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Biography

Dr. Nikki Gentile is an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in the Departments of Family Medicine and Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Washington, and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. She is a practicing family physician, nationally recognized expert in Long COVID, and clinician-educator whose career bridges frontline primary care, laboratory medicine, and clinical research. She earned her MD from Tulane University School of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency and chief resident year at the University of Washington.

Dr. Gentile serves as the Primary Care Medical Director of the UW Medicine Long COVID Clinic, where she provides direct patient care and leads efforts to advance clinical management, community engagement, clinician education, and research in Long COVID. She is a federally funded researcher with active grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NCCIH and NIH/NIA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as well as prior funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), serving as Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator on clinical trials, longitudinal cohort studies, and care delivery initiatives related to Long COVID and COVID-19. In 2023, she was recognized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) as a frontline clinical expert in the management of Long COVID and contributed to the expert consensus panel that redefined the condition.

Dr. Gentile holds a PhD in Comparative Pathology from the University of California, Davis, where her doctoral research focused on designing and validating novel point-of-care diagnostic technologies, including multiplex PCR assays for rapid pathogen detection. This background informs her current work in laboratory stewardship, where she leads multiple quality improvement and research initiatives aimed at improving diagnostic test utilization, aligning ordering practices with evidence-based guidelines, and educating clinicians on high-value laboratory testing in primary care.

Dr. Gentile is deeply committed to medical education and mentoring future physician-scientists. She developed and directs the UW Family Medicine Residency Research Track (ResT), a nationally recognized two-year longitudinal curriculum that trains residents in research design, data analysis, dissemination, and academic career development. She also leads the residency's Scholarship & Research curriculum, teaches recurring didactic sessions in laboratory medicine, rheumatology, and research topics, and precepts residents and medical students in clinic, where she is known for her learner-centered teaching style, enthusiasm, and individualized approach. She was recognized with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Master Preceptor Award in 2020 and received the Marjorie Bowman and Robert Choplin New Investigator Award at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) annual conference in 2025 in recognition of her research and ResT educational contributions.

Clinical Interests
• Long COVID diagnosis and management (adults and children)
• Primary care for rheumatologic and complex chronic conditions
• Laboratory stewardship and diagnostic test utilization
• Evidence-based diagnostic decision-making
• Integrative medicine

Research Interests
• Long COVID outcomes, pain, and treatment (including integrative medicine approaches)
• Laboratory stewardship in primary care
• Clinician education and curriculum development

Teaching Interests
• Laboratory stewardship education
• Research training and mentorship for residents, medical students, fellows, and faculty
• Long COVID clinician education
• Curriculum development for residency research tracks

List of Dr. Gentile’s publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/nicole.gentile.1/bibliography/public/

 

Publications

Gentile NL, Weidner A, Bennett I, Elwood S Addressing Research Pathway Gaps: Insights from a Needs Assessment at the AAFP Future Conference. Ann Fam Med. Mar 2025

O’Laughlin KN, Klabbers RE, Ebna Mannan I, Gentile NL, Geyer RE, Zheng Z, Yu H, Li S-X, Chan KCG, Spatz ES, Wang RC, L’Hommedieu M, Weinstein RA, Plumb ID, Gottlieb M, Huebinger RM, Hagen M, Elmore JG, Hill MJ, Kelly M, McDonald S, Rising KL, Rodriguez RM, Venkatesh A, Idris AH, Santangelo M, Koo K, Saydah S, Nichol G and Stephens KA Ethnic and racial differences in self-reported symptoms, health status, activity level, and missed work at 3 and 6 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Front. Public Health. Jan 2024

Thompson M and Gentile N Advocating for patients through laboratory tests: what do GPs’ use of blood tests for suspected cancer tell us?. BJGP. 2023;73(727): 52-53. 2023

Gottlieb M, Spatz ES, Yu H, Wisk L, Elmore JG, Gentile NL, et al. Long COVID Clinical Phenotypes up to 6 Months After Infection Identified by Latent Class Analysis of Self-Reported Symptoms.. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Volume 10, Issue 7, July 2023

