Upon arrival in the unhurried, yet busy office of Dr. David E. Bilstrom, one cannot help noticing the patients. They appear happy and content. During the springtime, when allergies seem to be so difficult, this is not the reaction one would expect to see in the office of an Allergy and Immunology specialist. He unabashedly credits his office staff with the ability to work with even the most chronically affected patients.

Dr. Bilstrom works full-time in his main office on Greenburg Road, and once a week on Mondays in a satellite clinic located in the Visiting Physicians’ Clinic, associated with the Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles. His caseload consists of children and adult patients with allergy and asthma. Many of his cases are long-term patients from infancy through adulthood. He believes this gives his specialty practice a unique opportunity to provide consistent, ongoing quality care.

Helping the individual patient understand the nature of his or her difficulties and develop skills to control his or her problems effectively is the key to good management.

His staff helps to monitor patient progress by calling and speaking with the patient to assess treatment needs. Some patients are contacted on a daily basis. Dr. Bilstrom believes in a timely response. His personal philosophy incorporates the belief that chronic disease mandates a treatment plan with patient education to afford the most comprehensive outcome.

Originally a biology major, Dr. Bilstrom found himself with a choice between studying genetics and going on to medical school as a senior in college. He chose to attend medical school at the University of Iowa Medical School, which was located near Grinnell, where he completed his undergraduate work. The School, which is a research hospital, afforded him an exposure to a vast array of problems. His fondness for children led him to an Internship at Duke University Medical Center under the instruction of Dr. Susan Dees. She was instrumental in his choice to specialize in allergies and asthma. He went on to a pediatric residency at UCLA, but due to the military draft, completed his residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, after service at Camp Pendleton, California. The Navy offered him an Allergy Fellowship at Bethesda and a chance to work with the Bone Marrow Transplant Program. This experience helped to cement his desire to specialize in the field of Allergy and Immunology, and he completed his formal allergy training at Georgetown University.

Married in 1969, he and his wife Leanne have three sons. Favorite family vacations have been the skiing trips where the opportunity to spend quality time with each other is found both on and off the slopes. His wife, a nurse [by training], also helps with the books in his office as well as directing a handbell choir at the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church. He credits his family as being his most pursued hobby.

Dr. Bilstrom’s goals for practice include the continued effort to build relationships with his patients, one third of which are children.

He feels the channels of communication between the primary care and the specialist must continue to be open and relevant. He continues to seek ways to fulfill his commitment to his personal and professional goals, realizing that forging ahead in today’s medical climate requires a willingness to be flexible without sacrificing ethical standards of care.

Article from Physician Profile – April 1997