraordinary legacy.”
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About the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. KPDOR seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 720-plus staff, including 73 research and staff scientists, are working on nearly 630 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit divisionofresearch.kp.org or follow us @KPDOR.
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