Provider Spotlight: Dr. Chelsea Unruh
At their cleverly named practice, Unruhly Medicine, Dr. Chelsea Unruh works to meet the medical needs of the LGBTQIA+ community. They offer the only stand-alone transgender medical practice in the South Sound region of Washington State and are the only provider doing trans healthcare for kids and teens in that same area.
Dr. Unruh identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. They are passionate about providing inclusive, appropriate gender-affirming medical care that includes:
Hormone Therapy
Surgical Referrals
Electrolysis
Gender Reassignment Surgery Preparation
Post-Operative Care
In addition to their Unruhly Medicine practice at Rainbow Health, Dr. Unruh offers full spectrum family care three days a week at Yelm Family Medicine.
World Traveler and Seeker
Dr. Unruh brings a global perspective to their practice.
Dr. Unruh wanted to be a doctor as a child, but they also wanted to figure out which career would allow them to live on a boat in the Caribbean. A love of traveling has taken them all over the world, and they did, indeed, live on a boat for a while. It was in Olympia, WA, which is almost like the Caribbean. Almost.
After completing their undergraduate work in California, Dr. Unruh taught English in Japan for a few years before attending medical school in Poznan, Poland. Their medical clinical time included work in Poland, the US, and South Africa.
Advocating from the Beginning
During their residency in Olympia, Washington, Dr. Unruh began seeking medical training to care for transgender individuals. Not finding what was needed, they helped establish a transgender clinic at the hospital.
By the time Dr. Unruh graduated, there was a waiting list for the clinic’s services, so they knew there was a clear and urgent need. The need has not faltered, and neither has Dr. Unruh’s commitment. They have a waiting list of patients eager to receive care and will be taking new patients in 2022.
Dr. Unruh is thrilled that Washington recently approved gender-affirming care under medical insurance benefits so that more people will have access to medical care without barriers.
No longer on a Boat
Dr. Unruh lives in Washington with their wife, Monica, and their son. Boat life wasn’t a great fit with baby life, so they are a family of landlubbers now. When Dr. Unruh isn’t with patients, they enjoy baking, knitting, traveling, and being outdoors in the incredible Pacific Northwest.