About Us
Bellingham Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Clinic was founded in 1988 with the goal of providing expert care to the community. We are the only independent, locally-owned asthma, allergy and immunology practice north of metropolitan Seattle serving patients in Whatcom as well as neighboring Skagit, Island and San Juan Counties as well as Lower Mainland B.C.
From our front desk and billing staff, to our research coordinators in the Clinical Research Center, to our nurses and providers, we strive to coordinate as a team to treat you how we would want our own family members to be treated.
Our Providers
Meet the doctors and physician assistants who provide care at Bellingham Asthma & Allergy Clinic:
David Elkayam MD
Dr. Elkayam is board certified in Pediatrics and Allergy and Immunology. He received his medical degree from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He then completed his residency training in Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and Denver Children’s Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident. This training was followed by an Allergy and Immunology fellowship at National Jewish Hospital.
Dr Elkayam is, above all, a teacher and collaborator. He has shared his knowledge and expertise with patients as well as students and colleagues throughout his career. He has provided many educational lectureships, and has been a faculty instructor at the Rhinolaryngoscopy course at the AAAAI and the ACAAI.
Dr. Elkayam’s active interests include asthma, chronic sinusitis, immune deficiencies, and more recently have additionally encompassed chronic cough and cough hypersensitivity syndrome.
Our clinic is actively engaged in clinical research and serves as a site for many pivotal clinical research trials.
We are pleased to announce that Dr Elkayam has been elected as the Program Director and incoming President of the Western Society for Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in 2024.
Dr. Elkayam enjoys hiking and sailing on Lake Whatcom.
Drew Ayars MD
Dr. Ayars earned his medical degree at St. Louis University before completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado. He completed his Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the University of Washington and subsequently stayed on as a full-time faculty Associate Professor of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Ayars worked at the University of Washington for 14 years before joining Bellingham Asthma, Allergy & Immunology. He is the former director of the Allergy and Immunology Training Program at the University of Washington and remains on staff at both University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. He is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington. Dr. Ayars is a 7-time recipient of the Seattle magazine Top Doctor award and an 8-time recipient of the Seattle Met magazine Top Doctor award.
His clinical interests include asthma, severe sinus disease, immunodeficiency, urticaria (hives) and drug allergies. Dr. Ayars and his family moved to Bellingham in 2023 after being enamored with the area and our practice for years. Dr. Ayars enjoys trail running, skiing, and spending time with his family including his wife, 2 kids, and 2 dogs.
Haley Ward, PAC
Originally a Tennessee native, Haley Ward is a board-certified physician assistant who joined BAAIC in 2023. As a lifelong sufferer of allergy symptoms, Haley has a personal appreciation for the impact and importance of successful allergy and asthma treatment. She completed a Bachelor of Science program in Biology at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2017 she earned a Master of Science degree from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, she cultivated an interest in the field of allergy and immunology through coursework and academic research. She completed a research fellowship at Vanderbilt University through the National Science Foundation where she studied the malaria mosquito.
Haley has four years of experience as a physician assistant in interventional pain management in addition to experience at Allergy Partners of Western North Carolina. She strives to provide passionate evidence-based care to patients of all ages. In her spare time Haley enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and Labradoodle. She is thrilled to be living in our beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Sarah Hall PAC
Sarah joined BAAI in September 2025 and brings experience from urgent care and primary care. She is excited to apply her experience managing acute and chronic conditions to the specialty field of asthma and allergy care. Sarah values evidence-based medicine, patient education, and shared decision-making to help patients feel confident and supported throughout their care.
A lifelong Pacific Northwest native, Sarah earned her undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and later completed her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Oregon Health & Science University. Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant, she spent six years working in healthcare roles including phlebotomy, orthopedics, and short- and long-term care across the Bellingham and Seattle areas.
In her free time, Sarah enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, gardening, and spending time with her husband and toddler.
As active members of the above organizations, we display these logos to indicate our participation. Individual logos are copyrighted to their respective organization.
Professional
Associations
The providers at Bellingham Asthma & Allergy are leaders in their field and participate in several local, regional and national organizations.