September 29, 2020
Gig Harbor Emergency Physician Named President of WSMA
Seattle, Wash. - Gig Harbor physician Nathan Schlicher, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP, was named president of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) at the association's annual meeting on Sunday, Sept. 27. The WSMA represents physicians, physician assistants, resident physicians, and medical students throughout Washington state.
Dr. Schlicher is an emergency medical physician at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and serves as the regional director of quality assurance for the emergency departments of CHI Franciscan and associate director of the TeamHealth Litigation Support Department.
He received a law degree (2002) followed by a medical doctorate (2006) from the University of Washington in Seattle before completing a residency in emergency medicine at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, with board certification in emergency medicine. In 2016, Dr. Schlicher completed a master's in business administration with an emphasis in health care.
In his role as legislative affairs chairman of the Washington State Chapter of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Schlicher, with support from the WSMA, launched an "ER is for Emergencies" campaign that successfully shifted behavior and perceptions about seeking care in the emergency room. Since joining the WSMA's executive committee in 2015, Dr. Schlicher created "Better Prescribing, Better Treatment," a WSMA-led safe prescribing initiative with more than 20,000 prescribers in 50+ health systems that has resulted in a 40% reduction in acute prescriptions above guidelines since early 2018.
Dr. Schlicher has received numerous awards and recognition for his leadership in his community and across organized medicine. Recent honors include the Catholic Health Association's Tomorrow's Leader Award (2020), Puget Sound Business Journal's "40 under 40" (2019), and the William O. Robertson Patient Safety Award from the WSMA (2018).
The following physicians were also elected as officers at the meeting: Mika Sinanan, MD, PhD, Seattle surgeon, president-elect; Katina Rue, DO, Yakima family physician, 1st vice president; Nariman Heshmati, MD, Mukilteo OB-GYN, 2nd vice president; and John Bramhall, MD, PhD, Seattle anesthesiologist, secretary-treasurer. The sixth officer of WSMA's executive committee is past-president William K. Hirota, MD, Tacoma gastroenterologist, who will serve as committee chair.
WSMA members newly elected to its board of trustees included: Bridget Bush, MD, Anacortes anesthesiologist; Andrea Carter, MD, Moses Lake family medicine physician; Amish Dave, MD, Seattle rheumatologist; Rasheed Durowoju, MD, Seattle internal medicine physician; Leah Geyer, MD, Seattle internal medicine physician; Erin Hegarty, Spokane medical student; Matthew Uhlman, MD, Yakima urologist; and Liam Yore, MD, Everett emergency medicine physician.
Download a print-ready photo of Dr. Schlicher.
Watch Dr. Schlicher's inaugural speech as the 2020-2021 WSMA president.
For more information, contact:
Graham Short
Associate Director of Communications
Washington State Medical Association
206.329.6851 (cell/text)
gfs@wsma.org
About the WSMA
The Washington State Medical Association represents more than 11,000 physicians, physician assistants, resident physicians and medical students in Washington state. The WSMA has advocated on behalf of the house of medicine more than 125 years. Our vision is to make Washington state the best place to practice medicine and receive care.