About Us
Happy Doc Family Medicine is a “micro practice” - a clinic with three doctors and minimal staff. The idea is to keep things small and simple, so we can spend more time with patients. The knowledge and skills that we worked so hard to acquire are not easily compressed into 10-minute visits, nor is responding to people’s innermost fears about their health.
If you come to our clinic you’ll see it doesn’t look like a typical health clinic. We are in a 100+ year old house in the Bush Park neighborhood. There is no receptionist or medical assistant. As patients are seen promptly at their appointment time, the waiting room is more for decoration than for waiting. Appointments are as long as they need to be for both the doctor and patient to feel satisfied, which is often 30-45 minutes. Soft, colorful gowns, made by Dr. Lara’s mom, add color to the visits. One of our favorite things about this clinic is that we generally have time to answer all of our patients’ questions at each visit.
Meet the Happy Docs
Dr. Lara Knudsen (she/her)
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.
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
Dr. Denise Basilan (she/her)
I was born and raised in the Philippines. During medical school I trained at the largest tertiary government hospital in the country before moving to the United States for my residency training. After graduation, I served as a primary care physician for underserved patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center. I took some time off to focus on raising my three young children. Salem has been our home since 2011.
I joined Happy Doc Family Medicine in 2020 right as COVID began. I love practicing medicine here the way I have always wanted to — that is, to have the time to really listen to and get to know my patients, and have a relationship of trust and collaboration. I enjoy helping my patients by giving them the tools to make healthier choices.
I love seeing patients of all ages, which is why I chose family medicine. I have an interest in obesity medicine. I also provide gender-affirming care for transgender patients. I speak Tagalog.
I am also known as wife and mom. I have three energetic children and one energetic doggo. I am most content hanging out for family game night or movie night, reading, listening to records or traveling to the Philippines to eat the best mangoes in the world.
College: University of the Philippines, majored in psychology
MD: University of the Philippines
Residency in Family Medicine: University of Missouri-Columbia
Board-Certified: American Board of Family Medicine
Board-Certified: American Board of Obesity Medicine
Dr. Leslie Drapiza (she/her)
I am thrilled to be part of the Happy Doc team, joining in December 2025. I have been practicing Family Medicine and Obstetrics in the Salem area since 2011. While I no longer deliver babies, caring for individuals and families continues to bring me tremendous joy.
In many ways, our lived experiences shape who we are—both personally and professionally. In 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, an experience that required me to reconsider the stress I was carrying. Stepping into the role of a patient gave me a deeper appreciation for both the challenges within our healthcare system and the profound impact a trusted provider can make. I wholeheartedly believe that the Happy Doc model reflects how medicine should be practiced—with ample time to listen, build trusting relationships, and collaborate on decisions about your health.
I enjoy working with patients of all ages and have a special interest in mental health, including the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapies such as ketamine and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Separate from my work at Happy Doc, I maintain a small ketamine-assisted therapy practice and am a licensed psilocybin facilitator in the state of Oregon.
Upholding LGBTQ-affirming values is an essential part of my practice, and I am dedicated to offering care where every person feels welcomed.
Outside of clinical work, I’m a nature lover. I enjoy hiking and climbing in the mountains, as well as sailing and scuba diving in the ocean. My husband and I are raising three wonderful children who are the light of my life—and my greatest teachers.
College: University of South Florida, majored in medical technology
MD: Loma Linda University (CA)
Residency in Family Medicine: Advent Health (Orlando, FL)
Obstetrics/Women’s Health Fellowship: Cone Health (Greensboro, NC)
Wilderness Medicine Fellowship: in progress
Board-Certified: American Board of Family Medicine