A Higher Degree of Healthcare
Research + Teaching = Higher Quality Care
There are many excellent hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. And there is no lack of doctors, nurses and caregivers here who are devoted to your well-being.
But when you consider what's most important in a healthcare system, only UW Medicine brings you the highest quality care.
That's because we aren't just a collection of hospitals and clinics. UW Medicine is the only healthcare system in Washington that offers you the considerable advantages of an inseparable connection to the region's leading medical school and an internationally known research center.
Studies show that patients at teaching hospitals like UW Medicine have better outcomes. So when we say you'll receive a higher degree of healthcare from us, it's not just a slogan. It's a promise.

COVID-19
90 Days on the Front Line
From identifying the first cases of COVID-19 in our area to leading the region’s COVID-19 testing efforts, experts across UW Medicine banded together to prepare for — and lead — the response to the nation’s first COVID-19 outbreak.
Dr. Alex Greninger helped develop one of the first FDA-approved COVID-19 tests in the nation at the UW Medicine Virology Lab.
Dr. Christopher Murray pulled together a team at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to model how COVID-19 would affect hospital systems.
Drs. Lea Starita and Helen Chu of the Seattle Flu Study helped uncover community spread of COVID-19 in the Seattle area.
Drs. John Lynch, Seth Cohen and Santiago Neme managed UW Medicine’s COVID-19 response, keeping the hospitals running during dire times.
Their efforts not only have helped Washington state weather the initial wave of the pandemic, but they’ve also showcased the strength, resiliency and dedication of the entire UW Medicine community.
Read more about UW Medicine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eric Stark
Eric drove his bus passengers to safety after he was shot.

Marilyn Wightman
Marilyn had 15 blood clots removed from her lungs.

Josh Glantz
Josh nearly lost his arm. Now he rock climbs.
One Mom’s Story
Gina Lee Gossett
At 13 weeks pregnant, Gina Lee Gossett was like any other mother-to-be excitedly preparing to meet her baby. Then she received some shocking news — she had cervical cancer.
Doctors at the Center for Women and Children quickly crafted a plan to treat her cancer and save her pregnancy, but Lee Gossett was soon dealt another unexpected blow. She came down with a 104-degree fever and was rushed to the ICU with a life-threatening infection. After seven days in the hospital, the baby didn’t survive.
Despair soon turned into hope. Before an impending surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to fight the cancer, fertility specialists fast-tracked Lee Gossett through embryo preservation. A year and a half after her initial diagnosis, Lee Gossett finally got her happy ending. She’s now cancer-free and a proud mom.


Lily James
Lily nearly lost her feet in an accident. Now she can walk again.

Michelle Catchot
Michelle had a rare brain surgery to stop her migraines.

Ken Price
Ken got a double-lung transplant. Then he ran a marathon.

Transforming Transplants
Dr. Jorge Reyes
Imagine trying to change a process that’s been the norm for more than 50 years. Now imagine hundreds of lives are at stake with the potential to save even more. That’s exactly what Dr. Jorge Reyes is attempting to do — and why he’s doing it.
As UW Medicine’s chief of transplant surgery, Dr. Reyes is spearheading participation in a liver preservation study. Instead of transporting donor livers on ice in a cooler, the conventional procedure since the 1960s, Dr. Reyes and his team are testing a “liver in a box” device that keeps organs warm and flushed with oxygenated blood.
The trial shows promise so far, with donor livers arriving healthier and in better shape for transplant surgery. Dr. Reyes believes this new process can even expand the distance organs can travel, increasing the availability of life-saving organ donations by 30%.

Myra Gaines
Myra had a heart valve replaced using a first-anywhere technique.

Dr. Teri Brentnall
Dr. Brentnall discovered a genetic link to familial pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Mark Reisman
Dr. Reisman uses 3D-printed hearts to prepare for complex surgeries.