Medical Degree: University of Massachusetts
Residency: Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency, Rural Training Program
Location:
Downtown Health Center
240 W. Front Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Pronounces Name: PAH-luh WIT-meye-ur
Paula (she/her) is from Kent in southeast King County. She attended University of Washington for her BA in Medical Anthropology and Global Health, focusing on systemic oppression and health inequities in the United States. She has always had a passion for working with marginalized communities, which led her to volunteer overnight with Roots Young Adult Shelter in the U-District during college. After graduation, she worked in research at Mayo Clinic Arizona for a few years and learned to appreciate the beauty of the desert.
Paula attended University of Massachusetts Medical School with intention of going into rural Family Medicine. She was a part of the Population Based Urban and Rural Community Health track, which meant that her clinical years took place at a community hospital in Western Massachusetts. In medical school, she co-led various interest groups and enrichment electives focused on advocacy, social justice, and primary care. Her experiences in medical school re-affirmed that she wanted to improve access to quality full-spectrum healthcare in rural areas. Her areas of interest in medicine include LGBTQIA+ care, addiction medicine, and psychiatry in inpatient, emergent, and outpatient settings.
Paula is excited to return to her home state of Washington and be a part of a program that understands that social justice advocacy and anti-racism work are at the foundation of good medical care. She is grateful to serve a community in Seattle that looks like the one she grew up in and is looking forward to new adventures in beautiful Port Angeles. When she isn’t in the hospital, she loves to craft (knit, sew, cross stitch), pet her cats, be with family/friends, run, hike, kayak, and be outside. She is always taking suggestions for new hobbies to be perfectly adequate at.