Jaime Carrillo, MD - DFM
Texas Tech University El Paso Pronouns: (He, Him, His)
Born and raised in the land of coffee, salsa dancing, Shakira & arepas, I grew up in a middle-class family in Bogota that emphasized education above all. It was also there where I realized I would not be the next Colombian soccer superstar. At the age of 19, I moved to Houston, Texas, to pursue my American dream.
At the University of Houston, I studied Biology and minored in Medicine and Society. I also volunteered as a Spanish translator at the local county hospital. It was there where my spark for medicine flourished. I then worked at a clinic for children with disabilities by providing social skills and play therapy. It was an incredible experience that showed me some of the struggles that families of children with disabilities face daily.
During medical school, I was accepted into the Scholars in Primary Care track at Texas Tech El Paso and was fortunate enough to lead a student run clinic that served agricultural farm workers of Southern New Mexico and West Texas. I learned that medicine goes beyond the clinical encounters. To truly influence the health of patients, I needed to learn how to be an advocate of communities. The experiences with the farm workers and the incredible family medicine physician mentors I found in my community motivated me to pursue family medicine.
During my interviews at First Hill, I felt comfortably vulnerable, and it was wonderful. I also strongly believe that big changes, although challenging, can help us grow personally and professionally. Thus, I did not hesitate to make the jump from Texas to Seattle with my wife. I feel incredibly lucky to join the DFM family and care for some of the most underserved patients in Seattle.
Some of my interests include women’s health, obstetrics, and care of vulnerable communities. Outside of medicine, I enjoy taking our 2 dogs to the dog park and to hiking trails, as well as losing one or two fingers while playing with our 2 cats. I also enjoy playing soccer (Hala Madrid!), and I am a seasoned video gamer but an amateur cyclist.
Freshta Baher Engel, MD - First Hill
University of Nebraska Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
“Nebraska, huh, is that the one right in the middle?” Yes, I grew up in the great plains in sunny Lincoln, Nebraska, where football, beef, and corn are staples. Although I have called Nebraska my home for several years, I was born in Afghanistan. As an immigrant, I had to use every opportunity I could to immerse myself into American culture, while integrating my Afghan heritage. This dichotomy has given me a unique perspective, especially in the field of medicine. In Afghanistan, preventative care and annual visits weren’t emphasized, so I grew up rarely going to the doctor. As I grew older, I realized the importance of the doctor-patient bond and how much it improves healthcare. I want people, especially people of color, to be able to find a doctor that they could trust. This trust is built with time, but can start by seeing a provider that may have something in common with, whether that’s skin color, belief system, or even hobbies.
With my interest in medicine in mind, I obtained my undergraduate degree in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I then attended medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I spent a lot of time as a student provider at the local free clinic and continued to fall in love with providing care to underserved populations. During my time in medical school, I was lucky enough to meet mentors that furthered my passion and taught me how to provide care with compassion. When I was looking for residency programs, Swedish First Hill stood out because of the faculty’s dedication to providing care to underserved populations. During my years as a resident, I am excited to delve further into my areas of interest which include, reproductive health, obstetrics, refugee and immigrant healthcare, preventative care, and many many more. I am so excited to have found a program whose residents and faculty’s interests align so closely with my own!
Susan “Suzie” Greenman, MD - First Hill
University of Rochester Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
My journey to medicine started in the Florida Keys, where I was born, the granddaughter of a harbormaster. My parents went out of their way to expand my sisters’ and my worlds, keeping us in touch with my mother’s family roots in Hungary. In high school, they home-schooled us and took our family around the world for six months, staying and learning in Hungary, Israel, Kenya, India, Nepal, Thailand, and China. This was such a formative experience for me, showing me how privileged I was, simply due to where I was born. This trip led to my sister’s and I founding and running a non-profit for an orphanage in Kenya for 15 years. My newly acquired travel bug also kept me seeking out new experiences as I went to High School in Germany and moved to Alaska after graduation to work as an Adventure Guide.
