Governor’s Corner
Chris Knight, MD FACP
As the leaves turn and the days grow crisp (and short!), fall invites us to reflect, reconnect, and re-engage—both in our personal lives and professional journeys. I’m hoping to reconnect with many of you at our Chapter Meeting at Bell Harbor on November 7th! We are exploring a new format this year with one in-person day on Friday (including Jeopardy!) and a second virtual day on Saturday. Our amazing course chairs have put together a fantastic program, but we need your help with our story slam and award nominations! Please see links below to send us your stories and recommend colleagues for chapter awards, and *of course* register for the meeting.
In this issue, we highlight meaningful ways physicians can stay involved and inspired at every stage of their career. From volunteering opportunities that enrich global and local communities, to updates on critical health policy advocacy, to the power of mentorship in shaping the next generation of internists, there’s something for everyone. You’ll also find practical insights from the teaching frontlines to help navigate common challenges in medical education.
We are also thrilled to share a special recognition of leadership and service: Dr. Carrie Horwitch, MD, MPH, MACP has been awarded the 2025 Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism by the American Medical Association. This national honor celebrates her for exemplifying the profession’s highest values of leadership, altruism and compassion. Congratulations, Carrie—you are a true inspiration and an example of the impact we can make both in and beyond clinical practice.
Wherever this season finds you—whether embracing change, deepening your practice, or guiding future colleagues—we hope these stories offer encouragement and a renewed sense of community.
Thanks!
Chris Knight, Governor || Washington Chapter – American College of Physicians
clknightfacp@fastmail.com
2025 Annual Chapter Meeting Registration Open!
November 7th: In-Person at Bell Harbor International Conference Center (Virtual Available)
Our 2025 Annual Meeting Co-Chairs Delaney Goulet, MD and Nina Tan, MD are excited to welcome you back for one day at Bell Harbor for our 2025 annual meeting, and one day virtual. Please note the date is for the 2nd weekend in November which is different than what it has historically been, and in a format that is different than what it has historically been.
On November 7th, we will be in-person at Bell Harbor International Conference Center including the same engaging content in plenary sessions, workshops, our annual Doctors Dilemma competition, posters and abstract presentations, an awards reception, and time to network with other fellow physicians. This program will be offered hybrid so if you cannot make it in-person, you can still hop on virtually.
November 8th: Virtual for All – Including Official Seattle Watch Party!
On November 8th, we will be virtual only for all and will still provide the same plenary sessions and innovative workshops concurrently across different breakout rooms, our annual business meeting and abstract presentations. However, we are hosting an in-person Day 2 watch party in downtown Seattle at the Inatai Foundation’s beautiful office Rainier Tower office (also with a great view of Elliott Bay!) The Inatai Foundation is generously letting us use their space to gather. A sign-up will be sent out to all attendees if they want to attend the Seattle Watch Party – so register for the meeting first and you’ll receive the watch party information afterward.
Story Slam Submissions Open!
Do you have a story involving your experiences as a physician that you would like to share with the Washington ACP audience?
This is a call to you, our members and trainees, to submit a short story or essay. We are looking for stories that capture the human side of our work, are personally meaningful and highlight your passion for medicine or medical training. ACP judges will select the top submissions for oral presentation during the annual meeting.
Stories should be limited to 400 words.
Submit below by October 15th, 2025.
Chapter Awards Nominations Are Open!
It’s that time of year again – to recognize the outstanding efforts of Internists in our state! We need your nominations for the following awards:
- Washington ACP Internist of the Year
- Washington ACP Community Service Award
- Washington ACP Chapter Service Award
- Washington ACP Golden Apple Award
- Washington ACP Full-time Faculty Clinician-Educator of the Year
- Washington ACP Hospitalist of the Year
Please take a few minutes to tell us who is deserving of a recognition award from their colleagues.
