Every year, we ask a few of Seattle’s Top Doctors to share what inspires them to practice medicine, the advice they give most often, and what they think the future holds for healthcare. These interviews are part of Seattle magazine’s annual Top Doctors feature, created in partnership with Castle Connolly. None of the doctors paid to be included — all are nominated by their peers.

What inspired you to become a doctor?

Before I studied molecular biology as a premed student, I was a journalist. I learned to investigate, interview, ask tough questions and connect with people. I guess you can say I really just wanted to be curious for a living.

What’s one thing about being a doctor that most people misunderstand?

Your doctor doesn’t have to know all the answers, but should know where to find them. I invest significant time into finding good, evidence-based workups and treatments, and I’ve found great specialists to help sort through tough situations.

What’s something in medicine you believe will be totally different in 10 years?

A decade ago, I didn’t imagine there would be an effective medication for obesity. GLP-1s have been transformative for some of my patients with this chronic disease. Breakthroughs like this do happen, which make me believe similar advancements are possible for the treatment of pervasive diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. I only hope that innovations will create more options that make treatments more affordable.

Have you ever had a patient diagnose themselves correctly?

All the time! Patients often have very accurate suspicions about their medical problem, but sometimes they don’t voice it. I frequently ask the patient, “What do you think is going on?” That question helps me understand the concern behind the symptoms. Patients are experts on themselves. And sometimes, the biggest concern doesn’t even come through until I’ve asked, “Is there anything else we should discuss?”

What’s one myth about health or medicine that you wish would go away?

There is a common perception that supplements or vitamins are magic cures or shortcuts to better health. But good health depends on many factors — sleep, healthy whole food, drinking water and exercise, to name a few. None of those things come in capsule form. I do a lot of goal setting with people. We talk about how most of us can’t climb a mountain in a day, and we set goals for how to gradually adopt healthier habits in their lifestyle.

What’s the most unusual case you’ve ever encountered?

After thousands of visits, I still have days I see things I’ve never seen before. And I have to stay open minded that the patient could have something not typical or common. Recently, I was teaching a medical student about some unusual skin manifestations of cancer, although I had never actually seen them. We talked about how a lot of the practice of medicine is about pattern recognition.

The next week, we saw a patient who had been seen twice with a fairly typical diagnosis of medication allergy. We suspected the rash was not due to allergy because it just looked different from hives or eczema. The workup we ordered led to an uncommon cancer diagnosis we had discussed just the previous week.

What’s one piece of advice you wish every patient followed?

Every time you go without sleep, every year that goes by without exercising, every fast-food meal is a loan you take out with your body as collateral. But borrowing from your health is like going to a loan shark. The payback is expensive and sometimes painful.

If you could change one thing about the healthcare system, what would it be?

More medical schools! When I see a really curious kid —the ones looking through drawers, asking questions, borrowing my stethoscope — I talk with them about being a doctor when they grow up. Some of these kids are my grand-patients, meaning I took care of one of their parents.