Kathleen Sie, MD

I feel immensely privileged to help children who have craniofacial anomalies, abnormally formed ears and communication challenges. Helping children to communicate more effectively helps them in their socialization, confidence, language and cognitive development. With changes in medicine and technology, children and families have many choices today that were not available even ten years ago. I enjoy helping children and their families navigate the many choices that they have.  I cherish the connections that I make with my patients.

Kathleen Sie is a pediatric otolaryngologist that focuses on treating children with communication challenges such as velopharyngeal insufficiency, cleft palate, ear abnormalities and hearing loss. She is the founding director of Seattle Children’s Hospital Childhood Communication Center.

After earning her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan, she completed residency training and a research fellowship in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/ University of Washington. She then received fellowship training in pediatric otolaryngology at Boston Children’s Hospital/ Harvard. She returned to the University of Washington to join the faculty in 1992.

She is consistently recognized for her clinical work and she has taken on major national leadership roles. She currently serves as a director of the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Undergraduate Education: University of Michigan, 1981

Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School, 1984

Internship: University of Washington General Surgery, 1984-1986

Residency: University of Washington Otolaryngology-HNS, 1986-1990

Fellowship: Harvard University Pediatric Otolaryngology, 1991-1992

Other Training: Post graduate research fellowship, 1990-1991

Board Certification: Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 1991

Memberships: Fellow American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology

2020: ASPO Fellow Award: Sean Evans, MD Speech Outcomes After Primary Furlow Palatoplasty for Cleft Palate Repair in 190 Patients With and Without Syndromic Diagnosis.

2020: Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctor.

2020: Best Physicians in the Puget Sound region in Seattle Magazine.

2019 - present: Exceptional Women in Medicine Castle Connolly Award.

2018: UW Otolaryngology-HNS Trachy Award for Resident Research Mentorship

2014: Top Docs, Seattle Metropolitan Magazine cover story 

2014: University of Washington Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Resident Teaching Award

2012: Charles Ferguson Award for Clinical Research, Second Prize. Validation of a VPI- specific Quality of Life Instrument, Skirko J, Weaver E, Kinter S, Perkins J, Sie K. American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology

2012: Charles Ferguson Award for Clinical Research, Third Prize. Concensus in developing a VPI Video Instruction Tool. Tieu D, Gerber M, Parikh S, Yoon P, Perkins J, Sie K. American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology

2011: "Top Doctors", Hall of Fame, Seattle, Wash. 

2010: Charles Ferguson Award for Clinical Research, Role of CMV in Childhood Hearing Loss, Misono S, Sie, KCY, Boeckh M, Norton S, Yueh B. American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology. 

2007: Family Choice Award, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center 

2005: Ron Trachy Award for Resident Research Teaching, Dept. of Otolaryngology-HNS, University of Washington 

2005: Honor Award, American Academy of Otolaryngology HNS 

2005 - present: "Best Doctors in America", Best Doctors, Inc., Boston, Mass. 

2003: Charles Ferguson Award for Clinical Research, Speech Outcomes after Sphincter Pharyngoplasty, B Cilento, J Perkins, L Eblen, J Gruss and K Sie American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology 

2001: Driftwood Award for Resident Teaching, Dept. of Otolaryngology-HNS, University of Washington 

2000 - 2003: Medical Staff Caring for Children Award, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center 

2000: "Special" specialist, VCFS/DiGeorge Family Support Network of Washington 

1996 - present: "Top Doctors", Seattle, Wash. 

1995: Ron Trachy Award for Resident Research Teaching, Dept. of Otolaryngology-HNS, University of Washington 

Dr. Sie's clinical interests are focused on communication issues in children, specifically hearing loss and velopharyngeal dysfunction. She is also interested in reconstruction of congenital ear malformations.