KIM DAO, MD - DFM                                                                          
TUFTS UNIVERSITY

I was born in Southern California and raised in Maine. My parents emigrated from Vietnam after the war, moving frequently and working long days to provide me and my three siblings with educational opportunities. Wanting to make my parents proud, I worked hard in school and extracurricular activities, discovering my love for volunteering with underserved groups painting elderly women’s nails and playing bingo with them at a local nursing home. I realized my calling would be in medicine after I volunteered for the Maine Special Olympics at the University of Maine, which became my Alma Mater. 

During my sophomore year at UMaine, I applied and was accepted to the Early Assurance Maine Track Program of Tufts University School of Medicine.  I was then able to engage fully in community organizations and volunteering and was elected the first female president of the University of Maine Student Government. During medical school, I had the opportunity to develop a community health initiative with tribal leaders of the Passamaquoddy in Maine, explore global health in India, work with incarcerated women in Boston, and mentor a Vietnamese child undergoing chemotherapy. 

My interests in medicine include preventative health, community health, obstetrics, procedures, integrative medicine/CAM, and global health. Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my husband (a lobster fisherman), trying new foods, spending time outdoors, watching movies, reading, and painting.

ARIELL DESURE, MD - FIRST HILL                                                                           
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

I grew up in a rural area of Hawaii with a multicultural family. Together we moved to Washington when I started my undergraduate education at the University of Washington School of Public Health. After undergrad I joined AmeriCorps and spent a year working at a community health center in Seattle specializing in the care of our homeless neighbors. I also worked as a women’s advocate at an emergency homeless shelter in downtown Seattle. These experiences solidified my drive to provide high quality comprehensive primary care to underserved patients, particularly those struggling with mental health or substance abuse problems.

After my AmeriCorp service finished, I returned to UW for medical school where I worked on several community organizing and advocacy projects to promote health equity in the Seattle area. I am thrilled to be starting at Swedish and can’t wait to meet my patients and learn from their unique life experiences! I am specifically interested in women’s health, family planning and mental health. In my free time I love exploring the outdoors and rock climbing with my partner Karl. I am a big time crafter and my apartment is usually covered in bits of construction paper and glitter.

KATHERINE NEITZKE, MD - DFM                                                                         
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

I grew up in Northern Virginia, outside of Washington DC.  I’ve always loved being a perpetual tourist in the DC area, and went to Mount Vernon enough times to know the historical tour by heart. I went to undergrad at the University of Virginia, where I studied biology and French, became an overly emotional college basketball fan, and got to know Charlottesville as more than a college town by volunteering with Best Buddies and with a local day shelter for the homeless.

After college I spent a year as a nursing assistant for a medical respite facility for homeless men in DC. The shelter provided medical care, social work, and the possibility for permanent supportive housing for former patients. That was where I met my first family medicine role models, physicians who were dedicated to justice for the most vulnerable patients in the city.  I took part in a seminar on the history of race and urban poverty, which challenged me to consider what my role could be addressing structural inequality, and inspired me to pursue urban family medicine.

I went to UNC for medical school, where I continued to be inspired by the way my family medicine mentors were able to form intimate, trusting, relationships with families across several generations.  I was part of UNC’s urban underserved program, and was involved in student Hot spotting, a nationwide program to improve care for complex, ‘super-utilizer’ patients.

I was drawn to First Hill because of its commitment to social justice, its diverse patient population, and the wonderfully supportive environment that was clear from my interview day. I can’t wait to explore the food, coffee, and hiking trails of Seattle with my partner and my co-residents!

 SYLVIA PETERSON-PERRY, MD - FIRST HILL                                                                                                           OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

I was born and raised in Portland, OR and am thrilled to be staying in the incomparable Pacific Northwest for residency. I attended college at Stanford University, majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in community health, and was quickly drawn to public health as a vehicle to increase social justice and reduce persistent inequities in our society. While working for community health organizations during and after college, I volunteered in a clinical capacity at local safety net clinics and came to realize that while addressing upstream structural and systemic issues is crucial to impacting the health of communities, I found the most joy in working directly with patients.

These joint passions led me to seek a dual-degree MD/MPH from Oregon Health & Science University. During my five years of study, I had the opportunity to be involved in many projects, including: teaching medical students and residents health literacy skills; identifying and addressing gender disparities in medical education; developing and implementing a curriculum in structural competency; drafting, lobbying for and passing a state-wide health policy law; evaluating an addiction medicine inpatient consult service; and working with Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette on quality improvement around adolescent well care visits. Like many Family Medicine physicians, my medical interests are broad, but my primary passions include: women’s and reproductive health, including abortion care; immigrant and refugee health; addiction medicine; health policy and quality improvement; and working with urban underserved communities.

