Research Colloquium 02/27/25 - Rheena Bhargava

Talk Title: Electronic Visits (e-Visits) - A Tool for Efficient Patient Care
Bio: Reena Bhargava, MD, FACP is Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Clinical Informatics, and Lifestyle Medicine, with a strong interest in leveraging AI for longevity. Most recently, she served as a Medical Director at Kaiser Permanente for over 20 years, leading the development of clinical decision support tools and population health initiatives to enhance care delivery for four million patients. Her work focused on data-driven, evidence-based medicine to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality patient care. Reena also spearheaded the creation of innovative digital healthcare solutions, including electronic physician visits (e-Visits). Research on these e-Visits and their effectiveness was published in JAMA Network (Patient e-Visit Use and Outcomes for Common Symptoms in an Integrated Health Care Delivery System. Reena Bhargava, MD1; Gregg Gayre, MD2; Jie Huang, PhD3; et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e212174). Reena is a Venture Partner at a physician-led investment group focused on healthcare startups. She serves on the Board of HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Northern California Chapter and is a Committee Chair for the Santa Clara County Medical Association. Earlier in her career, she trained at Stanford University School of Medicine as an NIH Fellow in Endocrinology, researching insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. From 2006 to 2015, she was a Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) of Medicine at Stanford. Currently, she is a Clinical Professor at the Institute of Medical Educators at Kaiser and has published extensively in leading medical journals. A dedicated advocate for women’s health, Reena developed a Healthy Bones program to screen and manage osteoporosis in thousands of women. She has also presented her research on osteoporosis, gender bias in lipid management, chest pain, domestic/intimate partner violence, and virtual care at national and international medical conferences.