UW Medicine, Newsroom, June 9, 2026
Dr. John Geyman, professor emeritus of family medicine and former chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, died May 28, 2026, at age 95.
Geyman led the UW department from 1976 to 1990 as its second chair during an era of rapid growth in its faculty size and in the WWAMI residency training program. He then transitioned back to being a rural family medicine physician. He spent the last seven years of his clinical practice on Washington’s San Juan Island before retiring at age 66.
“John was a true trailblazer for family medicine. He helped establish family medicine as a specialty and was a founder of the first research journal focused on family medicine,” said Dr. Bianca Frogner, professor of family medicine and interim chair of the Department of Family Medicine.
A prolific writer, Geyman authored more than 160 journal articles and 20 books. In his retirement, he became a vocal advocate for healthcare reform by writing books and pamphlets championing single-payer national health insurance and serving as a member and past president of Physicians for a National Health Program.
He emphasized the need for affordable, accessible and equitable care, and was critical of the growth of medical care commercialization that occurred during his lifetime. He argued against corporate influence and profit-driven models.
“Even critics of his policy proposals recognize him as an important figure in the ongoing national conversation about how healthcare should be financed and delivered in the United States,” wrote Dr. Don McCanne, past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and a friend of Geyman’s.
Geyman attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. He had a general medicine practice in rural Northern California until 1969, when he helped establish and lead one of the country’s first family medicine residency programs.
In 1973, Geyman became the founding editor of The Journal of Family Practice and remained at the helm of that publication until 1990. He then served as editor of the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice from 1990 to 2003.
Before joining the UW medical school faculty, Geyman worked in the early 1970s at the University of Utah in the Division of Family Practice, and later at the University of California-Davis, where he developed a network of residency programs in Northern California.
Geyman was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and received the F. Marian Bishop Leadership Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Foundation.
An avid pilot for over 60 years, Geyman was an active member of the San Juan Pilots Association, the United Flying Octogenarians (UFOs), and the San Juan Eagles, a volunteer group that flies cancer patients to mainland Washington for appointments.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Gene Geyman, and is survived by his second wife, Emily Reed Geyman; his sons, Matt (and wife Amy), Cal (and wife Lisa) and Sabin; and his grandchildren, Ben, Emily, Will and Laura.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Friday Harbor airport on San Juan Island, Washington.
This obituary includes content from a biography of Dr. Geyman written by Dr. John Frey and published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
