Los Altos Cardiologist's Work Called 'Outstanding'

Dr. Eleanor Levin, Kaiser Permanente cardiologist, and clinical professor at Stanford, has been awarded “The Outstanding Achievement in Medicine” honor from the Santa Clara County Medical Association.  

The long-time resident of Los Altos resident was honored because she “has made unique contributions to the betterment of patient care,” according to the county medical association. 

Dr. Levin is credited with changing the way that doctors manage heart disease in her more than 20 years at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara.

Through Dr. Levin’s leadership, Kaiser Permanente has dramatically reduced deaths from heart disease and also from strokes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in all parts of the United States with one exception: among Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California.

Dr. Levin has been nationally recognized for her work in cardiac disease prevention and population management, which has helped improve care for hundreds of thousands of patients with or at-risk for heart disease.

Even before coming to the Bay Area, as a assistant clinical professor at George Washington University, Dr. Levin has said she was convinced of the importance of prevention and treating patients with high levels of cholesterol in their blood.

At Kaiser, Dr. Levin began working on strategies to reduce cardiac risks. She pioneered an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to heart disease management that took advantage of Kaiser Permanente’s powerful electronic medical record system and extensive patient databases.

The system works, she said, because of Kaiser’s coordinated care among primary care doctors, internists, subspecialists, and pharmacists. It also works because of a “quartet” of generic, inexpensive, well-tolerated and highly effective medications given patients at risk: a cholesterol-lowering statin, a heart-protecting beta blocker, lisinopril to lower blood pressure, and low-dose (81mg) aspirin.

Dr. Levin is married with three sons, all of whom attended Los Altos schools and the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District.