The deadline for submitting your nomination is October 15th, 2025. Awards will be presented at the Washington Chapter ACP Annual Meeting, on November 7, 2025 at Bell Harbor International Conference Center.
Volunteering: A Wonderful Opportunity for Physicians in Transition
By Carrie Horwitch
One of the highlights of my career as a physician is in educating and mentoring early career physicians. I have been fortunate to have done this formally working with an internal medicine residency program and teaching internationally for building capacity for HIV care. As a later career physician, I am continuing in those passions on a volunteer basis.
For those physicians that may be thinking of “retirement” or transitioning from full time practice to part-time or per-diem, volunteering is a wonderful way to stay engaged, to continue giving to new generations of clinicians and keeps you in a medical community. Volunteering is a way to thrive in medicine.
I have experience with 2 volunteer organizations. Both of them do sustainable models which include education and skill building
MAVEN project (Medical Alumni Volunteer Expert Network)
This is a coalition of active and retired physicians with diverse specialties who are united in their determination to serve frontline clinics in under-resourced communities. MAVEN Project facilitates this connection, resulting in clinic providers feeling empowered to deliver care and patients receiving customized, comprehensive treatment. They offer mentoring opportunities, confidential electronic consults, and CME education to the clinicians.
I have been fortunate to work with MAVEN since 2022 and do a lot of mentoring of early career clinicians (topics can range from time management, strategies to reduce burnout, in addition to knowledge expansion). I also can continue education and provide up to date CME topics in my areas of expertise and interest. They do need subspecialists in many areas of internal medicine. If you want to learn more: www.mavenproject.org
Health Volunteer Overseas (HVO)
Health Volunteers Overseas has improved the availability and quality of health care through the education, training, and professional development of the health workforce in resource-scarce countries. We invest in health workers, building health system resilience and capacity to ensure all people have access to high quality health care delivered by local health professionals.
They have internal medicine volunteer opportunities in : Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal and Uganda. They also have other specialties in other countries.
I learn so much for teaching in areas with different cultures, conditions and resources. It is a way to continue to pay forward knowledge and skills in medicine. And an opportunity to see amazing countries. If you are interested please go to: www.hvousa.org
Congratulations Carrie Horwitch: Award for Excellence in Volunteerism
We’re thrilled to celebrate Dr. Carrie Horwitch, MD, MPH, MACP, as the 2025 recipient of the AMA Foundation’s 2025 Jack B. McConnell, MD, Award for Excellence in Volunteerism. This honor recognizes physicians who continue to serve underserved communities—and Dr. Horwitch exemplifies that spirit.
From her work in HIV care and chronic disease management to mentoring clinicians through the MAVEN Project, Dr. Horwitch blends clinical excellence with deep compassion. She’s also a Certified Laughter Leader, bringing joy and healing through humor, and serves in leadership roles across Washington’s medical and public health communities.
Her legacy is one of service, resilience, and heart. Congratulations, Dr. Horwitch—you inspire us all!
Health & Public Policy Committee Update
By Rachel Reeg
We have a quorum.” As a delegate for many years, usually representing my county medical society, this announcement makes me smile and calls me to attention at the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) annual meeting of the house of delegates. Time to focus, listen, debate and act. This year felt more significant, like in the pandemic, facing unexpected challenges in the practice of medicine. Nonetheless, thoughtful resolutions were crafted and adopted to address immunization policy and to be able to care for patients regardless of immigration status. We discussed the role of artificial intelligence in prior authorizations and adopted a resolution that finds a computer is a reasonable tool to approve an order, but a final decision to deny service is only acceptable if provided by a licensed medical professional who understands the complexity and impact of this decision. Other important resolutions supported primary care and liability reform.
