About Alan Smith
Job title: Retired GI physician
Degrees: BS ’76, MD ’80, Res. ’83
Career stage: Retired
State of practice: Seattle, Washington ‘86-‘98; Wenatchee, Washington ‘98-‘23
Current practice settings: Retired
Lived career experiences/transitions:
- Starting a family while maintaining a full-time practice
- Leaving a practice
- Retiring from practice
- Non-clinical careers
- Rural medicine
- Work/life balance
- Physician leadership/management
Graduation year from the UW School of Medicine: 1980
Specialty/subspecialty: Internal Medicine; Gastroenterology
Teaching roles: Clinical Associate Professor UWSOM
Research or other professional interests: Endoscopic treatments. Liver disease. Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Alan’s Bio:
Born and raised in Cashmere, Washington, I graduated from Cashmere High School and attended the University of Washington on a basketball scholarship, playing from 1972–1976. I went on to earn my medical degree and complete a three-year internal medicine residency at UW, receiving the Robert S. Evans Humanitarian Award as both a student and resident. Inspired by the “Gut Course,” I pursued a gastroenterology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University (1983–1986), where I also conducted basic science research before deciding to focus on clinical medicine.
After training, I returned to Seattle to join The Polyclinic, practicing for 12 years and serving as president during its period of growth. In 1998, my wife, Colleen, and I moved to Wenatchee, where we raised our five children and I joined Wenatchee Valley Medical Center (now Confluence Health). I practiced there for 25 years, including 10 years as GI Division Head, before retiring after three years in part-time work.
Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, and GI fellows in both Seattle and Wenatchee. I also collaborated with UW psychologist Larry Mauksch on implementing his “Listening Well” curriculum across departments in Wenatchee.
Now retired, I’m grateful to continue supporting the UW School of Medicine as a member of the Alumni Advisory Council, with particular interest in rural medical education and clinical training.