Josh Burnell, MD

Although I have traveled extensively abroad, my center has always been the Pacific Northwest, where I grew up as the son of forest firefighters on the slopes of Mount Hood in Oregon. I attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate, where I studied Spanish and neurobiology before pursuing medical training at the University of Washington School of Medicine. I trained at Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency in Seattle and practiced full spectrum family medicine including obstetric, pediatric, and geriatric care in Chelan, Washington before calling Bellingham my home. My travels to Spain, South Africa and Peru nourished not only a curiosity about people from diverse backgrounds but also an appreciation for how inequities in environment, education, and income directly impact health.

It is such an honor to be entrusted with another person’s health care. I aim to provide thoughtful, patient-centered care that meets patients where they are at. My specific areas of interest include obstetric care, hospital medicine, treating hepatitis C and substance use disorders, and health equity. Having spent much of my medical career partnering with Spanish-speaking communities, I hope to do the same at Family Care Network.

Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my wife and our son. If I’m honest, my current hobbies mostly include humming theme songs from cartoons my son is obsessed with and trying to answer his infinite questions about dinosaurs. I don’t usually know the answers, but fortunately, I’m not half bad at looking things up on the internet.

Dr. Burnell is proud to provide OB care. When OB care is provided by a family physician, it is unique in many ways! Learn more.

Languages spoken: English, Spanish