Meet Dr. Pam
As a dually licensed physician and attorney, Dr. Pam is committed to stabilizing our healthcare system and improving access to care. Many of us have friends or family members who are struggling... and unable to access the care they need. Without proper care, one of Dr. Pam's own children recently died by suicide. Dr. Pam's commitment to improving healthcare access is to help others avoid this grief.
Dr. Pam has lived experiences that make her well-suited to represent the 9th Legislative District. She and her husband, Dr. Stephen Thew, raised their family on the South Hill in Spokane County the past 18+ years and her roots are rural. This will help Dr. Pam address the urban/suburban/rural challenges in the 9th district, which is predominantly suburban/urban in population density and rural geographically.
Family First
Dr. Pam and her husband, Dr. Stephen Thew, fell in love in medical school and have since devoted their professional careers to helping others. Dr. Pam and her husband raised their four children (Michael, Katie, Jocelyn, and David Thew) on the South Hill in Spokane. Some of Dr. Pam's favorite mom-moments have involved connecting with other families at baseball and gymnastics events. As a mom, Dr. Pam is conditioned to listening and serving whenever there is a need. That’s what moms do.
Connections Rural and Local
As a grandchild of farmers, Dr. Pam graduated from a small-town high school. During medical school, Dr. Pam and her husband did a two month rural medicine rotation in a midwestern small town, where they experienced the challenges, and frankly the heroics, of rural medicine providers. Dr. Pam continues to be supportive of her husband treating patients in Davenport on Tuesdays -which he has consistently done over the past 15 years.
Education and Professional Experience
A tragedy contributed to Dr. Pam's career path into medicine. When she was 15 years old, living in a small town that lacked a hospital, her mom suffered a medical emergency and died. Dr. Pam proceeded to earn her medical degree from the University of Nebraska. After completing an emergency medicine residency in Chicago, she practiced as a Board Certified emergency physician for about 15 years, including locally at Providence SHMC Childrens Hospital. Then, inspired to understand the interaction of medicine and law, Dr. Pam graduated from Gonzaga School of Law in 2018 (Go Zags!). Dr. Pam taught health policy & law, professionalism, and health equity for Eastern Washington University and published journal articles on medical, legal, and public health issues. Dr. Pam is admitted to the Washington State Bar Association, remains a licensed physician in the state of Washington, and focuses on health policy development.*
Community Volunteer
Dr. Pam volunteers heavily in community organizations that promote health. Dr. Pam has served on the St. George's School (SGS) Board of Trustees the past 12 years, most recently as the Board Chair, where she has advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion to help support the mental health needs of students and families. Dr. Pam started and volunteer coached the SGS Little Dragons cheerleaders for 9 years and also coached SYSA youth soccer for many seasons. She currently serves on the Board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-Spokane to help families connect with needed mental health support services and previously served on the Board of Partners with Families & Children to help prevent child abuse. During the pandemic, Dr. Pam volunteered over 2,000 hours to support Eastern Washington hospitals to mitigate an inadequate supply of hospital beds and staff. Dr. Pam also previously worked at CHAS Health and voluteered as a physician at Christ Clinic, helping to ensure that families struggling financially could access quality healthcare. More recently, Dr. Pam became a certified QPR instructor and volunteers to teach these suicide prevention classes regularly for Spokane Regional Health District.
Vote Doctor Pam!
Dr. Pam and her husband have collectively demonstrated their committment to supporting and improving rural health and access to mental health services. After two family tragedies -linked by a lack of access to care- Dr. Pam is prepared to use her understanding of law and medicine to improve the health of our community. If you are so moved, please add your name to endorse Dr. Pam, consider making a campaign donation, and please share this link with your friends and family.
Dr. Pam greatly appreciates your support to help improve the health of our community!
*Please note that Dr. Pam's candidacy and her political opinions are independent of her employment and her volunteer activities and should not be interpreted as campaign endorsements.