Leila Mende, MD

I grew up in the small town of Mililani on the island of O’ahu in Hawai’i. Island living got me interested in environmental stewardship, social justice and spending time in nature. Early on I learned how important the connections are between our health and both the land we live on and the communities we live in.

I studied medicine in the city of Lexington at the University of Kentucky – the original home of the board of family medicine. Go Cats!

I’m a second generation family physician and always knew I wanted to do primary care. Family doctors manage not only the health of their patients, but they are passionate about the health of the community as a whole as well as disease prevention. I chose family medicine because of its moral imperative to improve the health of the community. I have always had a particular interest in global health and lifestyle medicine. In my career, I endeavor to provide obstetric care and split my practice between the United States and West Africa.

In my free time you can find me in the outdoors climbing, hiking and paddling. I love bike commuting, music, dance, capoeira and yoga. I am happy to call the Pacific Northwest my home once again.