Every day, health care professionals across Kaiser Permanente deliver exceptional care, champion innovation, and advocate for healthier communities. This year, two of our remarkable doctors and one outstanding interdisciplinary team are being recognized as The Daily Record’s 2025 Health Care Heroes for their extraordinary contributions to improving health care in Maryland. These honors celebrate the passion and dedication that fuel our mission to provide high-quality, compassionate care to every patient we serve.
Advancements and Innovation in Health Care: Center for Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Medicine
The Center for Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Medicine at Kaiser Permanente is transforming lives by helping patients lose weight, reverse chronic diseases, and improve their health through personalized, evidence-based care. This multidisciplinary team of physicians, bariatric surgeons, lifestyle coaches, and nutritionists has supported over 1,000 patients in collectively losing nearly 10,000 pounds, with many reversing prediabetes or controlling diabetes faster than expected through lifestyle changes. Patients have access to a broad range of services including bariatric surgery, a Diabetes Prevention Program, physician-led lifestyle medicine, and virtual wellness coaching, meeting them where they are and offering sustainable solutions. The team’s integrated approach ensures that every patient receives coordinated support, whether through advice on sleep, nutrition, stress management, or exercise. Together, they foster long-term health improvements and redefine preventive care across the region.
Physician of the Year: Kwame Akoto, MD
Kwame Akoto, MD, a board-certified family medicine doctor at Kaiser Permanente’s South Baltimore Medical Center, leads with a passion for expanding specialty care and improving health outcomes for his community. As Assistant Physician in Chief for Resource Utilization and Chief of Medical Specialties, he has recruited top talent, introduced outpatient procedures like thoracentesis, and expanded peritoneal dialysis services to enhance convenience and quality of life for patients with kidney failure.
Known for his holistic approach, Dr. Akoto also leads weekly multidisciplinary rounds for complex patients, and his “Dignified Journeys” program trains physicians on end-of-life care conversations. His commitment to high-quality care is reflected in exceptional screening and chronic disease management rates, including 100% breast cancer screening for high-risk patients and 80% blood pressure control for diabetic patients. Beyond the clinic, Dr. Akoto engages with the community through health education panels and media interviews on men’s health and chronic disease prevention.
Mental Health Hero: Christina Lee, MD
Christina Lee, MD, a triple-board certified psychiatrist and Regional Medical Director for Mental Health at Kaiser Permanente, has reshaped mental health care across Maryland by expanding access and championing innovation in patient services. Under her leadership, Kaiser Permanente recruited 12 new psychiatrists in 2024 and broadened its External Provider Network, leading to a 31% increase in therapy visits and ensuring patients receive care within 10 business days.
Dr. Lee also established crisis therapy appointments within 48 hours and introduced specialty programs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder evaluations and executive functioning support. Balancing leadership with direct patient care as Chief of Psychiatry for the Baltimore region, Dr. Lee has also become a trusted voice in the community, offering expert guidance in media interviews on topics like anxiety, depression, and seasonal sadness. Her efforts ensure that members across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC receive timely, compassionate mental health support when they need it most.
Kaiser Permanente congratulates and thanks all our 2025 Health Care Heroes for their compassion, innovation, and commitment to improving the health of our members and communities.
With more than 1,800 physicians spanning more than 60 medical specialties, Kaiser Permanente members have access to one of the largest integrated medical groups in the country. Kaiser Permanente provides care to nearly 800,000 members at 35 medical centers located in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia, as well as through virtual options including video, phone, and secure messaging. This integrated and coordinated approach to convenient care combined with regular preventive screenings, cutting-edge treatments, and effective chronic disease management, helps Kaiser Permanente members live longer, healthier lives. Data shows that Kaiser Permanente members in the Mid-Atlantic live, on average, six years longer than the national average.
To learn more about this award, visit The Daily Record’s website.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.