I studied Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, and soon after graduation left to join the Peace Corps in Cameroon, in Western Africa. I lived in a tiny village in the Extreme North of Cameroon, living as and with my peers in the village, without running water, electricity, and fighting off diseases like malaria, cholera, and giardiasis. There were so many times that I felt helpless, unable to offer my neighbors any assistance when they were sick, even though they had opened their homes to me and welcomed me like family. So, after my two years of service, I decided to go to medical school.
I went to medical school in upstate NY, and focused on creating relationships with local, marginalized populations such as homeless communities, the Deaf community, and sex-trafficked women. I took a year out to study Breast Feeding and it’s impact in various communities of different socioeconomic classes. All of this led to me finding my way to Seattle, wanting to practice family medicine. I will continue to foster my love of international health, maternal/child medicine and fight for refugees and sex trafficking victims.
When I’m not wearing my stethoscope, I am often outside, enjoying a nap underneath a tree that I’ve hiked to, or camping out to see some stars. I love to bake, and have a horrible habit of procrastibaking, which many of my colleagues benefit from. I love learning languages, taking pictures of my fur-babies and exploring my new home on the west coast.
Blake Henley, MD - First Hill University of Washington Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
I come from a big, unconventional family – a loud, messy, and chaotic crew that is bursting with life and love. My family made me who I am and demonstrated the importance of relationships for support and strength. We grew up in Burien, Washington and attended the amazing Highline High School. I then went off to eastern Washington for college at Gonzaga University (Go Zags!) to obtain a degree in biology with a focus in molecular biology research. Throughout my high school and college years, I became increasingly aware of the overwhelming inequities within our society and dedicated much of my free time towards volunteerism and activism.
My passions always lay with medicine, and my medical training began right here in Seattle at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Throughout my four years, I was heavily involved in student organizations and free clinics dedicated to supporting those medically underserved. I have always been enthralled with primary care and believe prevention of disease and patient education to be the key to a healthier nation.
As a resident at Swedish, I am excited and honored to continue my medical career at an institution dedicated to patient-centered care and social justice. I am looking forward to building deep relationships with my patients and seek to serve as an advisor, guide, and companion throughout all the overwhelming experiences life brings. My clinical interests include women's health, pregnancy support (both continuing and terminating a pregnancy), adolescent well-being, and LGBTQI+ care.
Personal passions include environmental preservation and reproductive justice. As a former barista, I am a perpetual coffee drinker. I spend my free time at home either baking or getting active, with a particular love for yoga, hiking, and biking (very PNW of me). My partner & I have a puppy we’re hoping to train as a service dog although right now he’s more interested in chewing furniture then nurturing those that are ill.
Kaitlin Huennekens, MD, MPH - First Hill Northwestern University Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
I was born and raised in San Diego, CA, but have spent the last 10 years in the Midwest. I attended Washington University in St. Louis for college and majored in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, a hodgepodge of a major that reflected my interest in understanding human behavior. After undergrad, I moved to Chicago where I worked as a clinical research coordinator for the next two years. While I did not love the minutia of clinical research, I loved building meaningful relationships with patients and their families as they navigated new, investigative treatments.
I stayed in Chicago to attend Northwestern University for medical school. I was involved in Medical Students for Choice and organized various events to improve our education of reproductive justice and advocacy. My interests in population health and community medicine led me to pursue a Master of Public Health, where I worked at various FQHCs and community health centers throughout Chicago. While I love obstetrics and reproductive health, I was drawn to primary care and the ability of family medicine physicians to adapt to the needs of a community and advocate for the larger communities to which patients belong. I was involved in medical education as part of the Task Force on Inclusion and Bias and Committee on Justice and Equity, where we organized medical students to address racism in clerkship grading and honor society induction.
I am particularly interested in using medicine as a tool for social justice, parent-child health, reproductive justice, gender affirming care, addiction medicine, and the intersection of public health and community medicine.
