News
Vax Corner: Preparing for the 2025 Fall/Winter Respiratory Season: COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV Immunizations
By Maria Huang, MD, FAAP, co-chair, Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WCAAP) Vaccine Committee Please see the post from Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH (author of the blog Your Local Epidemiologist), for a concise summary of the 2025 fall vaccine options. Key Updates: COVID-19 Vaccine Labeling: The FDA has limited the COVID-19 vaccine…
Read MoreWAFP Statement: Optimal Medical Care Must be Grounded in Scientific, Evidence-Based Practices
Family physicians across Washington state are dedicated to delivering care grounded on scientific and evidence-based practices. Their ability to serve patients and communities depends on access to clear, consistent, and research-based public health guidance. As the national conversation around vaccines and public health changes, it’s more important than ever that leadership at the national level…
Read MoreMake Your Voice Heard at the 2025 AAFP Congress of Delegates
Member input is critical in shaping policy at both WAFP and AAFP. As with WAFP’s House of Delegates, members have the chance to submit written testimony on resolutions to be considered by the AAFP’s Congress of Delegates. AAFP will begin accepting testimony on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. Pacific and runs through Sept. 16.…
Read MoreAAFP to Hold Town Hall on Supporting Rural Practices
On Aug. 20, the AAFP’s Rural Family Medicine Project Advisory Group will host a virtual town hall to share their work to support AAFP members in rural areas and hear your ideas to shape future initiatives. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Pacific and last for 90 minutes. Registration is open. Participants can expect…
Read MoreWPSR Event to Focus on Advocacy Skills for Health Professionals
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility is hosting a virtual event called “From Awareness to Action”. The event, on Aug. 25 at 6 p.m., will help physicians and other health professional hone their advocacy skills to work toward health justice. Among the topics, according to WPSR, are learning why organizing works; the important role of health…
Read MoreArticle Details Efforts to Increase Residency Slots in Eastern Washington
With the University of Washington officially welcoming first-year medical students to campus, the Spokesman-Review used the opportunity to explore what residency in Spokane might look like once those new students graduate. The article notes the 2024 reduction in family medicine and transitional residency slots in Spokane, as well as the elimination of the sports medicine…
Read MoreDOH: Licensing Now Fully Digital
The Office of Health Professions within the Washington State Department of Health announced that licenses, certificates, and renewal notices are now fully digital. Paper certificates and renewals will no longer be mailed; instead, renewal notices will be emailed so long as licensees have a registered email with DOH. A self-service portal (the Healthcare Enforcement and…
Read MoreAdvance Family Medicine in Congress with AAFP’s Advocacy Ambassadors Program
AAFP has launched its Advocacy Ambassadors program to link members with congressional leaders and elected officials who support the priorities of family medicine and champion legislation and policy that supports family medicine. As an Advocacy Ambassador, you are part of AAFP’s grassroots advocacy efforts that complement the Academy’s formal lobbying. And AAFP sets you up…
Read MoreWAFP Elects New Leadership at 2025 House of Delegates
STEVENSON — Sonal Patel, MD, MPH, was installed as president of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians at its annual House of Delegates meeting at Skamania Lodge on April 25. Patel, from Mercer Island, previously served as the Academy’s secretary-treasurer is also a former president of the King County Academy of Family Physicians. She earned…
Read MoreHRSA Now Accepting Applications for National Health Service Corp Loan Repayments
Allopathic and osteopathic family physicians working in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) can now apply for loan repayment assistance through the federal Health Resources & Services Administration. The FY25 application is open through Thursday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific. There are three loan repayment programs, and the HRSA website explains the differences between…
Read More