Rheumatology Influencers: Dr. Dave Has a Passion for Giving Back

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.

When he moved from Boston to Seattle in 2016, Dr. Dave wanted to combine his rheumatology training and master’s in public health to make an impact in local public health efforts. He is also passionate about medical education, rural outreach for rheumatologic care, health equity and social determinants of health.

“I first became involved with the King County Medical Society and helped form [its] Public Health Committee,” he says. “As chair of its Public Health Committee, I’ve focused on gun violence prevention and screening children for lead poisoning.”

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.