In my free time, I enjoy taking long road trips, a big bowl of soup, backyard barbeques, sleeping, summer picnics, reading for hours on end, neighborhood bike rides, eating sushi, and watching both good and bad TV.
I am so excited to join Swedish First Hill and learn from a community that has a deep sense of justice, commitment to advancing health equity, and dedication to advocating for communities and structural change.
Kimé McClintock, MD, MPH - Ballard
George Washington University Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
Hello! My name is Kimé (she/her) and I was born and raised in Anchorage, AK, where my love of mountains, the outdoors, and wild places first developed. I went to college at WWU in Bellingham, WA, where I became involved in community activism, sparking my commitment to social justice and feminism. I studied cultural anthropology and Spanish. During college I spent five months volunteering at a local NGO in Las Terrenas, DR -- working at a library, organizing a soccer club for kids, and facilitating a girls camp. After college I lived in Spain for about ten months WOOFFing -- working on small family farms and at guest houses in exchange for room and board. These formative experiences helped me confirm that I wanted to pursue community-based advocacy work; I landed a job at Planned Parenthood as a regional field organizer in Anchorage. I loved the work and the people that it brought into my life. I loved organizing around reproductive justice issues and advocating alongside my community.
Knowing I wanted to expand my technical skills and understanding of health systems and policy, I moved to New Orleans, LA to do my MPH at Tulane. I fell in love with the vibrancy and grit of the city and the people there, yet was concurrently frustrated and outraged by the stark injustices, health disparities and barriers to care and resources that existed. I continued to focus on family planning and reproductive justice in my studies and community involvement. After graduation I moved back to Anchorage to work on the reelection campaign for US Senator Mark Begich. I then landed a dream job with MSI Reproductive Choices, a British NGO providing reproductive healthcare globally, and one of the largest providers of safe abortion care across the world. This based me in Washington, DC but allowed me to travel for work. I was inspired by the people around me and passionate about the projects we worked on, but I felt far away from the communities we served. After much reflection, I decided to pursue medical school in hopes of becoming an abortion provider.
I attended medical school at George Washington University, allowing me to stay in DC with my partner. My path to family medicine was as winding as my path to medicine, but I realized there was no other specialty that would allow me to be the physician-advocate I aspired to be -- caring for my patients holistically and combining interests in reproductive health, abortion care, addiction medicine, and community and public health. I feel incredibly fortunate to be continuing my training at Swedish First Hill, learning from compassionate, thoughtful, and bright faculty and co-residents. I cannot wait to meet my patients and support them in their health goals. My partner and I, with our dog Taro, are so excited to explore PNW mountains and become a part of the community here in Seattle!
Zoë Lehman, DO, MPH - First Hill
Touro University Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
I grew up in Berkeley, California, spoiled by beautiful produce, redwoods, hills and a temperate climate. Excited by the architecture and urbanity, I moved to Chicago for my undergraduate degree at University of Chicago and began preaching the “in California” gospel immediately on arrival. Working my way through school I taught language arts to 3rd graders, sex ed to 9th graders, made fancy coffee drinks at a local cafe, and volunteered at a needle exchange. After graduating, I continued as an outreach worker and then case manager for an organization focusing on the psychosocial support of women living with HIV. After a few very impactful years, I shifted from HIV care to HIV prevention and I wound my way back to the San Francisco Department of Public Health and PrEP research prior to entertaining the idea of going to medical school. After completing a post bacc, a little more teaching time, and getting some experience coordinating research studies and running flow cytometry, I started medical school at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine just north of the Bay Area.
In medical school I found that I loved adult inpatient medicine, pediatrics, newborn care, palliative care and everything in between. Family Medicine is the perfect fit for me, a specialty where I can continue working with folks at all stages of life, people struggling with addiction, and full spectrum reproductive health for people of all gender identities. After meeting my partner (a Bremerton native) at a Women in Medicine conference, I had the pleasure of exploring Seattle and the Kitsap peninsula with her. I was delighted to find an abundance of ferns and flowers, mountains, delicious food and even some sunshine! When we’re not tromping around in the woods, we can be found planning future dinner parties and playing with glitter. I am so excited to be joining the First Hill community; brimming with activism, humanism, humor and incredibly compassionate and intelligent people.
