“I feel honored and humbled by the opportunity to help patients at their time of need,” says Colon and Rectal Surgeon Dr. Phillip Dean. “I believe it was Euripides that said physicians are merely stage hands, helping their fellows on and off the stage of the play of life. Whether it’s a cancer patient presented with a potentially life threatening condition, or a hemorrhoid patient in severe pain, patients present to me with a problem that they are intimately entrusting me to help solve. Sometimes we can solve it, and sometimes we can only help the patient through a difficult time, but it is that human trust and contact that makes what we do so special. If there is one word to describe what I love about being a surgeon, it is ‘fixer.'”
“Patient’s come to us expecting our best, and with that comes a great responsibility to be not only good at our profession, but to constantly try to be the best we can. The beauty of being part of the University of Washington system is that we see advances in biomedical engineering right now that can have a huge impact on patient care in the near future. It is an exciting time to be a surgeon.”
A native of Kitsap Peninsula, Dr. Dean graduated from the University Of Washington School Of Medicine with Honors. He then completed residency training in General Surgery at St Louis University, followed by fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at The Mayo Clinic.
After initially pursuing an academic surgery and basic science research path as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Dr. Dean subsequently practiced in Utah, and has been 15 years in the private practice of colon and rectal surgery in Saginaw, Michigan before leaving to join his partners and colleagues at Valley Medical Center.
Dr. Dean is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. He is Board Certified in both General Surgery, and Colon and Rectal Surgery. His professional interest include laparoscopic colon surgery for colorectal disease, colorectal cancer care, diverticulitis, anorectal disease, and fecal incontinence.
Dr. Dean has two sons in college, and in his spare time is an avid sailboat racer, and enjoys many outdoor activities including skiing, hiking, and golf.
* The 2016 Seattle Met Top Doctors survey polled doctors, nurses and physician assistants across King, Snohomish, Kitsap and Pierce counties, asking “If you or a loved one needed medical care, whom would you choose?” Voters nominated their peers based on the provider’s level of experience and competency within their specialty, rapport with patients – including patient satisfaction and compliance with care recommendations – and ability to work effectively with colleagues across specialties to deliver the best care for patients.
