It is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of a deeply beloved friend, volunteer, board member, and former Lead of Anesthesiology, Dr. Chih-Chen Fang, who passed away on Saturday, January 4th. 

Chih remains a deeply loved and valued member of our community, and was a dear personal friend to many of us. He has been an incredible leader to our organization and one of our greatest cheerleaders for many years. He has always supported Alliance for Smiles’ work not only with his precious time and immense talents, but also through countless acts of kindness to our team and volunteers, and always bringing a joyful and fun spirit to the often difficult work we do.

Words cannot convey what a loss this is to each of us, to our wider community, or to the children and families supported by his selfless compassion and dedication. We will miss Chih more than we can say and will continue to remember and honor him at every opportunity.

Dr. Chih-Chen (“Chih”) Fang, M.D., a physician, humanitarian, mentor, brother, uncle, loving husband, father, and grandfather died on January 4, 2025, at the age of 75.

Chih was born in Yilan, Taiwan on September 9, 1949, and emigrated to Toronto, Canada when he was 17 years old. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto in 1975 and completed his anesthesia residency at Stanford in 1979. Chih’s career with The Permanente Medical Group spanned 36 years. During his tenure as North Valley TPMG Chief of Anesthesiology from 1987 to 2005, he started a region-leading OB epidural service, established an exceptional physician-CRNA partnership, and built the regional anesthesia block and catheter program.  His leadership laid the foundation for a strong culture in the perioperative world that continues to provide world class care for Kaiser patients.

Chih was a leader who believed in leading from the front and by example. He exercised uncompromising integrity and pursuit of excellence and helped many colleagues realize their full potential. When it came to patient care and crisis management, he was always the first one in with his sleeves rolled up, and the last one out. He prided himself on always having his team’s back. Chih also contributed heavily to Sacramento Kaiser’s hospital lexicon, with his words of exhortation to his colleagues such as “Good Show!”, “NDG” and other saltier variants not suitable for an obituary.

Beyond his professional life, Chih was a strong believer in giving back to society. He was particularly active with Alliance for Smiles (AfS), a San Francisco-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of children impacted by cleft lip and palate, where he served as Lead Anesthesiologist for 10 years and on its Board of Directors for 11 years. Beginning with his first surgical mission to Guangyuan, China in 2010, Chih went on seven AfS medical missions across the world, providing life-changing surgeries for children born with cleft palates and training local medical teams to provide quality care. Beginning in 2003, he also served on four medical missions with ReSurge International, a non-profit organization committed to providing reconstructive surgical care in developing countries worldwide. Chih continued to serve as an ambassador for these causes and inspired many others to join these efforts, continuing his legacy of care and compassion.

Chih’s hobbies included ballroom dancing, photography, traveling, and most of all, eating. He also enjoyed singing, listening to music, watching college basketball and rooting for his beloved Arizona Wildcats. His recent years were joyously spent with his grandson, Braden, whom he adored. Chih is survived by his wife, Margaret;  sister Julie; sons, Desmond and Quinlan; daughter-in-law, Kay; and grandson, Braden.

Chih’s family would like to thank the medical staff at Kaiser Sacramento who cared for him. They would also like to express deep gratitude to his TPMG Anesthesia family, including his former MD colleagues, CRNAs, and PACU nurses who visited him at his bedside. They will always be in your debt for the love and support you showed to Chih.

A celebration of Chih’s life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to Alliance for Smiles, which can be made at the following link: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/InMemoryofChih.

We invite those who knew Chih to share stories, memories and photos at chihfangremembrance@gmail.com. Your stories will help preserve Chih’s spirit and memory for his family and future generations.