| ceo-rounds-sept-24-2025-rebuilding-a-brighter-future-for-medicine | CEO Rounds: Sept. 24, 2025 - Rebuilding a Brighter Future for Medicine | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/ceo-rounds/2025/ceo-rounds-sept-24-2025-rebuilding-a-brighter-future-for-medicine | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/ceo-rounds/ceo-rounds-article-graphic-bush-645x425px.png" class="pull-right" alt="CEO Rounds: Bridgit Bush, MD, FASA" /></div>
<h5>Sept. 24, 2025</h5>
<h2>Rebuilding a Brighter Future for Medicine</h2>
<p>
<em>Bridget Bush, MD, on regaining her purpose one tree at a time, saying 'yes,' and building community in her inaugural address at the WSMA House of Delegates on Sunday, Sept. 21. Read an edited transcription below or <a href="https://wsma.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0xMjExMjkwMSZwPTEmdT0xMDc4MTA4MzYxJmxpPTExNzkwNzU1Nw/index.html">watch the video of Dr. Bush's speech</a>.</em>
</p>
<p>
Good morning!
</p>
<p>
Let me first say that I am so honored to be standing here before you today. I am proud to be part of such an incredible organization. And I am encouraged by all the wonderful things I have heard so far at this House of Delegates. We are ready for the year ahead of us no matter what the challenges!
</p>
<p>
I thought I'd kick things off this morning with a personal story.
</p>
<p>
You may have noticed I have a tattoo here on my left arm. It says "To sleep perchance to dream."
</p>
<p>
Can anyone tell me where that's from?
</p>
<p>
This quote is from Hamlet's soliloquy starting: "To be or not to be...," where he's debating the merits of suicide.
</p>
<p>
So, why would I choose this quote?
</p>
<p>
Well, many people who see it take it as something to do with anesthesia-I am, after all, an anesthesiologist and I do encourage my patients to think of a good dream as they are going under. Some people think I have it because I'm a Shakespeare nerd or worse just saw it in a meme somewhere. Others, especially those who recognize where it's from, seem to understand best, and also get a little nervous for me, which is fair.
</p>
<p>
The truth is, I love art. And it's also true that I have-as many of you have-wrangled with burnout, vulnerability, PTSD, even thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
</p>
<p>
I got this tattoo during my residency years-you know how hard that time can be. I knew if I had art on my arm, then I wouldn't hurt it. This tattoo became a physical barrier, an emotional protection to remind me that, no, you can't hurt the art.
</p>
<p>
I'm sharing this with you because we are facing a time of great stress, where things are being torn down in our profession. And we are not just responding to the immediate crisis of things being torn away. We are dealing with the trauma of it, the intended and unintended consequences that impact our ability to care for our patients. And all of that hurts us.
</p>
<p>
We need to look at rebuilding a new and, hopefully, brighter future for medicine. One of the places we can start is by focusing on the mental health issues that plague physicians in these hard times. We need community-with each other-now more than ever.
</p>
<p>
You'll hear me lament the disappearance of the "doctors' lounge." In the old days, doctors didn't necessarily rush home, they stayed at the hospital for an extra hour, having a break with their colleagues, discussing the day. They were able to decompress with other people who understood what they were going through-even if they were in a different specialty, they still understood. There was understanding in the community, you weren't alone in your experience.
</p>
<p>
But now, as we all know too well, the demands of our lives are different. We're charting for hours afterwards, feeling alone in our experience, and then we rush headlong into our home responsibilities where we don't want to burden our family with the hurts of the day. You push it down, you feel alone.
</p>
<p>
As for me, finding my community-here at the WSMA and in other places-made all the difference. I believe if we are able to build community together, we can get rid of that loneliness and find purpose in our shared experience.
</p>
<p>
With all the challenges we face today in health care, we need to remember our why-what's our purpose, why are we even doing this work? I believe standing together in community is more important now than ever-both for our own wellness and sanity, but also for the health and well-being of our patients and our profession.
</p>
<p>
Through the WSMA, together we are able to take a strong public stand for our profession, for the principles of medical ethics, evidence-based medicine, and the science that supports it.
</p>
<p>
I'm sure you've experienced, as I have, an erosion of trust in our relationships with our patients. We know firsthand that time spent listening to, responding to, and treating patients is essential in providing the quality care they deserve. Our patients put their very lives in our hands. Knowing what's at stake, the WSMA is a resource, providing accurate, evidence-based information to help you care for your patients. And we have fought to keep access to that information on a national level.
</p>
<p>
Maintaining meaningful relationships is necessary to build trust and provide the most effective care and treatment. In fact, trust is at the very core of the physician-patient relationship. Our best days come when we are partnering with our patients, facing challenges head-on and providing support to them in their health journey.
