Donald Rowell, MD

Bio

I joined the Permanente Medical Group in 1984 after serving seven years in the United States Navy. In the Navy I trained and served as a Naval Flight Surgeon and General Medical Officer. I served in Sigonella, Italy, on the island of Sicily with brief stints on the aircraft carrier "America" and at the Coast Guard station, Lampedusa, Italy. Subsequently, I completed my residency in ophthalmology at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Oakland, CA and practiced at the Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA, with brief stints at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and at the Coast Guard station, Cape Hatteras, NC. It was during this time that I discovered three influences that have guided my career.

The training I received as a Naval Flight Surgeon included learning to refract for the measurements for glasses since the Flight Surgeon on board an aircraft carrier does the exams for glasses for the crew members. The ophthalmologist who taught me seemed knowledgeable, relaxed, and happy in his role as an ophthalmologist, a positive influence on my career without a doubt.

The style of practice in the Navy influenced my decision to join Kaiser Permanente. Although the mission in military medicine, the facilities in which you practice and the hierarchy are quite different, the freedom of practice is remarkably similar. At Kaiser Permanente, I can practice medicine without the burden of interacting with multiple insurance companies for permission to do certain tests and procedures. I can practice medicine with the patient's interest in mind, not the interests of the stockholders in a for-profit insurance company.

My Medical Specialty

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

Flight Training, US Navy, 1976

Interests

Hobby Photos & Links:

Phantom for 2006

Also, a Mummy for 2005

Converted to a Pharoah, 2005

New life as a Polynesian Warrior, 2004

Dr. Rowell and his "Awards" statues.

Styrofoam Core for an "Awards" statue

Sailor 2007

Family & Friends

People in my life:

The Rowells enjoy travel with their dog, Sadie Mae Poodle Dog.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

Sadie Goes Flying

Travel

An adventure I've had:

Finding the rim of the caldera of the volcanic Mt. Etna in Sicily in the fog of a cloud was the high point of my climb. A slight shift of the wind brought noxious gases from the crater that sent me down from the crater pell mell.

One of my recent trips:

You can't see Ship Rock like this from 35,000 feet! Flying in a small airplane to visit family in Alabama is a great way to see the geographic diversity of our country.

Travel Photos:

Mt. Etna above the clouds

Crater's Edge, Mt. Etna

Trip Photos:

Ship Rock

Other Links & Photos