By Patrick Hewes, MS4 University of Washington School of Medicine The day I got into medical school I was happy. I was also scared, and a little sick about it. I grew up fighting to get out of the foster system. I was homeless for part of high school. I worked three jobs, sometimes more, [...]
By Robert E. Geise, MD, FIDSA President, Infectious Disease Society of Washington Trustee, King County Medical Society As I began my medical career in the mid-1990s, the world was As I began my medical career in the mid-1990s, the world was in the middle of an epidemic – the HIV epidemic. HIV caused 16% of [...]
By Michelle Terry, MD Secretary, King County Medical Society Dear Members and Partners, Children do not vote or lobby. They do not write op-eds. They naturally grow - into the future we will all share. It is our responsibility, as the adults in the room, to nurture the environment that supports our children so that [...]
By Natalie Fuller, MD Mentorship in medicine is often envisioned as something that happens outside the exam room—through scheduled meetings, career advice, or letters of support. In practice, mentorship often matters most in clinical settings, during patient encounters, when something small but consequential happens and someone with authority decides whether to intervene. For trainees whose [...]
By Amish J. Dave, MD, MPH, FACP – Incoming KCMS President, January 2026 It’s an honor to step into the role of KCMS President in January 2026. As we enter the holiday season and look ahead to a new year, I’ve been reflecting on what makes this community so special. I’m inspired by the compassion, [...]
By Mona P. Kathuria, D.O., FAAHPM “We’re going to have to make some changes in our health care staffing.” When I first heard this as a practicing physician and medical director, it made me pause. Was this conversation about health care or was this about a technology position? I naively thought as physicians, the medical [...]
Written by Danny Low, MD | President of KCMS Amid the dizzying array of (often disconcerting) changes to medicine – be it the corporatization of healthcare, proposed cuts to Medicaid, or inappropriate scope creep – at times it is difficult to feel optimistic about the future of medicine. It is in these moments that I [...]
As president of the KCMS from 2017-19, Dr. Teresa Girolami appealed to her colleagues: “Run for office. We need you at the table.” Years later, that call to action is more urgent than ever. This month, Dr. Girolami shares her reflections on attending AMPAC Candidate School—a program that trains physicians and other healthcare professionals to [...]
by John Vassall, MD As physicians we speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now depriving physicians and their patients of access to information, research and clinical trials; resources necessary for excellent medical care and for physicians and patients to make informed choices in disease management. We physicians are [...]
by Drs. Donald Ross and Mark Levy The economic burden of mental disorders rivals that of cardiovascular diseases and exceeds the costs of cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Mental health conditions cost the U.S. economy an estimated $47.6 billion annually in lost productivity due to unplanned absences, with total costs reaching $282 billion each [...]