</p>
<p>
We committed to years of medical school and residency training in order to learn to build connections with, treat, and heal our patients. Every day, we aim to provide the highest quality of care-it's what all those hours and all of that training prepared us for. This is our calling, it's what drives us every day.
</p>
<p>
That care is at our core, to use the words of our AMA campaign-and as we see things being torn down, we need to be farsighted in our intention for the future. We need a plan for rebuilding, for creating a better future in health care-and I believe the key to that plan here in our state is the WSMA. Through the WSMA, through our specialty societies and our county medical societies we can create community, to connect, decompress, and rid ourselves of the sense that we're alone in the challenges. We are stronger together.
</p>
<p>
Now, I'm pretty much an open book, so I'll share with you that I have suffered with depression and PTSD since I was in the military. I've even been suicidal. At times, I've lost my "why" in medicine.
</p>
<p>
During the pandemic, I knew I had to regain my purpose. I started with what I could control-I decided to take little steps to make the world around me better. My thought was that if I created positive change, that could be a reason to exist: leaving the world better than I found it.
</p>
<p>
I started small. Well, by small, I mean I started in my own backyard literally. I planted a few hundred trees-for real, on my acre. I tried to emulate the forest in Anacortes that brought me peace while I was living there on active duty. I loved the idea that through the trees and the oxygen they provide, that I was giving back to the planet. Also planting cedars and hemlocks which were likely to far outlive me has a certain satisfaction to it.
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<p>
From there, I got more involved with my specialty society, and I started saying yes to whatever the WSMA asked of me. I started being an advocate. The more I said yes, the more I felt I could make things better around me.
</p>
<p>
In fact, saying yes is what brought me to this place standing behind this podium. Now I am hopeful for the future. I am proud to be part of the team leading the way. I may not have all the answers, but more than likely, I know people who do.
</p>
<p>
That's the beauty of community. The WSMA is the organizing tool-the mechanism to bring a bunch of physicians and physician assistants in different fields together-it's the organized statewide community where you have the opportunity to meet your mentor, your next boss, or your next best friend. WE are the doctors' lounge of today!
</p>
<p>
What are you struggling with right now? The doctors' lounge is open. The WSMA can be the path to help you with whatever you're dealing with. If it's not in our power, or in our wheelhouse, we can figure out other ways to help.
</p>
<p>
As your president, I will be approachable and willing to hear you out. I believe that's who the best leaders are-the ones who listen well and raise up voices for change. I try to empower the people and teams around me so that they have a voice and know that what they're experiencing matters.
</p>
<p>
You've heard a bit about my journey- I've struggled with depression and feeling disconnected, and I've learned that it's healthy to have a mask-literally and figuratively-at work to stay safe. Sometimes it's vital to help you to compartmentalize so you don't fall apart when everything around you is falling apart. I've also learned, however, that you have to have people and places where you're safe without the mask.
</p>
<p>
In a difficult time in my life, I wrote this poem:
</p>
<p>
<em>I wear a mask at work<br />
I wear a mask to work<br />
I hide behind professionalism<br />
I tell myself-my mask keeps me safe<br />
I tell myself-my mask keeps you safe<br />
The less you know of my pain<br />
The less I show of what's inside<br />
The safer we are<br />
From questions<br />
From looks<br />
From fear that I'm not enough<br />
Well enough<br />
Keep it together<br />
Keep it hidden<br />
Keep it to yourself<br />
They tell me wellness is putting my own mask on first<br />
Perhaps I should turn on the oxygen too</em>
</p>
<p>
That may be a somewhat somber note on to end this speech, but the truth is, like all those trees I planted during the pandemic, the WSMA is both part of my oxygen and the place I can be without my mask. My involvement here brings me peace and helps me feel empowered to be the change I want to see in the world. I believe it can be that for you, as well!
</p>
<p>
So, in conclusion: We are stronger together. Let the WSMA be where you come for help, to help others, and to help us create a better future for ourselves, our profession, and our patients.
</p>
<p>
Thank you!
</p>
</div> | 9/24/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| everett-anesthesiologist-inaugurated-as-2025-2026-wsma-president | Everett Anesthesiologist Inaugurated as 2025-2026 WSMA President | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Press_Release/2025/everett-anesthesiologist-inaugurated-as-2025-2026-wsma-president | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right"><img src="/images/Logos/Press-Release-Graphic-2019-Branding.png" class="pull-right" alt="WSMA press release logo" /></div>
<h2>Everett Anesthesiologist Inaugurated as 2025-2026 WSMA President</h2>
<p>
SEATTLE (Sept. 22, 2025) - Everett anesthesiologist <strong>Bridget Bush, MD, FASA</strong>, was inaugurated as president of the Washington State Medical Association at its annual House of Delegates meeting on Saturday, Sept. 20 at The Westin Bellevue. The WSMA represents approximately 13,500 physicians, resident physicians, physician assistants, and medical students throughout Washington state.
