Kaiser Permanente's head of pediatrics calls it a day

Dr. James Makol, Roseville-based chief of pediatrics for Kaiser Permanente's North Valley region, is hanging up his stethoscope after almost 32 years caring for children, their children and even some of their grandchildren.Makol has been seeing Roseville-area patients for so long that after they grow up he sees them as a generation of parents bringing in their children."The kids would grow up and have kids," Makol said. "It was the second generation and then I got into the third. It's a remarkable feeling. It's sort of like seeing an old friend."Makol joined the Kaiser staff in 1973 as a pediatrician in Sacramento."I just think as a person that I enjoyed children and I wanted them to be well," Makol said of his dedication to pediatrics. "Children just want to be well and they want to be loved, it's pretty simple. I liked children and I liked parents."When Kaiser opened its first Roseville location on Riverside Avenue in 1980, Makol said he was one of a dozen physicians to make the move. Makol moved again when the pediatrics department relocated to its current location on Sierra Gardens Drive.At the end of his tenure, Makol oversaw Kaiser's North Valley region, which includes Roseville, Davis, Sacramento, Folsom and Rancho Cordova. Makol was chief of pediatrics for 18 years.Makol has seen many changes over the 32-year span of his pediatric career, including the computerization of medicine - "An astounding change," Makol said - as well as improvements in pediatric immunization and "the realization during my career that staff can work well together," he said.June Vowell, a Kaiser Roseville pediatrics medical assistant since 1982, said the work environment has benefited greatly under Makol's care."I hate to see him go," Vowell said. "He's built the department up to what it is. A lot of these people have been here a long time and they work well together because of some of the principles he's set."Vowell described Makol as a congenial, diplomatic professional who worked well with patients and employees alike."He's very easy going and he always took time to talk with his patients and spend time with them," she said. "His patients really love him."Makol said retiring at the age of 61 feels like a good time."I feel young enough that I can do stuff," he said. "It's really a chance to reinvent myself. I work hard, and I've always worked hard. "It's all consuming, this work, which is fine, but I can't really do a lot of things physically, time-wise and emotionally. The exciting thing is to explore parts of me and parts of the world that I haven't." Doctors Frank Butera and Andrew Kincaid will now share duties of the North Valley's pediatrics chiefs.Makol thinks he's retiring at the right time for the department and is leaving at a point where he feels comfortable with his detachment."This is going to be a real adjustment, I'll be honest," he said. "I've had good days, bad days, like us all. I look back and I have no regrets about my career."Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.