Federico Fenton Portillo, MD

What inspired you to pursue medicine? 

Medicine provides me with the very unique opportunity of satisfying my spiritual needs by making a positive difference in other people’s life, satisfying my intellectual curiosity by keeping my mind constantly engaged and keeping me humble by realizing that, regardless of how good of a physician you think you are; you can always find something new to learn in every single patient. Furthermore, being a mentor for physicians-in-training provides me with the opportunity to shape the newer generations by sharing the lessons I’ve learned in medicine and life. How can you say no to that?

What are your passions and hobbies outside of work?

• Learning new skills. I enjoy learning to do things that I had previously no idea how to do. This has led me to many DIY home improvement projects, which I always underestimate in time and effort. Finishing my home garage, replacing the floating tremolo bridge of my electric guitar and patching/finishing large areas of drywall are recent examples.  
• Exercise and Personal Fitness. I strongly believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.  
• Exploring the outdoors of our beautiful pacific northwest. I enjoy tent-camping and animal watching with my little ones (3- and 5-year-old). 

What do you enjoy most about practicing in the Snohomish County and Everett area as well as its community?

Snohomish county has a very diverse population of patients. you get to see all from the bread and butter of medicine to the zebras. A significant portion of our community is considered underserved and as such, providing medical care can make a huge impact in the life of our population. 

What would you do if you hadn’t pursued medicine?

I would probably have pursued an engineering (likely mechanical) or biology (likely marine) degree.