Mollie Limb, MD - DFM
Vanderbilt University Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
I am the daughter of two Kentucky-natives who fell in love playing music together at church. Shortly after my brother Michael was born, the family moved from Louisville to Portland, Oregon where I was born and raised. I spent my childhood “in perpetual motion”: doing gymnastics, riding my pink Razor scooter and climbing/falling out of trees. I’ve known that I wanted a career working with underserved communities since I was a teenager, and I think this desire stems from values my parents instilled in me: the principles of human dignity, service and a moral obligation to stand in solidarity with marginalized communities.
After high school, I ventured 2000 miles east to attend the University of Notre Dame. I majored in Sociology with a focus on poverty, inequality and the structural determinants of health. I also majored in Spanish and became fluent while studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico. For two incredible years I worked as a social worker at a local non-profit organization and created a new transportation program there to increase access to cancer care in my community. After college, I did a yearlong service fellowship in Indiana before heading south to attend medical school at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN.
At Vanderbilt, I fell in love with primary care while working with uninsured patients at our student-run free clinic and at a community clinic for immigrants and refugees. I grew particularly passionate about addressing the health disparities that impact transgender and non-binary people. I spent a year researching physician-level barriers to care in this population, and later helped develop a formal curriculum to ensure that all students learn the basics of transgender health. Finally, I had the chance to help establish the Social Mission Committee at Vanderbilt, expanding opportunities for student-led health equity work and pushing for institutional change.
Training in family medicine is the next step towards my goal of becoming an expert in caring for the underserved. I was drawn to Swedish First Hill because of the kind and compassionate people, diverse patient population, and commitment to training physicians who fight for equity and justice through patient care, community engagement and advocacy. My clinical interests include immigrant/refugee health, reproductive health, addiction medicine and LGBTQ health, especially gender-affirming care. I am also passionate about working with Spanish-speaking patients and in urban underserved communities.
I’m thrilled to be living in Seattle and back near my family in the Pacific Northwest! In my free time, I love to spend time outdoors - hiking, playing flag football, swimming in rivers and lakes, and going for long walks in my neighborhood. My favorite indoor activities include doing massive puzzles, eating Tillamook ice cream, and binge-watching Netflix with Ava, my very large, very fluffy cat.
Katie Schmidt, MD, MPH - First Hill
Washington State University Pronouns: (She, Her, Hers)
I grew up just outside of Detroit, and attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for my undergraduate studies in bio-psychology and medical anthropology. I became involved in health equity and social justice efforts, serving as president of my university’s GlobeMed chapter and developing partnerships with community-based organizations in Liberia and Mali. I also volunteered at a Detroit-based free clinic, building health education programs, planning an urban farmer’s market, and implementing a health needs assessment.
Driven to combat the health inequities and structural racism I witnessed in Detroit, I obtained a Master of Public Health degree at Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education. Following my partner to Boston, I began a career in community health and quality improvement at the Upham’s Corner Health Center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. There, I co-led in the design and implementation of a patient-centered medical home model and value-based payment structure. In 2015, I moved again, this time to the outdoor lover’s paradise of Washington, where I headed quality improvement efforts for two years at Providence ElderPlace in south Seattle. After five years in healthcare administration, inspired by my work with primary care physicians, I resolved to pursue a career in family medicine in order to provide full-spectrum primary care in urban underserved communities.
In 2017, I was fortunate to join the Inaugural Class of Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, a new school with a mission to meet the needs of underserved populations in Washington. During medical school, I co-founded my school’s Family Medicine Interest Group and served as Medical Student Co-Trustee to the Washington Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors. I led WSU’s student Anti-Oppression Task Force, working to combat racism and other forms of discrimination in medicine and medical education. Volunteering for the Spokane Alliance, I used community organizing methods to help conduct a health needs assessment in Spokane.
