Lara Knudsen, MD

I’m from Portland originally, but moved around quite a bit before settling in Salem in 2011. My partner and I started Happy Doc Family Medicine in 2013 and it’s been an honor to be the primary care doc for my patients in this unique clinic model. I am excited to be able to offer this way of doing medicine to more doctors and patients as we expand.

I’m a part of the LGBTQ community and love working with queer folks. I provide gender-affirming care for transgender patients. I speak Spanish, enjoy serving the Latinx community, and have particular interests in reproductive health, pediatrics, and preventive health. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Denise and I helped start a nonprofit called Alluvium Mobile Health Team to get care to underserved communities. In 2022 I joined the Board of WVP Health Authority, our independent physicians’ association. On a fun weekend I might be biking, hiking, hanging out in my sauna, or reading in a hammock.

Over a six-year period during college and medical school I traveled and wrote a book about women’s health in seven countries, called Reproductive Rights in a Global Context. Though my passport has gotten dusty over the years, I did get a chance to visit Uruguay in 2018 and learn more about their health care system. I love interacting with people from different countries and cultures.

Education

• College: Portland Community College and Marlboro College (Vermont), majored in international development studies

  MD and Master’s in Public Health: George Washington University (DC)

  Residency in Family Medicine: University of Wisconsin, Madison

  Board-Certified: American Board of Family Medicine