Internal Medicine Los Angeles Medical Center

Who We Are

As the flagship Internal Medicine residency program in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, KP Los Angeles Medical Center (KP LAMC) offers an unparalleled training experience that combines the best of integrated health care with the complexity and acuity of a major academic center.

Located in East Hollywood, KP LAMC is the tertiary referral center for over 4.8 million members across Southern California. Our residents care for some of the sickest and most complex patients in the region—while training in a system designed to let physicians lead. At KP, there’s no waiting on insurance authorizations. Medical decisions are made by doctors, for patients. We believe this is how medicine should be practiced—and how future physicians should be trained.

We don’t offer shortcuts—but we’ll go with you every step of the way.

Our Philosophy

We believe that great doctors aren’t just trained—they’re developed. At KP LAMC, we center our program on a core belief: that professional growth and well-being stem from autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

This is why we take a self-determination approach to training. You’ll have structure, mentorship, and coaching at every stage—but also the freedom and responsibility to drive your own learning. Whether your path leads to fellowship, hospital medicine, or primary care, you’ll graduate with the skills and clarity to lead it confidently.

We expect our residents to be:
• Curious – willing to dig deeper and ask why
• Adaptable – able to grow through complexity and change
• Collaborative – committed to the patient, the team, and the community
• Purpose-driven – always learning, not just checking boxes

We won’t hand you a script. We’ll help you write your own—with support, with feedback, and with the kind of training that builds real confidence through earned growth.

Training at a Glance

Our training is designed to produce well-rounded, independent internists who are confident across settings, skilled in communication, and equipped for fellowship, hospital medicine, or primary care.

We offer three entry tracks:
• Categorical Track – A rigorous 3-year training experience across inpatient medicine, ambulatory care, and all internal medicine subspecialties
• Preliminary Track – A one-year foundational program for residents entering other specialties
• Research Track – A 3-year integrated pathway with structured mentorship, protected time, and access to KP’s system-wide research infrastructure (Learn more)

Categorical residents may also apply to our Primary Care Track beginning in PGY-2. This track emphasizes outpatient mastery, procedural training, and diverse clinical experiences in community medicine, HIV, obesity care, and gender-affirming care (Learn more).

We use a two-week block schedule that balances immersive inpatient experiences with protected time for continuity clinic, electives, didactics, and independent study. Early exposure to core subspecialties—such as Infectious Disease, Neurology, and Palliative Care—builds the foundation for clinical judgment and diagnostic reasoning.

A cornerstone of our educational model is graduated autonomy. As residents grow in skill and confidence, they take on increasing clinical responsibility:
• In PGY-3, residents complete a Capstone hospitalist rotation, functioning as near-independent inpatient physicians under supervision.
• In the ambulatory setting, PGY-3 residents lead their continuity clinics with near-independent decision-making and oversight tailored to their level.

Our goal is to support autonomy while ensuring safety, reflection, and readiness for unsupervised practice—across both inpatient and outpatient care.

Training Sites

Residents train across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, anchored by Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (KP LAMC)—a 560-bed tertiary and quaternary referral center located in East Hollywood. As the flagship medical center for Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG), KP LAMC manages some of the most complex cases in the region across cardiology, oncology, neurology, and critical care.

Key clinical sites include:

• Main Hospital at KP LAMC – Core site for inpatient medicine, ICU, cardiology, all major subspecialties, and continuity clinic
• Romaine (West Hollywood) – Tech-forward clinic with a focus on LGBTQ+ health and telehealth innovation
• DTLA Offices – High-volume urban care for working professionals in downtown LA
• Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic – Longstanding community partner providing care to underserved populations, embedded into the core schedule

KP LAMC is also trusted as a major academic teaching site for UCLA, USC, and the KP School of Medicine. Residents participate in bedside teaching, small-group instruction, and clinical mentorship, deepening their own learning while contributing to the development of future physicians.

Our clinical training sites reflect the strength of our program: high-volume, high-acuity care in a thoughtfully integrated system that values patient outcomes, physician autonomy, and team-based medicine.

A Message from the Program Director

I trained here at KP LAMC—and I stayed.

First as a resident, then as a Chief Resident, a hospitalist, and now as Program Director, I’ve been privileged to grow within a system that truly values patient care, clinical excellence, and physician development. What’s kept me here is simple: this is a place where you can practice medicine the way it was meant to be practiced. You care for patients across settings. You lead. You collaborate. And you never stop learning.

Our program is built on the idea that becoming a great physician isn’t just about passing through the right rotations—it’s about developing your identity, your confidence, and your sense of purpose. We’ll challenge you. We’ll coach you. And we’ll make sure you’re not just ready for the next step—but proud of how you got there.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about us. We hope to learn about you, too.

Sincerely,

Joon Park, MD, FACP
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency