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Richard Sprague keeps samples of his own feces, in the family freezer, so he can send them to a Stanford University laboratory. Some days he tries to improve his sleep by swallowing potato starch to feed a certain population of microbes in his gut. Lately, he’s been studying his brain acuity every morning to see…

What is your elevator pitch for what a naturopath does?A naturopathic doctor is a primary care provider, just like a medical doctor. We assess patients through history taking, physical exam and diagnostic tests. The biggest difference, though, is in the treatment. Naturopathic doctors focus on a more natural approach to treatment, using vitamins, herbs, physical…

Why did you specialize in breast cancer?People in medicine often develop a passion to tackle what they fear or have strong feelings about. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a first-year medical student. I went with her to all her appointments and read everything I could about the disease. I then…

Was there a moment when you knew you had chosen the right field?Choosing a field in medicine is a little like jumping off a cliff with your eyes open. You make a decision about the rest of your life with very limited clinical experience and without exposure to many other fields. I don’t remember having…

In March, the United Network for Organ Sharing authorized the UW Medical Center to be one of 20 centers nationwide for performing face, hand, arm and abdominal wall transplants. Dr. Peter Neligan, who will be part of the team on these surgeries, spearheaded the effort to establish the University of Washington as a center for…

Infectious diseases grabbed headlines last winter, from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the spike in measles in the United States. What do you think was the biggest story during the past year? Both diseases also show global problems we have with infrastructure, access to fresh and clean water, limited resources in terms of…

What is your favorite part of your workday?At the start of every team meeting, we talk about patients whom we’ve cared for who died in the previous week. We reserve this time to talk about that person as a whole person, not just as a patient. And this is the time that I hear stories…

In all the years Seattle magazine has been asking local doctors to nominate health care practitioners for our Top Doctors list, only one doctor has received top votes in his specialty every single year. It’s probably no surprise to his colleagues and patients that this man is Joseph Gruss, M.D., chief of Craniofacial, Plastic and…