Growing up as a practicing Hindu, Amish J. Dave, MD, MPH, a rheumatologist with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), Seattle, says he was raised with a deep belief in helping others and giving back to the community. That passion has guided him into leadership roles where he advocates for rheumatology patients, his colleagues and the community on a broader scale.
Land of Action
“In Hinduism, there’s this concept of the Karmabhoomi—the place where you work and live and how you can make it better,” Dr. Dave says.
Thanks to efforts of the King County Medical Society, he and his colleagues have changed the landscape of childhood lead poisoning testing. In collaboration with other medical associations in Washington, the King County Medical Society also developed actionable steps that healthcare providers can take to reduce firearm injuries and death.
“It used to be that only about 5% of kids in Washington were tested for lead poisoning,” he says. “Today, more pediatricians and family medicine doctors have told me they’re regularly testing for lead.”
Dr. Dave
Dr. Dave says there’s also significantly more awareness within the South Asian community about the risk of lead contamination in certain spices.
“Many spices—especially turmeric and chili powder—have been found to contain high levels of lead, often due to contamination during processing or intentional adulteration to enhance color,” he explains. “Lead exposure is especially dangerous to children because their brains and nervous systems are still developing. It can lead to learning disabilities, delayed development and poor academic performance.”
Today, Dr. Dave serves as vice president of the King County Medical Society, sits on the Board of Humanity in Action Foundation, and is a member of the ACR, Washington State Medical Association and Washington Rheumatology Alliance.
In addition, he is the director of continuing medical education at VMFH and founder and former co-chair of Proudly Virginia Mason (Proudly VM), an employee-resource and advocacy group launched in 2017 to elevate the care of LGBTQ+ patients.
Dr. Dave says Proudly VM has taken steps to ensure transgender patients receive appropriate services. The team also helped develop a guide for primary care physicians on how to screen patients who may benefit from PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Knowing that Washington state faces a significant shortage of rheumatologists—especially in its rural areas—Dr. Dave has been working to address the gap.
“I’m really proud that VMFH now has one of the newest rheumatology fellowship programs in the country,” Dr. Dave says. “We’re one of just three rheumatology fellowships accredited by the ACGME [Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education] in 2024. I serve as the fellowship’s associate program director, and we had our first two fellows start this summer.”
Dr. Dave’s journey into medicine began with earning dual undergraduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh: a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and Eastern European history, and a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and neuroscience. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, followed by an internship and residency in internal medicine at Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Palo Alto, Calif.
He then completed a rheumatology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in clinical effectiveness from the T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Dr. Dave says his work in educating the public about lead poisoning has naturally led to advocacy and outreach in other areas.
“I started getting involved in educating people about prior authorization reform, which is a huge issue in the rheumatology field,” he says. “I get really frustrated when patients face delays in care—not because of anything they’ve done, but because pharmacy benefit managers and insurance carriers choose to put up more red tape and barriers to accessing their medications.”
Although volunteering can be time consuming, Dr. Dave says he’s made countless friendships, connections and partnerships—and met many wonderful people along the way.
“We’re seeing epidemic rates of loneliness and the only way to combat that is to get involved in your community with others who share your passions,” Dr. Dave says. “Whether it’s in the arts, rheumatology or medical education, you’ll find something that nourishes your soul and gives you the chance to give back to others.”
Linda Childers is a health writer located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
