Laura Katers, PA-C

Laura A. Katers PA-C lives in Seattle, WA and holds dual appointments in addiction medicine and pain management at the University of Washington Medical Center. Prior to her work at UWMC, she was a primary care provider with Neighborcare Health in South Seattle (and misses her pediatric patients the most).  

Her lens has always been behavioral medicine and her first role with UW was on the acute and chronic pain consult services where she developed a keen awareness of how pain and substance use are often undertreated (and even more so misunderstood) in an inpatient setting. In 2021 she was asked to co-develop UWMC’s first ever addiction medicine consult service, which was launched in January 2022.  

In addition to her clinical work, she has a certificate in contemplative psychology and teaches and precepts residents and clinical year PA and ARNP students. She has been actively engaged in research with the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC), and has given presentations at the local, state, and national level addressing stigma associated with mental health, those experiencing chronic pain, and those experiencing substance use disorders. In her free time, she practices self-care by spending time hiking, enjoying bluegrass, her pets, and traveling and cooking with her partner. She is also a former freelance editor and photographer, and her work has appeared in Best Women’s Travel Writing, Matter Journal, The Human Touch, Backpacker Magazine, The Sun, Creative Nonfiction, and the Journal of the American Association of PAs.