The past year...
The past year...
Reflections oN the past year
Pandemic Response Continues in King County
Rajneet S. Lamba, MD | KCMS President
One year has now passed since America’s first COVID-19 outbreak struck King County.  One year since requesting testing in my patient who would become the first identified death from this disease in our country.  I recall anticipating test results on the evening of Feb 28th, 2020 while preparing my two-year-old son for his bedtime routine.  Was I exposing him to the virus?  Would I be quarantining the following day and what would that look like?  If this was not an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, then what could explain what I was seeing?  How might this affect my colleagues and community?
We have been living our "new normal" for what has felt like much longer than a year, filled with constant digital updates and breaking news at our fingertips.  We continue to face uncertainty regularly with challenging questions that the scientific method has not had the opportunity to tease out for us as yet.  What signs and symptoms indicate a favorable or poor prognosis for our infected patients?  Will the medications we are giving help?  How will new variants affect the populace?  When and where will my loved ones receive the vaccine?  Can I keep my practice running?
I would like to thank you all for the work that you have done to serve our community during this challenging year.  King County has done particularly well with some of the very lowest case and death rates among the 100 largest counties in the US.  These efforts have contributed to favorable metrics across the state.  Living with uncertainty is an inherent part of good science and has felt like a requirement for survival this past year.  With ongoing social distancing recommendations, our family is looking forward to increased options for outdoor activities as spring comes around the corner.  
King County Medical Society has been working nonstop for the last few months to connect eligible individuals with the COVID-19 vaccine with the support of Public Health Seattle King County and local hospitals.  Please contact us if you or someone you know qualifies as phase 1a or 1b and needs access to the COVID-19 vaccine.  I hope that you and your loved ones are staying well, finding ways to cope, contribute, and relax as we eagerly look toward a resolution to this ongoing crisis. 
Raj

It was undoubtedly the feeling of exile—that sensation of a void within which never left us, that irrational longing to hark back to the past or else to speed up the march of time, and those keen shafts of memory that stung like fire.”

–Albert Camus (1957 Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature). The Plague. Vintage, 1991

Coronavirus: Reflections of the Past Year and a Look Towards the Future

Michelle Terry, MD | KCMS Vice-President
Over the last year we have spoken these words nearly daily: pandemic, masks, quarantine, lockdown, shutdown, social distancing, 6-foot spacing, flattening the curve,  community spread,  super spreader, contact tracing, incubation,  intubation, ventilator, oximetry, containment, antiviral, spike proteins, endemic, outbreak, cluster, droplet transmission, asymptomatic, PPE, N 95, CAPR, CDC, mRNA, vaccine, Pfizer, Moderna, immunization and Remdesivir. 

Our descriptive expressions have included:  “unprecedented”, “state of emergency”, “new normal”, “learning pods”,  "drop-offs”,  “COVID bubbles”, “Stay home and stay safe”,   “We’re in this together" and “We’ll get through it", with the constant reminder to “Wash your hands” and  “Sanitize”.  

All of us have become accustomed to remote learning via Zoom, Web-Ex, and Teams both in our professional lives and in the education of our children and our use of telemedicine advanced in ways not thought possible, in the old days of 2019.  We have endured shortages of disinfectants, masks, gowns, gloves, and toilet paper. 

After completing 101 DIY projects, we read books, played board games, streamed both new and old shows, concerts, and religious services, completed puzzles, planted gardens, and adopted pets.  We baked bread and broke it remotely as holidays became virtual and celebration milestones blurred together. 

We know that wearing masks, physical distancing and hand washing, spending time indoors when the buildings that have good ventilation and airflow, are protective factors. 

We learned that playing indoor sports in gyms, singing in choirs, eating at indoor restaurants, living in dormitories, attending parties, weddings, and funerals, are risk factors for spreading the virus and that outdoor activities are relatively safer. 

We also have learned that the risk of surface transmission is low, and that temperature and symptom screening is on modest benefit, plus contact tracing is just about non-existent. 

Perhaps we can reach herd immunity sooner rather than later if our private and public sectors increase the availability and rate of distribution of vaccines - especially to marginalized and vulnerable populations - while the USA and WHO comes up with a strategy for worldwide surveillance. My wish list also includes the development of an inexpensive home testing program while we mentally prepare for scientists to soon develop a polyvalent vaccine so once everyone is vaccinated, there will likely be a booster vaccine in our future.  

