John H. Vassall II, M.D.

By K. ClarkGrowing up in Brooklyn, New York, John H. Vassall II knew at age 10 that he wanted to be a doctor. Not only did he have the support of nine brothers and sisters who encouraged him to pursue his dream, Vassall had family members including a great Aunt, an Uncle and two cousins who were in the medical profession to look up to.Now in his role as Internist and Division Chief of General Internal Medicine at Minor & James Medical, PLLC and Chief of Staff for Swedish Medical Center’s three campuses, he remembers his reluctance to pursue his dream. Although Vassall had a passion to one day become a doctor, he didn’t immediately jump into medical school. “I heard all these stories about how hard medical school was and how stressed out people were so I didn’t think I was cut out for it,” said Vassall. After earning his bachelor’s degree at University of Wisconsin, Vassall attended the University of Washington (UW) where he earned his Master’s of Science degree and graduated from the UW School of Medicine. While at the UW, Vassall worked in the medical lab doing research and other duties under George Ray, Professor of Pediatrics at the time. “He was a great mentor and the reason I decided to go ahead and apply for medical school,” Vassall says. Although his fear of failure kept him from initially applying to medical school, Vassall’s passion and interest in medicine was noticed by his mentor. “He told me I should think about going to med school. I told him I didn’t think I would get in,” said Vassall. “He replied by saying well if you don’t apply, you won’t get in.” In 1974, Vassall entered the School of Medicine and was one of only six Black students in a class of 125 students. He also mentions that just because the number of Blacks in medical school at the UW were significantly low, didn’t mean that there wasn’t an interest in the medical profession. Medical school is expensive and seeing only one or two minorities in a class may have discouraging for potential students. “Public schools don’t have the resources available that a lot of private schools do. Therefore, a lot of the Black students probably went elsewhere because more scholarship money available at private colleges and the number of Blacks attending were probably higher,” states Vassall. Vassall traveled south to do his residency and internship in internal medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta. However, he always knew he wanted to come back to the Northwest to practice medicine. Vassall joined the staff at Swedish/Providence in 1983 and in 1984 the Swedish/First Hill staff as well. Prior to his role as Chief of Staff, Vassall became chief of staff-elect from 2003-2005 and also served as medical staff president for Swedish Medical Center/Providence Campus. Over the years, Vassall’s experience in different regions made him realize that as a doctor, you have to be sensitive to the needs of people from various cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, a lot of doctors haven’t fully realized that yet. “It is our responsibility as doctors to create an environment that is comfortable for the patient,” said Vassall. “I’ve learned that Black patients in particular are reluctant to ask questions or express concern with a diagnosis. Doctor’s need to make the patient comfortable and aware that it is okay to ask questions about something they don’t understand or may disagree with.” Slated to hold the position of Chief of Staff for Swedish Medical Center through 2007, Vassall says that his main goal is to improve the overall quality of healthcare by standardizing different processes and reducing the number of errors in the duty of care. Vassall’s track record and acknowledgement from his peers prove that he is definitely the person to succeed in all of those goals. In early November, last year, Vassall received the 2006 WA-ACP Internist of the Year Award for outstanding clinical skills and leadership. In addition, he serves as a member on several boards and organizations including American College of Physicians, King County Medical Society, Washington State Association of Black Professionals in Health Care, National Medical Association, Swedish Medical Center’s Bylaws Committee, immediate past president of the U.W. School of Medicine Alumni Association, delegate for the American Medical Association from Washington State Medical Association, speaker of the House of Delegates for the Washington State Medical Association and a member of the Board of Trustees for Washington State Hospital Association. In addition, Vassall is on the Editorial Advisory Board of the national journal, Internal Medicine News. Vassall has three daughters and resides with his wife in the South end of Seattle. When he’s not working, the busy Vassall enjoys skiing and cycling. In addition, he manages to find time each year to participate in the Seattle to Portland (STP) race. “In the midst of a hectic schedule, it is important to stay physically active,” said Vassall. When asked what advice he would give someone who has the same initial fear as he did to pursue their career dreams, he says “You can stand in your own way. Figure out what you want to do and pursue it!”