Kavitha Bhatia

Dr. Kavitha Bhatia is President and Chair of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity dedicated to improving healthcare through its hospitals and educational and charitable initiatives.

Fifteen of Prime Healthcare’s 46 hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation which provides quality healthcare, philanthropy, and service to communities. The Prime Healthcare Foundation has provided more than $2 billion in charity care and sponsored local and global initiatives to forward its mission of improving the lives of others through healthcare and education. The Prime Healthcare Foundation, through a $60 million donation, established the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) in 2018, a private, non-profit medical school in Southern California with a mission to advance medicine, improve the health of communities, and inspire service in underserved areas.

In addition to her role as President and Chair of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Bhatia also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Strategy for Prime Healthcare, an award-winning health system with 46 hospitals in 14 states. She develops and implements strategic initiatives that advance the mission and long-term success of Prime Healthcare. Dr. Bhatia works with Corporate and hospital leaders to align goals, prioritize system-wide value creation, and implement strategic initiatives to ensure Prime’s continued operational, financial, and clinical success.

A leader in healthcare, Dr. Bhatia is a pediatrician and an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Medical Women’s Association, the American Medical Association, the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the UCLA Medical Alumni Association, the Los Angeles Pediatric Society, and the California Hospital Association.

Among her academic accomplishments, Dr. Bhatia graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa scholar with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology and Neuroscience from University of California, San Diego. She earned her medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine, ranked #7 in the nation, where she graduated with Honors and Letters of Distinction in Doctoring. She also holds a Certificate in Healthcare Strategy from Harvard Business School and earned a Master of Medical Management from the USC Marshall School of Business. She has been a scholar at world-renowned institutions such as Mass General, Boston Children’s Hospital, and the All India Institute of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Among her philanthropic and community endeavors, Dr. Bhatia serves as a Board Member for the California Hospital Association; a member of the Board of Trustees at Curtis School in Los Angeles; Grand Benefactor at World Children’s Initiative; the Founding Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM), as well as Associate Professor of Medical Education in the CUSM School of Medicine; Governing Board Member of the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), and a member of the FAH’s Quality and Emergency Preparedness committees. Dr. Bhatia has also led the Prime Healthcare system through the COVID-19 Pandemic as Co-Chair of both the National COVID Committee and COVID 24/7 Command Center.

Committed to improving the health and lives of others, Dr. Bhatia is a dedicated philanthropist. Her experiences include caring for the sick and dying in the slums of Calcutta to teaching inner-city youth. For her work with the Missionaries of Charity, she was awarded a Miraculous Medallion from Mother Teresa. In addition to World Children’s Initiative, Dr. Bhatia has served in advisory roles for national and global causes such as Project Heart Uganda. She is also the Executive Director of the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to improving healthcare and providing educational opportunities which include annual scholarship programs for underserved students and educational grants.

An authority in her field, Dr. Bhatia has been recognized among the nation’s physician leaders, earning “10 CMOs to Know” in Becker’s Hospital Review in 2020 and “Top Pediatrician” by Top Women in Medicine. She was also recognized among Los Angeles Business Journal's "Top Women Leaders in Healthcare" in 2020 and "Top Doctor" and a “Woman of Influence” in 2021.