Top Doctors 2010: Special Hall of Fame Edition

Over the past decade, Seattle magazine has been the go-to resource for information about the best doctors in the region. For this Top Doctors issue—our 10th since 2000—we created a Top Doctors Hall of Fame to honor the four doctors (pictured L to R: Dr. Joseph S. Gruss; Dr. Linda S. Mihalov; Dr. David R. Byrd; Dr. Lee R. Hickok) who have been on our list for each of those 10 years. Their achievements are remarkable on many fronts, not the least being that all of our Top Doctors are nominated by colleagues who are asked to suggest providers they would seek out or recommend to loved ones. To receive enthusiastic support from their peers for a decade speaks to our Hall of Fame inductees’ dedication, professionalism and engagement.

In the spirit of that commitment to excellence, we present a Top Doctors issue dedicated to informing and assisting you when you’re looking for answers. Should you be seeking a physician in one of the dozens of areas of specialty listed in this issue, we’re confident you’ll find one who will make your journey through the health care system a positive, life-affirming experience. And if you’re simply aching for information, you’ll find helpful stories in these pages—from a new initiative that’s making it easier for families caring for autistic children to a new website that helps cancer patients navigate their way around the inevitable questions and issues, to the possibility of reducing hospital-borne infections by using computer keyboards that disinfect themselves. This year’s list also incorporates more doctors from the Tacoma and Everett areas than lists in the past, so here’s to good reading and to your good health.

Seattle magazine’s Top Doctors list results from a collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a highly regarded health care research and information company that works with magazines across the country to produce similar top doctors features. Castle Connolly also is the publisher of several resource books on physicians, including America’s Top Doctors and America’s Top Doctors for Cancer.

The 10 profiles featured below represent a selection of physicians from our list that come from a variety of specialties, clinics, and locations throughout the Seattle area.

Doctor’s Profiles:
George Makari
Hongxiu Ji
Russell Van Gelder
Sheena K. Aurora
Kathleen C.Y. Sie
Jane E. Hitti
Vernon M. Neppe
David M. Aboulafia
Howard G. Muntz
Virginia P. Sybert

Our 2010 Top Doctors directory is no longer available online. Check out our 2011 list here.