It is an honor to be selected again (9th time!) as a Top Doctor in Seattle Met’s annual rankings. Nearly 4,000 doctors in the Seattle metropolitan area participated in our new and improved survey, the result of a partnership between Seattle Met andAvvo. Avvo rates and profiles 90 percent of doctors in the U.S., including every doctor in Washington State.

The 2011 survey is more comprehensive than ever, with active participation from almost 40 percent of doctors practicing in King, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties, and parts of Pierce County. Avvo’s proprietary algorithms rate doctors on a 10-point scale, employing not only peer endorsements but factors such as experience, education, training, disciplinary history, fellowships, hospital privileges, and awards. Avvo’s dynamic ratings of the 9,933 doctors in the survey area are regularly refreshed based on new information gleaned from doctors as well as from certifying and licensing boards. The doctors on the pages that follow represent the top 5 percent of practitioners in their fields as of May 24.

For specialists not included in Avvo’s service—acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, optometrists, and podiatrists—the rankings are based on nominations from doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, and other health care professionals. Our survey asked those professionals to name the colleagues they would choose to treat themselves and their loved ones. The resulting list of 612 top practitioners in their fields is presented here alphabetically by specialty and alphabetically by last name.

Seattle Met researchers gave each Top Doctor the opportunity to specify areas of focus within his or her practice or exemplary cases recently treated. For example, a doctor in the field of cardiology might list cardiovascular risk assessment, preventive cardiology, diagnostic cardiology, and cholesterol management to provide the reader with more context regarding her practice. This in no way indicates that the doctor’s practice is limited to those areas of focus.