In my free time, you’ll find me playing soccer or volleyball, hiking with my fiancé, going on bike adventures, thinking about adopting a dog, or cheering on the Portland Thorns (or slightly begrudgingly watching a Seattle Reign or Sounders game!).

I am so excited to be joining the amazing community at Swedish First Hill and am honored to be surrounded by and to learn from this group of individuals dedicated to using their roles as family physicians to advance social justice, health equity and racial justice.

  JAY RUBY, MD - FIRST HILL                                                                                                                                           OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

"I’m a native Pacific Northwesterner who is so excited to remain among mountains, puddles, and strong coffee. I was born and raised in Portland, OR, traveled far away to Ohio for college, made a pit stop in the Bay Area, and returned back to the great Northwest for medical school at OHSU and now residency here at Swedish!

After a rain-soaked upbringing, I went to Oberlin College to study creative writing and biology, afterwards working as an Americorps member at a reproductive health clinic in San Francisco. Throughout my twenties, I worked as a farmhand, HIV testing counselor, cafeteria sandwich maker, and orchestra violinist. Suffice to say, I love variety and find immense joy in bouncing from one thing to another. This quality, combined with my interest in addressing health disparities and incorporating social justice work into medicine, made family medicine the perfect specialty for me. I am thrilled to be pursuing a career in family medicine in Seattle, where I can learn to practice true full spectrum care and hone my interests in inpatient medicine, reproductive justice, LGBTQ health, harm reduction, and healthcare for marginalized and rural communities. In medical school, I was particularly struck by the complicated and unjust inner workings of the healthcare system, and witnessed how folks in primary care, more than any other field, were working to tackle these injustices through a feminist and anti-racist lens. I see these same exciting qualities in my colleagues at Swedish First Hill, and am energized to join this special community and learn from their passion and experience.

Outside of medicine, I enjoy rock climbing with my partner, adventuring outdoors, listening to public radio, making lists, and drinking hoppy beers. I also have a habit of hanging out in dog parks, even though I am currently dog-less."

KENDALL SHIBUYA, DO - FIRST HILL                                                                           
WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE OF THE PACIFIC

My interests in medicine are rooted in my fascination with the human body’s innate ability to heal. This interest led me to explore traditional medicine in Japan as a part of my Asian Studies major at Whitman College, research the immune response to cancer at the Fred Hutch, and eventually study osteopathic medicine at Western University of Health Sciences COMP-NW in Oregon. I elected to spend an extra year as a teaching fellow in the osteopathic manipulative medicine department at my school to hone my teaching skills and understanding of manual medicine, both of which I plan to use throughout my career to help patients better understand their health and integrate non-pharmacologic ways to treat pain and promote health into my practice. As a family physician, I look forward to a career of working with patients and communities to help address the root causes of illnesses.

My family and I are thrilled to be staying in Seattle and finally living in one place together again! I never dreamed that I would be living close to my high school (Holy Names Academy, go cougs!) and training as a resident at the hospital I used to volunteer at. Outside of work, we spend our time chasing our son around and dreaming of the days when he can carry his weight as our adventure buddy in the mountains. Until then, we are trying to put into practice the lifestyle medicine principles I promote in the clinic so we can keep up with our son and show him the pure joy of a powder ski day and share with him the peace (and quiet…) of backpacking in the mountains.

JESSICA SULLIVAN, MD - BALLARD                                                                         
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL

I’m originally from Montreal, Quebec, where I grew up surrounded by a melting pot of cultures and a fun-loving extended family. In elementary school, we moved to Portland, OR and I quickly fell in love with my new playground of mountains, trees, rugged coastline, and waterfalls.

I went to Seattle Pacific University for undergrad, where I studied physiology and humanities and got to spend several months doing global health work in Guatemala. After graduating, I stayed in the Seattle area to work in an elementary school in Tukwila, WA, where a large percentage of students were recently-arrived immigrants and refugees.

Medical school brought me to Northwestern University in Chicago. I continued to pursue my interest in healthcare for immigrant and underserved populations through involvement in LMSA and a weekly student-run clinic at a community health center on Chicago’s west side. I also found myself drawn to palliative medicine, and got to explore the therapeutic role of poetry in end-of-life care through the Poetry for Patients project. Family medicine brought together all of these interests and just felt like home from day one. I love the holistic, community-focused care for all patients that is so integral to this specialty, and I’m thrilled to be returning to my beloved Pacific Northwest to train at Swedish alongside such a passionate group of faculty and co-residents.

In my free time, you’ll find me hiking, hammocking, and getting outdoors as much as possible. I also love to spend time with friends and my husband Jon, try out new vegetarian recipes, play and listen to live music, and grow as many plants as I can fit in my apartment.

