RACHEL SPILLANE

Rachel Spillane, O.D. (Optometric Physician)

Dr. Spillane grew up in Arlington and started her journey in the eye care field under the mentorship of Dr. Dennis Gustafson at State Avenue Vision Clinic over 20 years ago, where she worked with many Tulalip Tribal members. She started her education at Everett Community College through the Running Start program and received a bachelor’s in Visual Science before getting her doctorate. Her residency program through the American Lake Veterans Hospital in Tacoma focused on ocular disease and low vision rehabilitation services for blind and visually impaired veterans. She later completed a certificate in Gerontology through UW and is currently working on a leadership certificate through Edmonds College. Dr. Spillane is firmly committed to life-long learning to best serve her patients!

One of the things Dr. Spillane enjoys most about her chosen profession is that it allows her the ability to actually get to know her patients. You are more than just a pair of eyeballs! There are so many things that can affect the health of your eyes. Significant periods of stress and prolonged computer use can drastically affect the ability of the eyes to focus. Health issues elsewhere in the body, like diabetes and cancer, can directly affect the health of your eyes. Dr. Spillane works in partnership with her patients to discover the issues affecting their eyes and vision and works collaboratively with them to help them decide what treatment will work best for them. One of the things she has enjoyed most about working at the Tulalip Health Clinic since 2016 is getting re-acquainted with patients she worked with when she started her career at the office in Marysville and being introduced to their children, grandchildren and, in some cases, great-grandchildren!

In her spare time, Dr. Spillane enjoys spending time outdoors with her rescued greyhound, Sonic. She loves hiking in the Pacific NW and around the world. Her most memorable hike was summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, only to come down from the mountain and find out a worldwide pandemic had started in 2020. She has participated in medical mission trips, sharing her knowledge and expertise with underserved communities in Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, and Tanzania. When it is not raining, you can catch her on her bicycle, where she is a ride leader for Cascade Bicycle Club. In the coming year, she is hoping to learn archery and glassblowing!