23 July 2023
The leadership team of WANP just returned from attending the AANP's Annual Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, and we are excited to share how involved your Washington colleagues are in this profession at the national level.
Throughout this past weekend, we were delighted to witness WANP member and Past President Dr. Kasra Pournadeali move more center stage as he prepares to lead our national professional organization as President of the AANP beginning January 1, 2024.
Last Wednesday, your WANP leadership team played an active role in the 2023 AANP Leadership Summit - bringing ideas and questions directly from Washington to the national stage.
Shortly thereafter, we were extremely honored to have TWO of our four Washington delegates to the AANP's House of Delegates elected by their peers across the country to serve in the top two leadership positions of this national policy-making body. Congratulations to Drs. Blake Langley and Kelsey Klausmeyer, who will begin their terms as Speaker and Vice Speaker, respectively, of the AANP House of Delegates on January 1, 2024.
On Thursday evening, we joined with our community to engage with leadership of Bastyr University and National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) to learn more about their upcoming merger and to hear from our colleagues from around the world about their excitement and their concerns about the profession moving forward.
At the AANP Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, WANP's leadership team featured once again as Drs. Kelsey Klausmeyer and Rick Brinkman, current Presidents of the WANP and the AANP, signed the first brand new affiliate agreement - the culmination of many years of effort by the Washington Initiative Task Force (chaired by Dr. Klausmeyer) that formalizes an affiliation between our state association and our recognized national professional association. We are extremely proud of our organization's efforts to lead the nation in this step to unify and strengthen our profession.
And, finally, on Saturday evening, the Convention closed with AANP's annual Gala Reception and Award Ceremony, during which current WANP President, Dr. Kelsey Klausmeyer, was recognized as AANP's 2023 Physician of the Year. This well-deserved award recognized Dr. Klausmeyer's efforts in leading the Washington Initiative Task Force and in gaining unanimous approval of the formal affiliate agreement by representatives in the House of Delegates.
Outside of the public spotlight, the WANP (represented by Operations Coordinator Alex Crenshaw) welcomed attendees to our exhibitor booth throughout the weekend and our Executive Director, current President, and President-elect (Drs. Angela Ross, Kelsey Klausmeyer, and Teresa Richter) spent time networking with other leaders throughout the profession, engaging in various brainstorming sessions, listening to the concerns and needs expressed by our colleagues from around the country, and contributing feedback and possible solutions to help move the profession forward.
We want to thank the staff and leaders of the AANP for hosting such an engaging and fun weekend and for recognizing Washington as a leader in this profession.
