Dr. Gehan Pushpeka Devendra, MD

My Qualifications

I was born in Colombo Sri-Lanka and came to the USA when I was about 1.5 years old. A majority of my formative years was spent in Colorado. I did my undergraduate education at University of Colorado, Boulder. After medical school, I came to California to complete my residency in internal medicine. Through this training, I worked with the other pulmonary physicians at Kaiser Permanente and was impressed at the depth of their knowledge and their ability to balance work and home without sacrificing either. After residency, I worked at South Sacramento Kaiser Permanente as a hospital based physician. For my training in pulmonary and critical care medicine, I went to Southern California where I was taught by the pulmonary hypertension "gurus" Drs. Kerr, Auger, Channick, and Rubin. Afterwards, I was hired by Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento as a pulmonary and critical care physician and have been extremely happy!

I am also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UC …Davis. Some of my professional interests include resident ICU teaching, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and digital imaging in medicine.





My Healthcare Practice

I am a Internal Medicine physician with further training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. This means I treat diseases of the lungs and treat patients that are critically ill and need admission to the intensive care unit.

We have willing and helpful medical assistants and nurses. I enjoy the intensive care unit and treating diseases of the lungs. Besides English I speak a little Singhalese and a little Japanese.

There are three main reasons to practice with Kaiser Permanente: 1) I get to practice medicine without the hassels of maintaining a business. I treat patients; that's all I do. I am able to practice evidence based medicine without constraints in an integrated medical system. 2) KP is established as an educational institution. In the North Valley, we have an intimate connection with UC Davis School of Medicine and enjoy teaching residents and medical students. 3) Given that Kaiser Permanente is large, it gives me the opportunity and time to be an involved father to my growing boys and spend quality time with my wife.

My Outside Interests

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife and three sons. I also enjoy Bible study with my various small groups. My hobbies are digital imaging, computers and automobiles.