I plan to be a family physician at an urban federally-qualified health center, providing full-spectrum primary care and obstetrics with a focus on social medicine. I am particularly interested in caring for communities of color, people experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+ populations, the elderly, and patients with substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions. I will also continue to organize and advocate for equity around the social determinants of health – housing, food, racism, education, health insurance – which often impact patients’ health outcomes far more than their medical care. The Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency aligns perfectly with my interests because of its excellent full-spectrum training and focus on equity.
In my spare time, I am almost always outside with my spouse, and have been known to ascend a long way up one of Washington’s volcanoes at any time of year to satisfy my need for backcountry skiing. I also enjoy running, yoga, rock climbing, biking, ice hockey, reading, and snuggling with my cat, Denard Robinson. I am thrilled to continue living in this beautiful state and to train with the best faculty and co-residents I could ask for at Swedish First Hill.
Samuel Stratton, DO - Ballard University of New England Pronouns: (He, Him, His)
Born in Massachusetts, I grew up in Springfield and went to Clark University in Worcester. With a background in geography and community development, I worked for several years in brownfields redevelopment. But I had dreamed about the Peace Corps ever since a friend’s brother spoke about it to our second-grade class.
Peace Corps Volunteer service shifted my life trajectory. During two years in El Salvador, I saw that the most impactful activities linked community development and health. After working for the Peace Corps for an additional three years in Belize and Mexico, I returned home to Massachusetts to complete a post-baccalaureate premedical science program. At a Peace Corps event in Boston, I met my wife. She was then a resident physician but even post-call from a 24-hour NICU shift, she stood out in the crowd.
Just after the birth of my son, I was accepted to the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine so medical school was a time of learning and development for our whole family. UNE’s Care for the Underserved Pathways Scholars Program reinforced my knowledge of the intersection of environment, poverty, and health disparities. I am drawn to Swedish - First Hill Family Medicine Residency for its dedication to improve the health and resiliency of the communities it serves. (And Seattle met my son’s requirements of an aquarium and a zoo.)
My family values time outside particularly on or near the water. Always looking for ways to reduce my environmental impact, in Seattle I plan to continue bicycle commuting and composting.
John Jacob “JJ” Wampach, MD - DFM University of Washington Pronouns: (They, Them, Theirs)
Born in Vancouver (not BC), Washington (not DC), just North of Portland (not Maine), I am a life-long resident of the Pacific Northwest, where on any given day I can be found hunting for good local hikes. I like nothing more than a rainy day walking my dog through the cityscape, looking for an island of trees and ferns to explore, of which I’ve come to find Seattle has an infinite supply.
I discovered my love of the forest and of a whole body approach to medicine at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. My undergraduate work focused on tobacco prevention, which continued during an Americorps term with Sea Mar Community Health Centers. I later moved to Seattle, where I spent a few years working at Neighborcare Health, serving people who were unhoused and unstably housed through the Ballard and 45th Street Youth Clinics. The experience opened my eyes to the deep impact of our region’s housing and socioeconomic inequities on not just a patient’s morbidity and mortality, but every aspect of their lives.
I later moved to Spokane to study medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Washington’s second largest city offered an important contrast to Seattle both in terms of public health and direct patient care needs, broadening my education beyond the Puget Sound bubble. It also introduced me to the wonders of marmots, turkeys, and downtown’s majestic mechanical Garbage Goat.
Today, I am excited for the opportunity to serve patients out of the Downtown Family Medicine clinic with the Swedish First Hill Residency program. I believe in access to care for all and have a particularly strong interest in the impact of the built environment, climate change, and socioeconomic status on health. My body of experience is in substance use and in that setting I strive to meet patients where they are at, whether their focus is recovery or reducing harms associated with use. My other interests in medicine include gender affirming care and patient-lifestyle focused preventative care.