Mariko Kita Assumes Role as Huntington Health’s Chief Medical Officer on Tuesday

Mariko Kita will become senior vice president and chief medical officer of Pasadena’s Huntington Health on Tuesday, Sept. 29, according to the hospital’s earlier annoucement.

Huntington Health, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate at 100 W. California Blvd., said in a July 20 news release that it chose Kita after a national search.

The hospital said Kita was selected for her clinical expertise. John M. Corman, president and chief clinical officer of Huntington Health, said in the release that Kita’s ability to bring clinicians together and improve outcomes would help the hospital care for the communities it serves.

At the time of that announcement, Kita was chief of the Department of Medicine at Virginia Mason Medical Center, where she oversaw more than 200 providers across 17 specialties, the hospital said. She is a board-certified neurologist and multiple sclerosis researcher who has led more than 50 clinical trials, according to Huntington.

Kita has more than 25 years of experience as a physician leader, clinician-investigator and health system executive, according to the release. At Virginia Mason, she led improvements in quality, access, operational performance and physician engagement, the hospital said.

Kita earned her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School, according to the release. She completed an internship in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a residency in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and a fellowship in neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis at the University of California, San Francisco.

Beyond her clinical trial work, Kita has written more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and, at the time of the announcement, held faculty appointments at the Benaroya Research Institute and the University of Washington School of Medicine, the hospital said.

In her new role, Kita will oversee work on clinical quality, patient safety, physician engagement, operations and the patient experience, the hospital said.

“I look forward to partnering with our physicians, nurses and staff to advance quality, safety, and innovation,” Kita said in the release.