</p>
<p>
Dr. Bush earned her doctor of medicine degree in 2006 from Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, after receiving a military scholarship from the Health Professions Scholarship Program. After medical school, Dr. Bush served out her military commitment in the United States Navy as a flight surgeon, with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as the sole medical provider for her squadron. In 2014, she completed a residency in anesthesiology at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. After residency, Dr. Bush served as a practicing anesthesiologist at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett and at Island Health in Anacortes before transitioning in 2022 to Optum Care Washington, formerly The Everett Clinic, her current employer.
</p>
<p>
In addition to her role as a practicing anesthesiologist, Dr. Bush serves on the clinical faculty at Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and as a mentor through the WSU chapter of the American Medical Women's Association.
</p>
<p>
Dr. Bush is past president (2021-2023) of the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists, serves as the alternate director for Washington state for the American Society of Anesthesiologist, and is a member of the Snohomish County Medical Society, among other roles in organized medicine.
</p>
<p>
The following physicians were also elected as officers at the meeting: <strong>Matt Hollon, MD, MPH, MACP</strong>, Spokane internist, president-elect; <strong>Bindu Nayak, MD</strong>, Wenatchee endocrinologist, vice president; and, <strong>John Scott, MD</strong>, Seattle infectious disease physician, secretary-treasurer. The fifth officer of WSMA's executive committee is Past President <strong>John Bramhall, MD, PhD</strong>, Seattle anesthesiologist, who will serve as committee chair.
</p>
<p>
In addition to several WSMA members who were reelected to the board of trustees, newly elected to the board for two-year terms were <strong>Hans Cassignol, MD, MMM</strong>, Tacoma OB-GYN; <strong>Herbie Duber, MD, MPH</strong>, Seattle emergency medicine physician; <strong>Stephanie Fosback, MD</strong>, Pullman internist; <strong>Rebecca Kulgren, MD</strong>, Seattle OB-GYN; <strong>Keren Rosenblum, MD</strong>, Vancouver OB-GYN; <strong>Sheree Sharpe, MD</strong>, Tacoma family physician; and <strong>Kristen Wyrick, MD</strong>, Marysville family physician. <strong>Kat Jong, MD</strong>, Friday Harbor psychiatrist; <strong>Brett Collins, MD</strong>, Seattle internist; and <strong>Evan Thomas</strong>, medical student at Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, were elected to serve as young physician, resident, and student trustees respectively, each for a one-year term.
</p>
<p>
Visit the WSMA website for a <a href="https://wsma.org/wsma/about_us/leadership/board_of_trustees/wsma/about/leadership/board_of_trustees/board_of_trustees.aspx?hkey=0abc484b-c165-4fb1-90b5-1f72370b18d2">full roster of WSMA board of trustees members</a>.
</p>
<p><a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/Venticinque_250919_1922-1_Bridget-Bush-official.jpg]">Download a high-resolution portrait of WSMA President Bridget Bush, MD, FASA</a>.</p>
<p>For more information contact:</p>
<p>
Graham Short<br />
WSMA Director of Communications<br />
<a href="mailto:gfs@wsma.org">gfs@wsma.org</a> / 206.329.6851 cell/text</p>
<p>
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<p>
<strong>About the Washington State Medical Association </strong><br />
The Washington State Medical Association represents approximately 13,500 physicians, resident physicians, physician assistants, and medical students across all specialties and practice types in Washington state. The WSMA has advocated on behalf of the house of medicine for more than 135 years. Our vision is to make Washington state the best place to practice medicine and receive care.
</p>
</div> | 9/22/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| wsmas-2025-apple-awards-recognize-member-physicians-others-for-service-to-patients-and-profession | WSMA's 2025 Apple Awards Recognize Member Physicians, Others for Service to Patients and Profession | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Press_Release/2025/wsmas-2025-apple-awards-recognize-member-physicians-others-for-service-to-patients-and-profession | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right"><img src="/images/Logos/Press-Release-Graphic-2019-Branding.png" class="pull-right" alt="WSMA press release logo" /></div>
<h2>WSMA's 2025 Apple Awards Recognize Member Physicians, Others for Service to Patients and Profession</h2>
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<em>Sixth annual awards program honors recipients during the association's annual House of Delegates meeting in Bellevue this September.</em>
</p>
<p>
SEATTLE (Sept. 22, 2025) - Three physicians and two health care organizations have been recognized by the Washington State Medical Association, the state's largest physician professional association, for extraordinary leadership, service, and contributions to medicine and patient safety. These recognitions were part of the WSMA Apple Awards program, named after a symbol of good health and one of Washington state's most popular agricultural exports, presented during the opening session of the 2025 Annual Meeting of the WSMA House of Delegates on Saturday, Sept. 20 at The Westin Bellevue.