LISA VOLTARELLI, MD - FIRST HILL                                                                           
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE       

I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and went on to college in Los Angeles, CA at Occidental College. As a psychology major I developed an interest the psychological and social contexts for wellness and health. I also taught resilience workshops for underserved elementary schoolers. Interested in cultural exchange and global health development, I studied abroad in India and later spent several months in Brazil, reconnecting with my family and learning Portuguese.

After college, I worked as a research coordinator at UCSF Memory and Aging Center. There, I took on the role of establishing infrastructure for a new observational study. Over several years, I had the privilege of developing longitudinal relationships with patients with neurodegenerative disease and their families.

At Boston University School of Medicine, I had an important role as student leader for student meditation groups, family medicine and integrative medicine initiatives. I took on an independent research project in addiction medicine, using large datasets to identify primary care level prevention strategies for adolescent substance use. I speak Spanish and Portuguese, which have been invaluable skills in caring for and advocating for Latino patients. I have spent several months in Peru and Nicaragua working on various projects and learning Spanish.

I am thrilled to be joining Swedish-First Hill Family Medicine program to train to provide broad-spectrum care for underserved patients. In addition to medicine, I love traveling, meditating, partner dancing, and running. I am so excited to be moving to Seattle to take advantage of all the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, and nature that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

ANN WATSON, MD - FIRST HILL                                                                                                                                  UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

I am a product of Seattle-- born at Swedish Hospital, raised on Capitol Hill, and educated in Seattle public schools. I studied public health as an undergraduate at University of Washington and later returned to University of Washington School of Medicine. Before medical school, I worked for several years at Swedish coordinating clinical trials. I know Seattle well and have seen it change over the years. I love the diversity of its people and its natural beauty. I have witnessed its explosive growth and the associated crisis of income disparity and homelessness. Now, I am excited to be back at Swedish Hospital to learn the art and skills of Family Medicine.

I chose Family Medicine as my area of study because I want to be the kind of doctor who can take care of the whole family and community, deliver the babies, keep the kids and adults healthy, advocate for and help folks navigate the challenges of aging and illness. I love hearing people’s stories, and partnering with patients to find workable solutions in the context of their lives. I hope to deepen my Seattle roots and ultimately practice here, serving the community I know and love.

During my free time, I love escaping to the woods and water with my husband and friends. I enjoy baking, backpacking, gardening, fishing, traveling, and playing music with my family and friends.

LARA WILSON, MD - DFM                                                                                                                                              UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

I grew up between Minnesota and Eastern Washington, with parents who got me outdoors early. At 16, I got to go to the United World College of India, which was formative for my understanding of global racial and economic power dynamics. I enjoyed college at Brown University and five years working in Global Health, before heading towards medicine for the patient relationships and more tangible intellectual challenges. I feel so lucky to have done that!

Medical school moved me back to the Pacific Northwest and what I consider to be the most beautiful city in the country (in the summer). The University of Washington allowed me to explore rural and urban under-served medicine, and left me interested in both. It also introduced me to my loves of addiction medicine and reproductive healthcare.

I’ve been lucky to get to work on healthcare policy projects during medical school, and plan to use the unique lens that Family Medicine provides on the communities in which we work to continue thinking and working on health outside of clinical walls.

I am so excited to work with the compassionate educators and colleagues at Swedish – First Hill, and specifically to work with the patients and staff at Downtown Family Medicine.

After living in Seattle, I don’t think I can live anywhere without mountains again. Outside of work, time with friends and family is vital. If that can happen outside of the city, even better! Within the city, I’m always down for biking, dancing, consuming the culture that Seattle has to offer, cheering for women's sports, twiddling time away on art projects, and constantly testing my partner's patience for me running around.

ALLISON YEH, MD - BALLARD                                                                            
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Houston and enjoyed the unique combination of Texas barbecue and home-cooked Taiwanese food. I journeyed a little ways from home to The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em!), where I majored in Human Development and Family Sciences and learned how social factors can largely influence health and development.

Medical school brought me back home to Baylor College of Medicine, where I had the privilege of working with an incredibly diverse patient population. I continued to serve the Houston community through volunteering at a bereavement support center and at a group for special needs young adults. During my third year, I served as the Texas representative in the student congress at the AAFP National Conference, sparking my desire to learn more about patient advocacy. I joined other Baylor medical students as part of the Primary Care Leadership Collaborative and aimed to recruit more students to primary care through a preclinical longitudinal elective.

My love for diverse patient populations and pathologies, patient advocacy, and community service ultimately drew me to family medicine. I am so excited to learn more about all of those through training at Swedish First Hill!

I am both sad and excited to journey out of the land of kolaches, breakfast tacos, and barbecue to the Pacific Northwest! I will slowly warm up to doing outdoor activities, since it seems that’s what everyone enjoys to do here. Outside of medicine, I like to play music (violin, piano, acoustic guitar), pet other people’s dogs and wish I had one, eat, and cook. I am looking forward to more food adventures in Seattle, especially new sushi and ice cream places!