Rajan Bhandari, MD

Dr. Rajan Bhandari is the physician in chief and chief of staff for The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) at Kaiser Permanente for multiple sites in the San Jose area. In this role, Dr. Bhandari leads more than 450 physicians and 2,000 staff to ensure that more than 230,000 Kaiser Permanente members receive the exceptional care that Kaiser Permanente San Jose has been known for and trusted to deliver. As a practicing neurologist, Dr. Bhandari has dedicated his entire career to serving TPMG at the San Jose Medical Center. In 1983, he joined the Neurology Department. In 1997, he became the chief of Neurology and was elected to the TPMG board. In 2003, he was appointed physician in chief and chief of staff. Dr. Bhandari has helped lead many improvements to stroke care at Kaiser Permanente San Jose including a program redesign that significantly decreased tPA time door-to-door, allowing for rapid transfer of patients that may require endovascular stroke treatment to the Kaiser Permanente Redwood city Comprehensive Stroke Center. Kaiser Permanente San Jose received the Primary Stoke Center Certification from Joint commission in 2005, and is also recognized by the American Heart Association with the Platinum Get with the Guidelines Award for Stroke Care. Over the years, Dr. Bhandari has been recognized for numerous outstanding achievement awards including Bay Area Consumer Checkbook as a Top Neurologist and San Jose Magazine’s list of Top Docs. In 2005, he was selected by the California Health Care Foundation as a two year fellow to better understand and fulfill the health care needs of all Californians. Following completion of a yearlong program, he now serves as a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum. In 2013, the Silicon Valley Business Journal presented him with the Excellence in Healthcare Award, and in 2016, he accepted the Benjamin Cory, MD Award from Santa Clara County Medical Association. Dr. Bhandari graduated with a medical degree from The Armed Forces Medical College in India. He is board certified in Neurology, and completed his Neurology residency training at Ohio State University followed by two years of Neurology fellowship training in Behavior Medicine and Clinical Neurophysiology at the Stanford/Valley Medical Center Neurology Program. Dr. Bhandari has been on the board for Children’s Discovery Museum since 2005 and has also served on the SOMOS Mayfair Medical Advisory Board in the past. He was a member of the Santa Clara County health department federally funded taskforce to reduce smoking and prevent obesity, and constantly looks for opportunities to promote health and wellness in our community.