Upcoming Webinars

Continuing professional development is the process of lifelong learning in which physicians acquire, through formal and informal activities, the medical and nonmedical competencies they need to improve their ability to practice medicine and provide effective patient care. Engaging in continuing professional development is a professional obligation and also a prerequisite for enhancing the quality of health care. The WSMA offers continuing professional development as part of our commitment to supporting physicians and physician assistants on their lifelong learning journey. Questions? Contact Brendan Cox at brendan@wsma.org or 206.956.3625.

Impact of Policy on Health Outcomes

April 22 and April 29 (two-part series), noon-1 p.m.

Join us on Wednesday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 29, from noon-1 p.m. for a two-part webinar miniseries with Charles Mayer, MD, Leo Morales, MD, PhD, Anukrati Shukla, MD, and John Van Buskirk, DO as they detail the impact of policy on health outcomes. How does state law impact patients’ access to care? What kind of health outcomes occur as a result? How can physicians best support patients who have been the most affected? Join us for discussion and learning about how you can change policy that impacts the health of our communities.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^™.

Speakers

Charles Mayer, MD, MPH
Charles Mayer is a family physician who has practiced in the Community Clinics and at Kaiser for the past 25 years. Charles has been involved with health justice advocacy throughout his career. He recently led Kaiser’s Washington’s Health Equity and Action Team (HEAT) for 5 years and now is the co-chair of the Economic Inequity and Health Task Force for Washington Physician’s for Social Responsibility (WPSR). Though he loves patient care, he understands that ending racial and economic injustice is the fundamental way to improve health in our country.

Leo Morales, MD
Leo S. Morales is a Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean with the Office for Healthcare Equity, Affiliate Professor of Public Health and Social Work at the University of Washington, and an attending physician at the Latinx Diabetes Clinic at the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute. He serves as Co-Director of the Latino Center for Health, a multidisciplinary state-funded community-engaged research center at the University of Washington. Dr. Morales’s research focuses on Latino Health, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health, and the measurement of patient-reported outcomes. In recognition of his efforts to improve the health of Washingtonians, he was 2023 the recipient of Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA) Annual Secretary’s Award and a recipient of a 2021 Washington State Medical Association Grassroots Advocate Award for his advocacy work.

Anukrati Shukla, MD
Dr Shukla is an internist and obesity medicine physician-educator. She serves on the WSMA young physician section as vice-chair and serves as a member on the WSMA board of trustees. She is committed to the improvement of healthcare delivery, and improvement of the well-being of her patients.

John Van Buskirk, DO
Dr. Van Buskirk retired after over 30 years as faculty at Tacoma Family Medicine Residency and is a clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Board-certified in both family medicine and palliative medicine, he continues to do inpatient palliative consultation work. He has been the medical director of the volunteer-run free Neighborhood Clinic in Tacoma for over 30 years. In his semi-retirement, he has pivoted to attempt to understand how to improve social determinants of health for our patients and communities via policy change.

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Post-Legislative Session Webinar

Friday, May 2, 2025, noon-1 p.m.

All WSMA members are invited to attend a free post-session advocacy update via Zoom at noon on Friday, May 2. WSMA's government affairs team will review the outcomes of WSMA’s priority bills, the final state budget, and give an insider’s perspective on the broader health care policy landscape.

After registering for the webinar you will receive a confirmation email with the connection information after registering. The meeting will also be recorded and posted to the WSMA website. And as always, we want to hear your feedback and any concerns or issues you or your practice are facing, so we will hold time during the meeting for questions.

Please note that the 2025 session is scheduled to adjourn on April 27, but it is possible that a special session may be required for the Legislature to finalize its work. Depending on the dynamic in Olympia, the date of this webinar is subject to change. We will keep you apprised of any changes.

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Advocacy as Wellness: Navigating the Path to Reform and Resilience

Monday, May 12, 2025, noon-1 p.m.

The frightening prevalence of physician suicide and physician and clinician burnout has spurred targeted interventions and reforms that seek to eliminate the systemic barriers to mental health care that physicians and practitioners face. From licensing and credentialing reforms to confidential peer support and wellness programs, from providing mental and behavioral health training and beyond, advocates are uniting behind multi-pronged initiatives to ensure health professionals feel secure in seeking mental health support when they need it.

Join us on Monday, May 12, for the next Physician and Practitioner Wellness webinar where we’ll catch up on national and local reform efforts. Presenters include Chris Bundy, MD, chief medical officer of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs and executive medical director of the Washington Physicians Health Program, and Stef Simmons, MD, chief medical officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.

During the webinar, Dr. Simmons will dive into national targets such as licensing and credentialing reform, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, and the new “Health Workers Have the Right, Too” mental health care initiative. Then, Dr. Bundy will shift the focus to local reform efforts, highlighting the roles of Washington Medical Commission, the University of Washington, the Washington Practitioner Application, Physicians Insurance, and others, and discussing the path forward.

Dr. Simmons and Dr. Bundy will reflect on how to be successful in advocacy work: How can we navigate challenges, and how can we view advocacy itself as a form of wellness? They’ll explore how engaging in advocacy promotes our own wellbeing and encourage participants to share their advocacy stories and discuss potential projects they’d like to start but aren’t sure how to approach.

This interactive discussion will leave you inspired to take meaningful steps toward advocacy, wellness, and professional growth. The lunchtime session is open to all.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Speakers

Chris Bundy, MD, MPH
Dr. Bundy serves as the executive medical director of the Washington Physicians Health Program and chief medical officer of the Federation of State Physician Health Programs. Board-certified in adult and geriatric psychiatry as well as addiction medicine, he holds faculty appointments as a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at both the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

Stefanie Simmons, MD
Stefanie Simmons, MD is the chief medical officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and a board-certified emergency medicine physician. She was the primary advisor to NIOSH for the Impact WellbeingTM guide for healthcare leaders, leads multi-state programs to improve the operational environment of care and remove barriers to mental health care, and serves as a national thought leader in healthcare worker well-being. Stefanie served as the vice president of patient and clinician experience for Envision more than seven years, serving 26,000 physicians and advanced practice providers with a focus on professional well-being, including translational research and programs designed to bring well-being best practices to clinical environments. She served as lead clinical faculty for the Clinician Experience Project Wellbeing program.

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