Executive Biographies

John H. Cochran, MD, FACS

Executive director, The Permanente Federation

John H. Cochran, MD, FACS, is the executive director of The Permanente Federation, the national umbrella organization for the regional Permanente Medical Groups, which comprise the physician component of Kaiser Permanente. The Permanente Medical Groups employ 14,600 physicians who care for 8.6 million Kaiser Permanente members.

Prior to his appointment to this position in October 2007, Dr. Cochran served as executive medical director and president of the Colorado Permanente Medical Group for Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Cochran began his career with CPMG as founder of the plastic surgery department in 1990. He served as CPMG chief of plastic surgery (1990 – 1997), chairman of the CPMG board of directors (1997), and CPMG executive medical director (1999 – 2007).

Before joining CPMG, Dr. Cochran was in private practice in Denver, Colo. At Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, Dr. Cochran served terms as chief of plastic surgery, chair of Surgical Services, and president of the medical staff. At Exempla Healthcare, he served as a board member and as a member and chairman of the Quality Committee.

Dr. Cochran currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the American Medical Group Association, the board of directors of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, and the Advisory Board of the Global Health Group. In addition, Dr. Cochran is co-chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 10th annual International Summit on Redesigning the Clinical Office Practice. He also is a frequent speaker on delivery system reform and participated in the Senate Finance Committee’s 2008 Health Reform Summit.

Earning his medical degree from the University of Colorado, Dr. Cochran served residencies at Stanford University Medical Center and the University of Wisconsin Hospital. He is board certified in Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) and in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

One of Dr. Cochran’s passions is his dedicated work in Third World countries, where he provides reconstructive surgery services. For the past 20 years, he has been a visiting surgeon and consultant in Nicaragua, the Philippines, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Nepal. Dr. Cochran is also a past president of C6, a foundation that has built hospitals in East Africa.