2022 Ira Alpert Service Awardee
Ozzie Martinez, MPH
Ozzie Martinez, MPH, is an executive health care leader, mentor, and public health professional, serving as the Chief Administrative Officer at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center. With over 20 years of health care experience, as Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Martinez leads and directs medical group operations to serve patients and surrounding communities at Kaiser Permanente South Bay, as well as medical offices in Carson, Gardena, Harbor City, Long Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Signal Hill, and Torrance, overseeing care for over 260,000 members throughout the South Los Angeles County. He sets the strategic direction for medical group operations which impact quality, the patient care experience, access to care and financial performance of the medical group at Kaiser Permanente South Bay.
Mr. Martinez started his healthcare career at the Veterans Affairs Health System after graduation from Fielding School of Public Health and joined Kaiser Permanente in 2002 where he led work in operations and strategy, including leadership of the Southern California region Proactive Office Encounter program. This has become a foundation of clinical operations and has built our capability and reputation for clinical excellence and preventive care throughout the nation, as recognized by the prestigious Kaiser Permanente James A. Vohs Award for Quality.
Mr. Martinez joined Kaiser Permanente South Bay as the Vice President of Operations for the Clinical Support Service Line in 2009, where he was responsible for operations over ambulatory and hospital-based departments. A champion for care transformation, he continues to be an advocate for cultural diversity and inclusion work, innovation, and strategy in health care.
Mr. Martinez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Chapman University, a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard University. He has been involved in many community organizations and fellowships throughout his career and is member of the Upsilon Phi Delta National Health Administrator Honor Society. Mr. Martinez currently serves on the Leadership Council for Chapman University’s Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and was honored with the Chapman University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020. He is a transformational leader, committed to continuous learning, application of diverse solutions and approaches to improve the overall health of our members and communities we serve, and investing in others by mentoring and developing future leaders, including decades of mentoring master’s prepared interns and healthcare fellows from all over the nation.