Pam Kohlmeier, MD, JD, FACEP

Of Counsel
Dr. Pam is dually licensed as a physician and attorney in the state of Washington and brings unique expertise to our Health Care practice team. She served as a Staff Attorney for the Washington Medical Commission (the agency that licenses and disciplines doctors and physician assistants) and also practiced as a board certified emergency physician. Early in Dr. Pam’s career, she was a named defendant in a medical malpractice lawsuit (a case she ultimately won but found to be emotionally draining, thus sparking her empathy for other providers involved in medical-legal issues). Dr. Pam enjoys spending time with her husband, Dr. Stephen Thew, and their adult children and also has a passion for public service and teaching.
Admissions
  • Washington State Bar Association Active License (and member of the WSBA Health Law, Civil Rights Law, and LGBTQ Law sections)
  • Washington State Physician and Surgeon Active License
  • Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians
  • Former Diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Physicians (2000-2020)
Education
  • Gonzaga University School of Law (Juris Doctor, 2018, magna cum laude, 2018)
  • University of Illinois-Chicago Hospitals (Emergency Medicine Residency, 1995-1998)
  • University of Nebraska Medical School (Doctor of Medicine, 1995)
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.S. in Biology with minors in chemistry and political science, 1991)
Achievements
  • Current Board member and Executive Committee member of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-Spokane
  • Former Staff Attorney and Policy Manager for the Washington Medical Commission
  • Former Clinical Risk Manager for CHAS Health
  • Former Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine
  • Former Board Chair and Trustee of St. George’s School
  • Former Board member of Partners with Families and Children
  • Former Chair of the Spokane County Disaster Clinical Advisory Committee
  • Former Co-chair of the Crisis Standard of Care Regional Triage Team of Eastern Washington
Associations
  • Member of the American Bar Association (and the ABA Civil Rights & Social Justice sections)
  • Member of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics
  • Member of the Washington State Medical Association, Washington College of Emergency Physicians, and Spokane County Medical Society
Teaching & Speaking
  • Former Lecturer – MPH for Eastern Washington University’s Master of Public Health Program
  • Former Assistant Professor in Clinical Emergency Medicine for the University of Illinois-Chicago Hospital
  • Former American Heart Association National PALS Instructor
  • “Vaccine Mandates in the COVID-19 Era: a Survey of Vaccine Laws, Societal Trends, and Ethics during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Pam Kohlmeier, Monique Trammel, and David Line, University of Idaho Law: Hot Topics in Health Law 2023, Boise, Idaho, April 7, 2023.
  • “Coffee with the Commission: Personal Data Questions,” Panelist, Washington Medical Commission, March 21, 2023.
  • “Child Abuse during Virtual Learning: Incidence and Detection, or the Lack Thereof,” Washington State Academy of Sciences 15th Annual Symposium: Mitigation of Pandemic Impacts on Children, October 26, 2022.
  • “REDi HCC Regional Triage Team Development,” C Cartwright, P Kohlmeier, M Howard, and K Martin, Washington State Public Health Association, October 15, 2021.
  • “Liability in the Time of Coronavirus: The Ethical Necessity of Expanding the Legal Protections Afforded to Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” M Howard, P Kohlmeier. Boston University School of Law 2021 American Journal of Law & Medicine Symposium: Legal Innovations in Response to Public Health Crises, February 5, 2021.
  • “Confidentiality and COVID,” Presentation to SRHD Ethics Committee, January 19, 2021.
  • “COVID-19: Community Collaboration through Contact Tracing,” D Line, P Kohlmeier and S Mount, 2020 WSPHA Annual Conference for Health, October 16, 2020.



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