Pioneering Medicine is a creative partnership with Southwest and local media to share messages around health care topics that matter most to the Southwest Washington and Portland region. We hope that this information allows you to make better, more informed choices to improve your health.

Each month, Southwest physicians will provide insights on current technologies and practices while educating and empowering you to make the best health care decisions. In the spirit of the hospital's 150th anniversary, we'll also look back on where we've come and forward to where we are going.

Our experts will discuss different health topics monthly during promotional television spots on Fox12-KPTV, printed advertorials in the Columbian and Oregonian, and right here on www.pioneeringmedicine.org. We invite you to click back often to see what's new.

"With a long and impressive history of firsts, Southwest and its physicians have grown to bring our community nationally-recognized care," said Alden Roberts, MD, vice president of quality and medical affairs. "Our consistent recognition as a 100 Top Hospital®   is testament of the quality of care residents have come to expect and deserve."

Joseph M. Kortum, president and CEO, concurs. "As the local resource with local oversight by community members, we're especially proud to bring such a high level of medical care to Southwest Washington. Doctors are choosing to relocate to the Vancouver area from all over the country. Our recruitment includes among the brightest coming out of specialty training programs at top-rate medical programs, such as Sloan-Kettering's Cancer Center," he notes.

About Southwest Washington Medical Center

We are a local governed institution celebrating a 150-year history of serving the people of the Southwest Washington and Portland region. Established in June of 1858 as the first permanent hospital in the Northwest Territories, we are the largest private employer in Clark County and one of the major employers in the Portland metropolitan region.

Southwest is a program of  Southwest Washington Health System (SWHS), a regional network of facilities, medical practices, and health plan entities. Through the alliance of providers, the goal of SWHS is to best serve the residents of Clark County and beyond.