About
Built on resilience. Driven by compassion.
Dr. Kafiya Mohamed Arte—a Lakewood schools graduate, Somali-American internal medicine physician, and Everett Community College alumna—leads this foundation from the Pacific Northwest.
Dr. Kafiya Mohamed Arte, MD
Founder · Internal Medicine Physician
ABIM Board Certified · Pacific Medical Centers, Renton WA
“EvCC is a mass-producer of motivated changemakers. By supporting EvCC and the EvCC Foundation, you are quite literally changing lives and supporting the future of our community.”
Dr. Kafiya Mohamed Arte is an internal medicine physician practicing in the Pacific Northwest at Pacific Medical Centers in Renton, with affiliations across Providence Everett and Swedish Issaquah. Her path to medicine began in Washington's Lakewood School District, where she grew up helping her Somali-immigrant mother—then studying nursing at Skagit Community College—interpret medical coursework.
Higher education started at Everett Community College, continued at the University of Washington, and led to Ross University School of Medicine (Class of 2021). She completed internal medicine residency with Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett—returning to the same hospital where she volunteered during high school. "I'm home now," she told The Everett Herald.
As a resident she worked primarily with low-income patients, volunteered with MercyWatch street medicine for Everett's houseless community, and drew on her own experience as a Providence charity-care recipient. In April 2025 she keynoted the EvCC Foundation Benefit Breakfast, which raised $94,500 for student scholarships, and pledged that her first donation as an attending physician would go to the foundation that jump-started her journey 14 years earlier.
The Dr. Kafiya Arte Foundation extends this lived commitment—education pathways inspired by EvCC, wellness programs rooted in primary care and street outreach, and diaspora-led development connecting Washington communities with the Horn of Africa.
Our Mission
From Everett Community College to the exam room—expanding education, wellness, and opportunity across Washington and the Horn of Africa
The Dr. Kafiya Arte Foundation carries forward the community commitments of Dr. Kafiya Mohamed Arte—an internal medicine physician, Everett Community College alumna, and Somali-American advocate for primary care, health equity, and educational access in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Our Values
Principles that guide every decision
Cultural Humility
Dr. Arte practices medicine through shared decision-making and patient education—meeting people with respect for their language, culture, and lived experience.
Health Equity
From Providence charity care as a patient to street medicine as a physician, equity is personal—everyone deserves a path into primary and preventive care.
Community College Access
EvCC changed the trajectory of one physician; the foundation exists to widen that doorway for the next generation of changemakers.
Meet People Where They Are
Inspired by MercyWatch outreach in Everett—compassionate care should reach hidden corners, not wait for patients to navigate systems alone.
Global & Local Commitment
Rooted in the Pacific Northwest with ties to the Horn of Africa through heritage, global health experience, and diaspora leadership.
Transparency
Public accountability through documented partnerships, open storytelling, and measurable community outcomes.
Our History
A journey of service and growth
From a single learning center to a global foundation—every milestone driven by community need.
2000
Roots in Lakewood & Somali Heritage
Raised in Washington's Lakewood School District, Dr. Arte helped her Somali-immigrant mother interpret nursing coursework—an early spark for a career in medicine.
2011
Everett Community College
Began her higher-education journey at EvCC—the foundation she credits with jump-starting a path from community college to physician.
2015
University of Washington
Continued undergraduate studies at UW while working multiple jobs to support her family and education.
2021
Medical Degree — Ross University
Earned her MD and pursued global health work in Ghana, raising funds for community health initiatives abroad.
2022
WSU Residency in Everett
Matched to her first-choice program at WSU's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, serving low-income patients at Providence Everett.
2023
MercyWatch & Street Medicine
Volunteered with MercyWatch, delivering street medicine to Everett's houseless population and bridging gaps in equitable care.
2025
Attending Physician & EvCC Keynote
Began practice at Pacific Medical Centers in Renton; keynoted the EvCC Foundation Benefit Breakfast and pledged her first attending-physician donation to EvCC scholarships.
2025
Foundation Vision Launched
Formalized the Dr. Kafiya Arte Foundation to scale education access, community wellness, and diaspora-led development across Washington and the Horn of Africa.
Founder & Partners
Built on documented community relationships
Dr. Arte leads the foundation alongside partners whose missions align with her public commitments in education, street medicine, and Pacific Northwest primary care.
Dr. Kafiya Mohamed Arte, MD
Founder
Board-certified internal medicine physician at Pacific Medical Centers in Renton. EvCC and University of Washington alumna. Ross University School of Medicine graduate and former WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine resident in Everett.
Everett Community College Foundation
Education Partner
Dr. Arte's first community college home—and the first beneficiary of her philanthropic giving. Supports scholarships, emergency grants, and student success programs across Snohomish County.
MercyWatch
Street Medicine Partner
Everett-based nonprofit providing direct medical care to unsheltered neighbors. Dr. Arte has volunteered with MercyWatch rotations, meeting patients where they are—literally and figuratively.
WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Clinical Training Partner
Where Dr. Arte completed internal medicine residency at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett—returning full circle to the hospital where she first volunteered as a high school senior.
Impact Philosophy
Community-centered, measurable, lasting
We measure success not by outputs alone, but by the dignity restored, opportunities created, and communities empowered to sustain change long after our programs conclude.
Listen First
Programs are designed with community input, not imposed from outside.
Measure Impact
Transparent reporting tracks real outcomes, not just activities.
Build Capacity
We invest in local leadership so communities thrive independently.
Public Record
Grounded in open-source research
Foundation website content is tied to publicly available profiles, news coverage, and institutional biographies of Dr. Kafiya Arte in Washington State.
The Everett Herald · 2022
Everett doctor, who beat the odds, helps others to rise from poverty
Profiles Dr. Arte's journey from Lakewood schools through EvCC and UW to WSU residency in Everett, her Somali-American upbringing, MercyWatch volunteering, and Providence charity care experience.
Read source →Lynnwood Times · 2025
EvCC Foundation Breakfast raises $94,500 to support student scholarships
Reports Dr. Arte as keynote speaker and EvCC alumna; documents her education path and commitment to donate to the EvCC Foundation.
Read source →Providence / Pacific Medical Centers · 2025
Kafiya Arte, MD — Pacific Medical Centers
Physician biography emphasizing primary care, cultural humility, patient education, and community health advocacy in Renton, WA.
Read source →WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine · 2023
Kafiya Arte featured in the Everett Herald
Highlights Dr. Arte's residency training and mission to improve healthcare access for underserved communities.
Read source →Clinical practice (separate from foundation)
Dr. Arte sees patients at Pacific Medical Centers in Renton. The foundation is a philanthropic initiative and is not a substitute for medical appointments.
- Pacific Medical Centers — Renton, WA
- Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
- Swedish Medical Center Issaquah