For the past 14 years, Portland Monthly’s Top Doctors feature has provided a peer-vetted list of the Portland area’s very best medical professionals. (This year, our January list highlights more than 600 doctors, physician assistants, and complementary medicine providers; look for our Top Nurses list in a special summer feature.)

To create this resource, we start with a survey that asks these practitioners one simple question: to whom would they trust the care of their own loved ones? We tallied nearly 18,000 votes this year—a whopping 50 percent increase in survey participation. Our 2018 Top Doctors represent the top 5 percent of survey vote-getters across 78 medical specialties, a shortlist then vetted by an independent, anonymous volunteer panel of local medical professionals.

There’s a reason we spend five months of every year creating this guide; these honored caregivers are truly key to Portland’s best self.

Browse the searchable database here.

METHODOLOGY: Using a secure online survey system, Portland Monthly solicited peer nominations from every licensed doctor, physician assistant, and registered nurse in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties. Participants logged in with their medical license number and nominated up to four names in each medical specialty; we specifically asked to whom they would entrust their own families’ care. (Participants in our complementary medicine survey are not required to log in with a medical license but must provide full contact information.) After tallying the votes, Portland Monthly compiled a list of the top vote recipients in each specialty. We then confirmed that all nominees are currently certified to practice in their field by their respective medical licensing board and have not been subject to recent disciplinary action in Oregon. Next, we convened an independent, voluntary, and anonymous panel of doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners representing local hospitals and clinics to assess each finalist by their accomplishments, education, patient satisfaction surveys, and other criteria.