Sabine von Preyss-Friedman, MD, FACP, CMD

Geriatrics interested me from the very beginning; however, specializing in long-term care was not in my original plan. During my fellowship in geriatrics at the University of Washington, I was “volunteered” to be the medical director for UW’s new skilled nursing facility. I quickly found I loved taking care of the patients and working with teams to improve care systems.

Since my fellowship, I have practiced as a medical director for skilled nursing facilities in Washington and clinical faculty in the PA/LTC service of the University of Washington. I have also served as CMO for Avalon Healthcare for the past ten years. As a certified CMD and physician, I strive to adopt best practices at the facility level [versus all levels], adding value and improving our patients’ quality of life. I am a self-described “activist medical director” and have spoken at national AMDA meetings since 2001 on areas such as the intersection of medical directorship and improved clinical care. Specifically, I have addressed areas such as pain management, infection, influenza, and CMS quality metrics. One of the highlights of my life was receiving the Medical Director of the Year award in 2011.

From 2013-16, I served on the AMDA board and chaired the membership committee. We grew to 6,000 members during that time and initiated a multi-facility medical director group: which continues as the PA-LTC Leadership Meeting. Concurrently, I formed a special interest group to share and exchange information globally, which led to the opportunity to teach critical aspects of medical directorship in The Netherlands and Korea. From 2012 to 2013, I served on the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) as secretary and treasurer. In 2014, I chaired the ABPLM Finance Committee.

In 2018, I initiated the restart of the dormant Washington AMDA chapter, with nurse practitioners and PAs as full members and the interdisciplinary team as associate members. I have served as president of this growing chapter ever since.

The COVID pandemic in America began in Washington, and our chapter immediately stepped into the informational void with regular webinars, which I moderated, becoming a vital information resource on the virus and its impact on long-term care facilities. Working with the exceptional AMDA COVID resource team, I moderated “COVID Grand Rounds,” sharing the unique knowledge and perspectives our peers bring to COVID trends in PA/LTC.

I serve as a member of the Washington governor’s COVID-19 System Response Management Team, the Public Health and Health Care System Community Leaders Group, and the Long-Term Care Services Advisory Committee. Some of our achievements are establishing a Washington state PPE stockpile and a rapid response team for long-term care staffing shortages.

In 2023, I was elected Vice President of AMDA. The post is a four-year assignment that rotates to the organization’s president in the third year.