Leadership of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA) will now include two faces from the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
Community faculty member Bridget Bush, MD, FASA, was elected as the 2025–2026 WSMA president and will lead the organization representing more than 13,500 physicians, resident physicians, physician assistants, and medical students throughout Washington. Fourth-year medical student Evan Thomas will serve a one-year term as student trustee.
Dr. Bush brings a distinguished record of service and leadership to her new role. A practicing anesthesiologist for more than a decade, she also serves as a mentor in the WSU chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association and has held leadership positions for organizations including the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Snohomish County
Medical Society.
“I realized shortly before the pandemic, a feeling of purpose had drained from my work. I was being told on all sides that my job could be done by any number of people, including those with less training and education. Instead of losing heart, I decided to double down and make my surroundings better,” Dr. Bush said of joining the WSMA board, according to the association. “I started at my home, planting several hundred trees, at my workplace with various quality improvement projects, and I got more involved in medical societies at the local, state and national levels. I feel my involvement in WSMA is one of my avenues of purpose, to make this world better, for myself, my colleagues, and our patients.”
Dr. Bush earned her medical degree from Tulane School of Medicine through the Health Professions Scholarship Program and completed an anesthesiology residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. She served in the U.S. Navy as a flight surgeon, deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq, before returning to western Washington to practice.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bush and the future Dr. Thomas on this achievement. We look forward to the continued impact of their leadership and insights both statewide and within our academic community.