The Washington Chapter of the ACP was well-represented. Dr. Adam Panzer was a delegate representing Snohomish County Medical Society. His resolution, “Preventing Insurance Company Retaliation Against Physician Advocacy” was adopted, notably cosponsored by Dr. Carrie Horwitch and Dr. Stephanie Fosback. Dr. Horwitch, attending as a member of the Board of Trustees, was voted in as an alternate AMA delegate. Dr. Fosback, our Washington ACP delegate, was voted to the Board of Trustees. Dr. Amish Dave was voted in as AMA delegate, representing this year as AMA alternate. Dr. Matt Hollon, former Washington ACP governor, continues to be promoted through the WSMA executive committee from vice-president to president-elect. We look forward to his presidency next year!
Our next steps in advocacy will be to follow the progress of these resolutions as they are processed as policy in the WSMA and promoted to Washington state lawmakers. Several of us will participate in the WSMA Legislative Day on January 28, 2026. We also look forward to hearing a report from our Governor Dr. Chris Knight and Governor-Elect Dr. Cathrine Wheeler who participated in the Board of Governors over this same weekend where important resolutions were also discussed. Please join us in the HPPC committee if this is the work you are interested in. We will have an advocacy workshop Saturday morning at the Washington State ACP annual meeting in November. Join the quorum!
Fall Board of Governors & Leadership Day
The Board of Governors meeting in Phoenix had only a few resolutions to discuss this time. The resolutions we discussed: asked the Board of Regents to adopt more inclusive policies and programming for retired ACP members; asked for guidance on best practices for releasing test results for patients and resources to advocate for those best practices; and asked for collaboration in support of the 988 suicide prevention program. I also learned at the BOG meeting that all ACP members are eligible for free affiliate membership in the American Medical Women’s Association: more info on that here. We also learned more about the Adult Immunization Hub, home to both clinical guidance and ACP’s advocacy work to ensure that vaccines remain available and affordable for adults.
Finally, on the theme of advocacy, I wanted to share some photos from Leadership Day, when ACP members go to the other Washington to advocate for ACP policies with Members of Congress. Last year we met with staff from all of our congressional offices and Rep. Kim Schrier and Sen. Maria Cantwell took time to meet with us personally. Our Chapter sponsors residents and medical students to attend Leadership Day to get them engaged in advocacy, but all are welcome—if you want to join us, save the dates for next year: May 13-14th, 2026.
Council of Student Members: Seeking Mentors and Mentees for our 2nd Annual Mentorship Program!
The Council of Student Members is recruiting mentors and mentees to join the ACP Washington Chapter Mentorship Program. This program matches students from Washington’s three medical schools with ACP physicians based on aligned interests and experiences. The goal is to provide students with guidance during their medical education and insight into opportunities within the field of Internal Medicine. Since the needs of our student members are diverse, we are looking for physician mentors with a wide range of experience, including academia, community practice, subspecialty mentors, and current residents. We are forming small groups comprised of 2 mentors and approximately 6 mentees. The time commitment is flexible – most mentorship groups meet virtually on a quarterly basis. If you have questions or are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee, please reach out to Joslyn Johnson at jLjohnson@pnwu.edu for more information.
Joey Parker’s Teaching Corner
The disengaged learner is one of the most challenging scenarios we encounter as educators. Intrinsic motivation may stem from personal satisfaction or personal interest, and these types of learners are ones we are extremely excited to wake up in the morning and teach. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we will inevitably come across or experience the learner who just seems to be “going through the motions.” One of the first mistakes I made early in my education career when experiencing this type of learner was to spend a disproportionate amount of time with this learner trying to figure out how I could get through. I spent countless times trying to show him the importance of learning various topics, but alas, nothing seemed to help. In the end, I neglected my other learners who had the drive and desire to improve, in addition to the standout learners who needed me to challenge them more. The point is this: when we engage with learners who settle for “just enough”, we often times can’t change them, and we must ask ourselves if we are spending the right amount of time on actively disengaged individuals when we could be spending time on the middle tier who want to improve to the next level, or the upper tier who need more challenges. Time is finite, and we must wisely choose how we spend our energy.
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