We see radical change can happen quickly, and in a world of growing technological advancement and interconnections, it’s very easy for those of us with resources to get used to the idea that these novel advances will protect us. However, as a pediatrician who always gives “anticipatory guidance”,  only comprehensive planning and preparedness going forward will generate the protections we need to prevent the next infectious or environmental challenge. 
Michelle

Racism in Medicine CME - Online now!

We are proud to announce that Racism in Medicine CME is available on our website! This recording, originally airing in December 2020, is available to watch FOR FREE and for CME credit for the next two years. Use the link below or scan the QR Code on the flyer to tune in. Questions regarding the CME? Reach out to Program Manager, Salem Adisu, sadisu@kcmsociety.org
Racism in Medicine CME

Members on the Move

WELCOME TO OUR NEW KCMS

BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEMBERS

Sara Pauk, MD

Dr. Pauk is an OB/GYN at the UW and Harborview Medical Center. She received her undergraduate degree in Classics and Philosophy from Santa Clara University and her MD from Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed her residency at the UW before joining the clinical faculty in the Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Pauk is passionate about reproductive rights, resident education, and fostering meaningful connections with her patients. [cont.]

Mandeep Walia, MD

Dr. Walia is a native to the Washington area and received her BA in psychology with a focus on neuroscience from the UW. Post-graduation she taught Indian dance to underprivileged children for the City of Seattle. She then attended Kasturba Medical College in India and completed her residency in internal medicine from the University at Buffalo. Dr. Walia works in acute and post-acute care medicine in and around the greater Seattle area. [cont.] 

Anna Walton, MD

Dr. Walton grew up in South Carolina and attended the University of South Carolina where she received her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Spanish and a graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. She worked for a few years at a rape crisis center - developing the program’s services for Spanish-speaking clients and as coordinator of an outreach program to improve breast and cervical cancer screening among Latina women in SC. [cont.]

Mahtab Danai, MD

Dr. Danai is interested in primary care with urban underserved communities, passionate about health equity and diversifying the healthcare workforce. She is a firm believer in one of her primary roles as a pediatrician being an advocate for her patients and families. She has prior experience in addressing food insecurity, houselessness, and substance use disorder through leading community outreach and research efforts. Dr. Danai is currently working on increasing screening [cont.]

The Path from Exclusive Club to Inclusive Organization:

A Developmental Process

Please click below to read an article about how to create an inclusive organization. 
HALLMARKS OF WELCOMING AND INCLUSION PHASES
  • People are able to bring their full selves to their work.
  • The org encourages and welcomes people to contribute different opinions and points of view.
  • The org has a performance-driven culture; knowledge and ability matter most.
  • People form dynamic and diverse teams; trust is a given.
  • Differences are seen as additive and productive.
  • Mindsets and behaviors for success are explicit; the org supports people in adopting them.
  • The org has an interactive culture, where an array of points come in contact with each other.
  • People have the competencies and capabilities to adapt to different culture contexts.
HALLMARKS OF WELCOMING AND INCLUSION PHASES

Are you a physician on the move?

Let us know what you are up to! We'd love to share your news.
Email Czarina Manzano at: cmanzano@kcmsociety.org 

Sound Medical Center is Hiring

Sound Medical Center (SMC) is a busy primary care practice located in Federal Way. SMC is currently looking for a family/internal medicine physician who is preferably bilingual (English/Korean or English/Spanish or English/Russian). SMC serves mostly geriatric patients and will be offering competitive benefits to qualified candidates. If you are interested, send your resume to karens.smc@gmail.com or call 253-350-3538 for more detailed information. 

Retired Volunteer 

I spent a few days volunteering as a retired physician giving injections and serving as the provider of the day at the Swedish Community clinic. I just wanted to let you know what a positive experience it was and thank you / KCMS for helping organize and steer me in the right direction. It was a profoundly emotional and rewarding experience. I would strongly urge my retired, and not retired, colleagues to take a few days off their regular schedule and help get everybody vaccinated.

Eric Pinczower, MD

Explore Physician Salaries

How do physicians' salaries differ based on location, specialty, and experience? Compare and project salaries with Medscape's interactive Salary Explorer. 
Medscape Salary Explorer

In Memoriam

Gordon W. Perkin, MD - Obituary
Hilmi I. Mavioglu, MD - Obituary
Eric Sabbaton Merrifield, MD - Obituary
Julian Gonzalez, MD MPH - Obituary
David Cress Groenig, MD - Obituary

Contact Us
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