Alma A. Lopez, M.D.
2025 Robert D. Sparks, M.D., Leadership Award
The Robert D. Sparks, M.D., Leadership Award was established in 1997 in honor of Robert D. Sparks, M.D., PHC’s first President and CEO. The award honors an individual or organization that has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the health of communities in a manner consistent with PHC’s mission to champion community health, health equity, and diversity in the physician workforce in partnership with leaders in medicine, related health professions and the community.
Alma A. Lopez, M.D., (she/her) is a dedicated physician, educator and leader in family medicine. She currently serves as a family physician at Kaiser Permanente Mission Hills and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Systems Science in the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) in Pasadena. She is currently a course director for the Service-Learning Course at KPSOM.
Dr. Lopez earned her B.S. in physiological science from UCLA in 2001 and went on to receive her M.D. from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2006. She completed her residency at the White Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program in Boyle Heights, where she was appointed chief resident.
Her career is defined by a strong commitment to both clinical care and education. Dr. Lopez enhanced her expertise with a Teaching and Learning Faculty Development Fellowship at USC and has held leadership roles, including Family Medicine Clerkship Director at White Memorial and Associate Clinical Instructor at USC. She has also served as Faculty Advisor for the Latino Medical Student Association and as chair of the Latine/o/x Faculty and Staff Community Group, promoting diversity and inclusion.
In clinical practice, she has been a partner physician at Southern California Permanente Medical Group since 2015, where she has been dedicated to serving the community of the North East San Fernando Valley. Dr. Lopez has contributed significantly to committees focused on family violence prevention, statin adherence and physician wellness.
Dr. Lopez is board-certified in family medicine and has received numerous honors, including the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award and the KP Physician Excellence in Collegiality Award. She is also deeply involved in mentoring, and is one of the founders of MiMentor, a local non-profit organization that encourages students to pursue health care careers.
The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Dr. Lopez was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and is proud to serve the community where she grew up.
Through her teaching, mentorship and committee work, Dr. Lopez is dedicated to improving health care, advancing diversity and contributing to medical education.