Kelsey-Seybold Clinic

The Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is a large multi-specialty clinic system located in the metro area of Houston. The clinic system is a major provider of healthcare for NASA and a center for healthcare research.

History of Kelsey-Seybold
The formation of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic began in 1949 by Dr. Mavis P. Kelsey with the purpose of combining primary and specialty medical services in one location in the city of Houston. This was a popular concept of the day based on the Mayo Clinic model. These types of clinics bring specialists, primary care physicians, nurses and other care givers together as a team to provide the best possible care.

In 1949, Dr. Kelsey, an internal medicine specialist, leased space in the Hermann Professional Building and set up his practice. Over the next two years, he would welcome two of his Mayo friends, Dr. William D. Seybold, a surgeon, and Dr. William V. Leary, another internist, to the practice.

Dr. Kelsey’s brother, John R. Kelsey, Jr., another Mayo-trained physician and specialist in gastroenterology, joined the practice in 1953. Also joining the multi-specialty team in the 1950’s were a psychiatrist, cardiologist and rheumatologist. In 1953, Clinic doctors began serving rotations at area hospitals, including Hermann Hospital, Baylor Medical College and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

On Dec. 15, 1956, the Kelsey and Leary Foundation for the Advancement of Medicine was established to provide scholarships and financial support for research. The Kelsey Foundation, as it is known today, is involved in a variety of research projects with universities, pharmaceutical companies, government bodies and hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. Research areas include cancer, epilepsy, cardiology, diabetes and obstetrics.

During the 60’s, the Clinic added more specialists and more departments. The rapidly expanding Radiology Department added lab technicians, while the multi-specialty team continued to grow with the addition of a pediatrician and otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose & Throat specialist). New departments included Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Dermatology, Urology, Ophthalmology and Dentistry.

In 1964, the Clinic moved into new facilities at 6624 Fannin. That building is now the St. Luke’s Tower. Dr. Leary joined the staff of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1965 and the Clinic’s name was changed to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. For over half a century, the Kelsey-Seybold name has been synonymous with multi-specialty healthcare in Houston.

Affilation with NASA
In 1966, the Clinic became the first contract medical service provider for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Dr. Stanton P. Fischer, a pulmonologist, joined the staff a year earlier and assisted in providing executive physical examinations on NASA employees and other contractors.

Throughout the clinic's long association with NASA, they have contributed medical support services to the Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle programs. In order to provide a western-style of medical care to all NASA-affiliated personnel, they provide a NASA Support Physician in Moscow. Dr. Jose Flores has served in that capacity for the past three years. Kelsey-Seybold also provides contract medical services in six locations in the U.S.

Patients Served
Among the many patients who came to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic in the late 60s and 70s were entertainers like Roy Rogers and international patients from Saudi Arabia, India and Africa. More Latin Americans visited Kelsey-Seybold Clinic than any other U.S. clinic during this period.

In 1971, KSC opened its first neighborhood health center on Post Oak in the Galleria area. The success of that health center resulted in other locations being operated in downtown Houston, Sugar Land, The Woodlands and by Intercontinental Airport. Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic operates more than 20 neighborhood health centers in the Houston area.

Current Administrators and Expansion
In 1978, Dr. James C. Hoyle joined the staff of Pediatrics. Dr. Hoyle is the current Medical Director, Clinical Operations. In 1980, Dr. Spencer R. Berthelsen, an internist and current Chairman of the Board joined the group.

Dr. William Seybold retired in 1979 and Dr. Mavis Kelsey retired in 1986. The Clinic they founded continued to increase its presence in the Houston service sector.

In 1999, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic moved into its state-of-the-art Main Campus at 2727 West Holcombe Blvd. The 400,000-square-foot Main Campus building provides primary and specialty care in a single location, an outpatient surgery center, and an urgent care center.

In April 2002, St. Luke's Episcopal Health System finalized the purchase of Kelsey-Seybold's management company, bringing administrative support to Houston's largest community-based multi-specialty physician group and solidifying the strengths of two preeminent healthcare organizations. The physicians, however, remain employees or contractors of the Kelsey-Seybold Medical Group, which allows them to retain all medical decision-making authority for their patients.

Today, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic combines the expertise of over 250 physicians in 39 areas of medical specialties and sub-specialties and offers a full range of diagnostic testing services and treatments, serving over 300,000 patients - including managed care plans, employer groups and the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.