Book Wellness Visits

I have worked in academic medicine and various healthcare settings including ambulatory care, emergency rooms, and community health centers as a licensed psychologist and dual diagnosis clinician. I am currently the Behavioral Health Director at Hawaii Island Family Medicine Residency as well as Professor Emeritus at the College of Health Professions at Pacific University in Oregon. I have extensive experience working with residents, physicians, executive management, and other health care professionals on implementing effective wellness frameworks, lifestyle management protocols, career/leadership endeavors, and psychotherapy.

I value cultural humility, anti-racist practices, and trauma-informed environments within systems of care. I enjoy living in Hilo, Hawaii with my three French Bulldogs, and love cooking and gardening; orchids are my specialty.

I have worked alongside health care clinicians my entire career, starting in 2011 rounding in the hospital and working in the ED in South Chicago. From academic medicine to rural primary care, I understand the culture of medicine and struggles and sacrifices you make to do your work. Whether it is a life transition, getting through residency, maintaining a two clinician household, relationship struggles, or recovery from a bad outcome or loss we all need a little support.

I spend my free time exploring the PNW, spoiling my fur babies, being active outside, and cooking.

Dr. Katherine Buck is originally from North Carolina and trained at East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) in both Marriage and Family Therapy and Clinical Health Psychology. After finishing training in the Family Medicine department at the University of Colorado, she has been in Family Medicine residency education in Fort Worth, Texas for the past 5 years. In that role, she has been involved in training of medical students, residents, and behavioral medicine learners. Additionally, she has a strong interest in physician well-being and impairment concerns. Her clinical interests include couples therapy, sleep, and brief behavioral interventions. In her spare time, she enjoys watching football and any chance to go to the beach.

I received my doctorate degree in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and my postdoctoral training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School within the Transplant Institute. Throughout my career, I have worked with a variety of health professionals – both as colleagues and as clients. I find it immensely rewarding to work with clinicians as a guide towards wellness.

I work with health professionals experiencing a diverse range of struggles – anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, phobias, grief, relationship difficulty, and many more. My area of specialization is behavioral medicine – helping people cope with the psychological effects of medical conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, and obesity/overweight.

I love spending time with my family and staying active. And recently I started exploring a new form of artistic expression – quilting!