Spatz ES, Gottlieb M, Wisk LE, Anderson J, Chang AM, Gentile NL, et al. Three-Month Symptom Profiles Among Symptomatic Adults With Positive and Negative Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Tests: A Prospective Cohort Study From the INSPIRE Group. Clin Infect Dis . May 3;76(9):1559-1566. 2023

Copley M, Kozminski B, Gentile N, Geyer R, Friedly J. Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2: Musculoskeletal Conditions and Pain. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. Apr 14 2023

Lin C. Ball T, Gentile NL, et al. Associations Between Physical Activity Vital Sign in Patients and Healthcare Utilization, 2018-2020.. J Phys Act Health. 2022;20(1):28-34 2022

15. Lin C. Ball T, Gentile NL, et al. Associations Between Physical Activity Vital Sign in Patients and Healthcare Utilization, 2018-2020. . J Phys Act Health . 20(1):28-34 2022

Cai X, Ebell MH, Geyer RE, Thompson M, Gentile NL, Lutz B. The impact of a rapid home test on telehealth decision-making for influenza: a clinical vignette study.. BMC Prim Care. . 2022 Apr 13;23(1):75. 2022

Wisk LE, Gottlieb MA, Spatz ES, Yu H, Wang RC, Slovis BH, Saydah S, Plumb ID, O’Laughlin KN, Montoy JCC, McDonald SA , Lin Z, Lin JMS, Koo K, Idris AH, Huebinger RM,Hill MJ, Gentile NL, Chang AM, Anderson J, Hota B, Venkatesh AK, Weinstein RA, Elmore JG, Ni G Association of Initial SARS-CoV-2 Test Positivity With Patient-Reported Well-being 3 Months After a Symptomatic Illness. JAMA Network Open. Dec 2022

Lin CY, Gentile NL, Bale L, Rice M, Lee ES, Ray LS, Ciol MA Implementation of a Physical Activity Vital Sign in Primary Care: Associations Between Physical Activity, Demographic Characteristics, and Chronic Disease Burden. Prev Chronic Dis. Jun 2022

O’Laughlin KN, Thompson M, Hota B, Gottlieb M, Plumb ID, Chang AM, Wisk LE, Hall AJ, Wang RC, Spatz ES, Stephens KA, Huebinger RM, McDonald SA, Venkatesh A, Gentile N, Slovis BH, Hill M, Saydah S, Idris AH, Rodriguez R, Krumholz HM, Elmore JG., Weinstein RA, & Nichol G. Study protocol for the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-COV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE): A longitudinal study of the medium and long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. PLOS One. Mar 2022

Kost GJ, Katip P, Suwanyangyuen A, Kulrattanamaneeporn S, Gentile N, Yu JN. Point-of-care testing value proposition for disaster preparedness in small-world networks: post-tsunami Phang Nga Province, coastal Thailand. . Point of Care . 2013;12:9-22 2013

Gentile NL, Dillier AM, Williams GV, Ackers J, Reis AH Jr., Rice LM, Wangh L, Czajka J, Kost GJ. Verification of monoplex and multiplex linear-after-the-exponential PCR gene-specific sepsis assays using clinical isolates. . Journal of Applied Microbiology . 114:586-594 2013

11. Gentile NL, Dillier AM, Williams GV, Ackers J, Reis AH Jr., Rice LM, Wangh L, Czajka J, Kost GJ. Verification of monoplex and multiplex linear-after-the-exponential PCR gene-specific sepsis assays using clinical isolates.. Journal of Applied Microbiology . 114:586-594 2013

Rice LM, Reis Jr AH, Ronish B, Carver-Brown RK, Williams GV, Czajka J, Gentile NL, Kost GJ, Wangh L. Design and Evaluation of a Single-Tube, End-Point, LATE-PCR Assay for 17 Pathogens Associated with Sepsis. . Journal of Applied Microbiology . 2012;114:457-469. 2012