Swedish announced today the selection of Dr. Elizabeth Wako as Vice President of Medical Affairs (VPMA) for Swedish First Hill in Seattle. Dr. Wako transitions to VPMA this week from her dual role as a staff anesthesiologist and as Medical Director for Swedish’s Preadmission Clinics for three campuses including First Hill, Cherry Hill and the Swedish Orthopedic Institute.
“Dr. Wako is an exceptional clinical and administrative leader,” said June Altaras, CEO of Swedish Seattle (First Hill, Cherry Hill) and System CEO for Swedish Acute Care. “She has a keen ability to understand the various needs and demands of our hospital, our staff and our patients and create a successful balance among them all. She has set new standards at Swedish and we are thrilled to have her now focused on our First Hill campus.”
As the new VPMA, Dr. Wako will partner with fellow campus executives on both strategy and operations and will focus on providing leadership and management support for all aspects of physician and provider practice. She will be responsible for further developing the quality, safety and patient experience programs with the medical staff and serve as a key communication link with both independent and employed physicians that are associated with the campus.
Prior to joining Swedish, Dr. Wako served as Medical Director of PreAnesthesia Services at Harborview Medical Center and as acting professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Wako has also held roles as nurse supervisor at the Community Psychiatric Clinic, El Rey and at the West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital.
Dr. Wako is a board certified anesthesiologist. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and her medical degree from the University of Utah. Dr. Wako served both her residency in anesthesia and her Perioperative fellowship at the University of Washington.
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