Mike Moore, D.O. FAAFP

02/03/2026

I’ve started using a phrase with myself lately. Almost offhand at first. But it’s stuck with me: "The Atlas Student." They are the capable, conscientious person quietly holding everything together and burning out long before anyone notices.

In my most recent Substack piece, I reflect on what learning science and experience have taught me about readiness, over-preparation, and why sometimes the most professional move is knowing when to put the weight down.

"No, I know I’m no Superman, I’m no Superman" ~Lazlo Bane

12/03/2025

Giving Tuesday!

I just gave to support student scholarships at Pacific Northwest University! I believe in PNWU’s mission to train healthcare providers for rural communities. You can give too: https://www.pnwu.edu/about/offices-departments/development/giving-tuesday/

11/01/2025

Can we learn medicine without the scut work?

San Francisco — October 2025

11/01/2025

How Dr. Mike Moore is reframing exam preparation as physician formation at PNWU When Dr. Mike Moore asks second-year osteopathic medical students to describe their feelings about board exams in a single word, the answers rarely sound like confidence. More often, he hears overwhelmed, unsure, or s**t...

10/19/2025

Great work by our future physicians at PNWU!

After a long day of learning at a pediatrics conference in Tacoma, three PNWU Student Doctors were heading to dinner when an unexpected scene stopped them in their tracks. In an instant, the day shifted from education to action.

With no time to plan or question, they stepped forward, each taking on a critical role as their training moved from theory to reality. What happened next is a powerful testament to readiness, teamwork, and the kind of instinct future healthcare leaders hope they’ll have when it matters most.

Read the full story of what unfolded — and how their quick response made all the difference. https://loom.ly/9VwJppA

10/09/2025

“The chaos and uncertainty we are experiencing as a society is its own kind of new wilderness—one that will demand all of our awareness, skill, and courage to traverse.”



Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

For me, one of the most meaningful parts of attending the AAFP FMX meeting each year is the smaller moments—the hallway conversations, the nods of recognition between colleagues, the laughter that happens between sessions when someone tells a story that reminds us why we chose this path.

10/06/2025

One of the most meaningful parts of attending the AAFP FMX meeting each year for me is participating in the member interest groups. These smaller gatherings bring together family physicians from many different backgrounds. Despite our differences in geography, philosophy, and personal experience, our shared identity as family physicians unites us.

This year, I joined the Wilderness Medicine Member Interest Group, and the discussion immediately felt grounding. Everyone in the room recognized that wilderness medicine is not simply about resource scarcity—it exists because of the development of awareness. In wilderness settings, there are no laboratories, imaging centers, or computer algorithms to guide the next step. What remains are the clinician’s core skills: observation, judgment, and composure.

These abilities—careful listening, noticing subtle changes in color, movement, and breathing—are as old as medicine itself. Yet they remain the foundation of authentic clinical decision-making.

Today’s medical students train in a system increasingly shaped by digital tools, electronic records, and AI-based support systems. These are powerful instruments, but they risk eroding the artistry that defines our profession. When students can order tests faster than they can form hypotheses, we risk producing skilled technicians rather than thoughtful clinicians.

Wilderness medicine reminds us that clinical reasoning begins with observation, interpretation, and action. It teaches humility, reminding us that we cannot control nature or the human body—but we can engage with both mindfully.

My goal is not to resist technology but to restore balance between it and the human connection at the heart of medicine. The wilderness teaches humility, and with humility comes humanity—something our increasingly techno-centric world still needs.



American Academy of Family Physicians
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

“Wilderness medicine should not defined as much by the absence of resources, but by the cultivation of awareness.”

10/06/2025

Thoughts from the 2025 AAFP Global Health Summit:“The point is not to collapse differences but to find the common ground that unites disadvantaged populations everywhere. In that shared space, we discover empathy, perspective, and the beginnings of peace.”

Reflections from the 2025 AAFP Global Health Summit

09/17/2025

A lonely oncology doctor finds unexpected joy and courage during a spontaneous, rain-soaked walk that challenges her fear of change and isolation.