Jeffery C. Ward, M.D.

"As a student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr. Ward did a student rotation at, what was then, Stevens Hospital. That experience established a foundation for understanding the value of community-based medicine, and he has since focused his career on advancing state-of-the-art cancer care in a compassionate and accessible setting, locally, regionally and nationally. It is this focus that has led him through 19 years of service as the medical director of Providence Hospice of Snohomish County, and terms as chairperson of Swedish Edmonds Cancer Control and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees, President of the Washington State Medical Oncology Society, and chairperson of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Clinical Practice and Government Relations Committees. In his daily interactions with patients, Dr. Ward maintains his zeal and focus. In his first newspaper column a decade ago, Dr. Ward while acknowledging the excitement and intrigue in the science of cancer, wrote: "...it is the patients themselves who teach me the most important lessons. My patients remind me day after day that there is more than one way to beat cancer. The human spirit is more resilient than the human body and the ability of individuals to rise above the adversity of the moment never fails to impress me that it is not how long we live, bu how we live that determines our legacy.""