Dr. Sallie Israelit MD Portland, OR with 11-20 years experience
Gender: Female Years In Practice: 11-20 Phone Number:(503) 284-1937
Specialty
Nephrology
General Nephrology
Contact
1547 NE 50th Avenue
Portland, OR 97232 Phone:(503) 284-1937 Fax: (503) 284-1937
Insurances
Aetna Choice POS II BCBS Blue Card PPO BCBS North Carolina BlueOptions PPO CIGNA Open Access CIGNA PPO First Choice First Health PPO Great West PPO Health Net Oregon PPO Humana ChoiceCare Network PPO Lifewise Health Plan of Oregon
Multiplan PHCS PPO Multiplan PPO ODS Network Pacificare HMO PacificSource Preferred PSN Providence Health System Personal Option Providence Health System Preferred PPO Regence Oregon - Preferred Provider Network United Healthcare - Direct Choice Plus POS United Healthcare - Direct Options PPO
Affiliated Hospitals
Adventist Medical Center-Portland Portland, OR Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Portland, OR Providence Milwaukie Hospital Milwaukie, OR Providence Portland Medical Center Portland, OR Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Portland, OR Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center Oregon City, OR
Dr. Sallie Israelit's Videos
Dr. Sallie Israelit Introduction - Oregon Kidney and Hypertension Clinic
I am Sallie Israelit and I am a nephrologist working here at the Oregon Kidney & Hypertension Clinic. I grew up here in Portland. My father is also a nephrologist and I used to make rounds with him in the hospitals and in the dialysis units as a child starting from around age 6. I spent most of my summer holidays as a teenager working in the dialysis unit. I had glamorous jobs—like doing the laundry and preparing the baths for the dialysis machines. I got to know the patients and would “round” on them during their dialysis treatments. The best part of those summer jobs was spending time talking to the patients. It’s been over thirty years and I still remember their names and the stories they told me.
I went to college at MIT in Boston and then went to Medical School at Vanderbilt University, where I met my husband. I did my Internal Medicine residency in Boston at Harvard University. I didn’t intend to become a nephrologist but at every decision point I found myself moving toward this field. Every specialty in medicine has a certain personality. Nephrologists tend to be the geeks of medicine—fascinated by the chemistry and complex physiology of the kidney. This is the field that fit for me and I eventually decided to pursue a career in nephrology. I did my fellowship at Boston University before moving back home to Portland.
I moved back home to Portland in 2005 and began working with my father. We actually shared an office with our desks abutting each other. The wonderful thing about this is that we both gained something from working with the other. I was more up to date with the current “book” knowledge of nephrology and he has been practicing for over 35 years and had seen it all. Having a mentor as I started my career who had so much experience was invaluable to me. As he retired from practice, I joined my practice with OKHC and have been working with them for the past 2 years.
What I love about nephrology is that I get to develop very personal relationships with my patients. I love hearing their stories! My patients have lived these amazing, full lives and it is so important as a medical provider to remember that this is who they are. They aren’t a set of data points and lab values. They each have their own values and mores that motivate their actions including their medical decisions. Understanding my patient’s values enables me to tailor their medical regimen to fit them as individuals. Because I usually see my patients more often than they see their other medical providers, it’s not uncommon that I’m called upon for advice or support as they face non-kidney related medical challenges. This is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
I have a reputation for running late in clinic because I really like talking with my patients. Beyond just listening to their histories, I also think it’s important to consider myself an educator. Many of my patients come to me not understanding why they take certain medications or even why they have been referred to a kidney specialist. I have found that by understanding how the kidneys function and what impacts they have on other processes in our bodies, my patients are better able to understand why I check certain labs and why I start certain medications. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power and I actually can see my patients relax as they finally understand why they have certain symptoms or why they are on particular treatments. As patients gain more understanding about their medical condition, they become more empowered to take an active role in their healthcare. They begin to see their kidney disease not as something that is happening to them—but instead as something that they can impact by the choices they make. This is where the fun begins for me as a nephrologist! I often apologize to my patients because I feel that I have talked too much in clinic. Usually they thank me because they finally understand their disease.