Avanti Bergquist, MD
Specialty: Child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry.
Years in practice: 13.
Works at: Kootenai Health; Seneca Family of Agencies;
Children's Long-term Inpatient Program in King and Pierce counties,
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Society memberships: American Psychiatric
Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Why WSMA: The WSMA is our collective voice as physicians.
I am passionate about effective advocacy and a key driver of being
effective in advocacy is that joining together amplifies our voice and our
message. As a coalition of physicians, the WSMA amplifies and furthers our
efforts to improve health care in Washington state for patients, families,
communities, and clinicians. We are stronger together.
Why serve on WSMA’s board: I had long wanted to be more
involved in the WSMA, but never felt qualified enough. But looking back,
I’ve actually been involved in organized medicine for over a decade now. I
have been active in the WSMA as well as my specialty and subspecialty
organizations both locally and nationally, with my most niche expertise
being in political advocacy. I even worked as a health care lobbyist in
Olympia for one session. Additionally, I was elected to my local school
board, and this is currently my eighth year on the board. I’m also active
in advocacy through that organization. I use these varied experiences and
my unique perspective to advocate on behalf of the WSMA members in
Washington.
Why should physicians lead: Physicians are uniquely
qualified to lead in health care due to our varied and expansive education
and training. This also gives a good basis for being a leader in advocacy
for health care improvements. Physicians have the breadth and depth of
knowledge to understand all aspects of care and how to help make it better
for everyone. We are also trained to work in teams, so we are innately
used to getting input from all involved to make the best decisions. This
is important in clinical care as well as effective political advocacy.
How do you help further WSMA’s vision to make Washington state the best
place to practice medicine and receive care:
My varied experiences as someone born and raised in Washington, a female
person of color, physician specializing in child and adolescent
psychiatry, school board director, and many other aspects of myself, give
me a unique lens to integrate improvements in clinical care with other
systems in the state. Connecting all aspects of care throughout the state
helps us to do better and be better, together.
Fun fact about you: I wanted to be an actor when I was
younger. It never went very far, but you can find me in a few episodes of
“Bill Nye the Science Guy”!