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<p>
Two WSMA physician members received 2025 Grassroots Advocate Awards, honoring physicians for their advocacy efforts on behalf of WSMA's legislative priorities: <strong>Tamara Chang, MD</strong>, medical director of physician and advanced practice practitioner wellness for MultiCare Health System and a pediatric oncologist at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, for her efforts supporting the passage of House Bill 1718 during the 2025 legislative session to ensure confidentiality protections for physician wellness programs; and <strong>Andrea Kalus, MD</strong>, a dermatologist at the University of Washington Medical Center-Roosevelt and a UW associate professor of dermatology and medicine, for her efforts helping the WSMA to oppose inappropriate scope of practice legislation, supporting the Medicaid Access Program in House Bill 1392, and supporting the confidentiality protections in physician wellness programs in House Bill 1718.
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<p>
The 2025 Community Advocate Award was presented to the <strong>Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition</strong>, an all-volunteer multidisciplinary committee within the WSMA dedicated to helping patients, physicians, clinicians, and caregivers improve the way we discuss, prepare for, and treat serious illness. Starting life as the Washington End-of-Life Consensus Coalition in the 1990s, for nearly three decades the WSICC helped nurture the field of advanced care planning in Washington state, a mission that encompassed both the Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment and the WSMA advance directive, helping to improve their utilization through professional education and fine-tuning of these critical forms. The work of these passionate advocates over the years has helped to ensure that Washingtonians facing serious illness today are treated with dignity, respect, and have a voice in their care.
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<p>
Named after the late WSMA Past President William O. Robertson, MD, a champion for patient safety, risk management, and quality improvement, the 2025 William O. Robertson, MD, Patient Safety Award, which recognizes innovative patient safety initiatives in the ambulatory care setting, was awarded to <strong>UW Medicine Primary Care</strong>. The ambulatory primary care network was recognized for its efforts to implement QI-protected virtual monthly morbidity and mortality conferences for cases in the clinical network. By creating a formal CME structure for the "M&amp;Ms," they created a culture that encourages a learning environment around safety issues.
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<p>
Finally, the 2025 President's Unsung Hero Award, which recognizes the WSMA member who contributes extraordinary service to the profession and our community, was presented to <strong>Frank Senecal, MD</strong>, an oncologist and former chief of staff at St. Joseph's and St. Francis Hospitals, chair of the department of medicine at St. Francis Hospital, and medical director of Hospice of Tacoma. For nearly 40 years, Dr. Senecal has served the Tacoma community with dedication, quietly transforming cancer care in the South Sound region through his compassionate patient care, groundbreaking research initiatives, and steadfast commitment to medical excellence. In 1985, he founded Hematology Oncology Northwest, which later evolved into Northwest Medical Specialties, nurturing the group into a highly respected oncology practice. Dr. Senecal also established the South Sound CARE Foundation, an organization that has given local cancer patients access to life-changing clinical trials that would otherwise be unavailable in the region. His lifelong contributions to medicine and his selfless service to patients, colleagues, and the broader community make him an outstanding and truly deserving recipient of the President's Unsung Hero Award.
</p>
<p>Download high-resolution photos of the honorees receiving their awards at the 2025 WSMA Annual Meeting as presented by WSMA 2024-2025 President John Bramhall, MD, PhD:</p>
<p><a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/Venticinque_250920_6702-1_Kalus.jpg]">Andrea Kalus, MD, receiving her 2025 Grassroots Advocate Award</a>.</p>
<p><a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/Venticinque_250920_6705-1_WSICC.jpg]">Bruce Smith, MD, receiving the 2025 Community Advocate Award on behalf of the Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition</a>.</p>
<p><a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/Venticinque_250920_6723-1_UWPrimary.jpg]">Adam Jayne-Jensen, MD, and Victoria Fang, MD, receiving the 2025 William O. Robertson, MD, Patient Safety Award on behalf of UW Primary Care</a>.</p>
<p><a href="javascript://[Uploaded files/News and Publications/Press Room/Venticinque_250920_6727-1_Senecal.jpg]">Frank Senecal, MD, receiving the 2025 President's Unsung Hero Award</a>.</p>
<p>
Graham Short<br />
WSMA Director of Communications<br />
<a href="mailto:gfs@wsma.org">gfs@wsma.org</a> / 206.329.6851 cell/text</p>
<p>
* * *</p>
<p>
<strong>About the Washington State Medical Association </strong><br />
The Washington State Medical Association represents approximately 13,500 physicians, resident physicians, physician assistants, and medical students across all specialties and practice types in Washington state. The WSMA has advocated on behalf of the house of medicine for more than 135 years. Our vision is to make Washington state the best place to practice medicine and receive care.
</p>
</div> | 9/22/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |