People

Sarah E. Lesko MD, MPH
Director, President

Sarah was raised in the Pacific Northwest and graduated HS in Eugene, OR. She attended Yale University where she was the cross-country captain, graduating cum laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Sarah entered medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1993, had her first 2 boys, was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha in 1997, and graduated in 1998, receiving the Nikitas J. Zervanos, MD Prize in Family Medicine. During medical school Sarah was honored as a Pisacano Scholar, a family medicine leadership award given annually to 5 medical students in the nation. Sarah completed residency at the University of California, San Francisco Family Medicine Residency program at San Francisco General Hospital in 2001. After working as a family physician at a Community Health Center (CHC) in Seattle, Sarah returned to school at the University of Washington School of Public Health and received her Master of Public Health in 2008 in the Health and Policy Research track. In addition to researching health services, Sarah is an active board-certified family physician, currently seeing patients one day per week at a CHC and serving as a volunteer clinical instructor for family medicine residents at Harborview Hospital.

Sarah sits on the Board of Directors of The Pisacano Leadership Foundation and is a member of Academy Health, the North American Primary Care Research Group, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Additionally, Sarah is the Science Fair chair for West Mercer Elementary School. She and CRHO co-founder Robert Lesko live on Mercer Island, WA with their three sons.

Frederick Chen, MD, MPH
Director

Freddy grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Emory University with a bachelor’s in biology and a double major in German literature. He was awarded the Marion Brittain medal for highest service to the University. After spending a year in St. Andrews, Scotland as a Bobby Jones Scholar, he attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. He received his Master’s of Public Health in epidemiology from UC Berkeley while he was a medical student. After completing his residency in family medicine at the University of Washington, Dr. Chen was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, where he developed his research interest in health policy and medical education. He then moved to Washington, DC, as the Kerr White Scholar at the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He completed his fellowship training as an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy at the University College London.

Dr. Chen is currently a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington where he teaches health policy, conducts research, and sees patients. He serves on the board of the North American Primary Care Research Group, the Commission on Health of the Public and Science of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Research Committee of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. He is also the medical director for Washington State’s Uniform Medical Plan, the health plan for state employees.

Freddy is married to Michelle, an attorney and policy advisor to the Mayor of Seattle. They have two lovely children, Chelsea, and Theodore.

Robert A. Lesko
Director, Treasurer

Robert was born and raised in Washington, DC. He attended Yale University and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. From 1991-1993, Robert worked for the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) as an analyst focusing on financial risk management. During this time Robert was also a professional athlete, running a sub-4:00 mile and competing for Team New Balance in the 800m run at the 1992 Olympic Trials. After retiring from athletics in 1993, Robert joined Hull & Associates, LLC devising quantitative strategies to manage a portfolio of equities and equity derivatives. Robert received a M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in1997. Robert then joined Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management group, was elected Vice President in 2000 and Executive Director of the Firm in 2004.

Robert sits on the Board of Directors of The Country Doctor Community Health Centers of Seattle, where he is on the Finance and Audit Committee. Robert is also on the Board of Directors for the UCSF Foundation, the supporting organization for the UCSF Medical Center. Additionally Robert is on the Board of the Yale Track Association and sits on the Yale Alumni Schools Committee. He and CRHO co-founder Dr. Sarah Lesko live on Mercer Island, WA with their three sons.