Kelly Pfeifer, MD
Deputy Director, Behavioral Health
California Department of Health Care Services
Kelly Pfeifer, MD, is Deputy Director for Behavioral Health at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Dr. Pfeifer was appointed by Governor Newsom in July 2019 to lead the newly reorganized Behavioral Health Division of DHCS. Prior to joining the State, she had been director of high-value care at the California Health Care Foundation since 2014. She was chief medical officer of San Francisco Health Plan from 2008 to 2014, medical director at Petaluma Health Center from 2003 to 2008, and medical director for access at the Redwood Community Health Coalition from 2006 to 2008.
Dr. Pfeifer practiced as a family physician at Petaluma Health Center from 2000 to 2017. She earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Medical College of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in family medicine, having completed family medicine training at the Sutter Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency Program in 2000. Dr. Pfeifer is a graduate of Oberlin College, where she majored in English.
