Karen C. James, MD

Watching M*A*S*H inspired Dr. James to go into medicine. She saw her future in the exploits of Hawkeye Pierce, the irascible but dedicated physician from that show. Dr. James realized her dream in 1999, graduating from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She returned to join its clinical faculty in 2002, after completing her residency in Family Medicine at Swedish. In 2004, she was named Medical Director of the Swedish Family Medicine First Hill Clinic. That same year she completed the University of Washington's Faculty Development Fellowship, to support and encourage new physicians to choose family medicine as their specialty. Dr. James continues to teach and work with doctors-in-training, a role that demands she stay current on the latest techniques for diagnosing and treating hundreds of common conditions. Though she loves teaching, the best part of Dr. James' day is working with her patients at Seattle Premier Health. "Now I have the time I need to really get to know my patients," she says. "I can be of so much greater help when I understand everything that might be affecting their health."