This month, we are excited to congratulate Laura Moss, MD, Associate Medical Director, on her 10-year anniversary at the Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP)! Her compassion, expertise, and dedication to WPHP’s mission have made an immense impact on the organization and the lives of the healthcare professionals we serve over the past decade.

Dr. Moss joined WPHP in May 2016 with American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology certification in General and Addiction Psychiatry and an extensive background in providing evaluations, treatment, and opining about fitness for duty for safety-sensitive healthcare professionals. She quickly integrated into WPHP’s clinical team, guiding the assessments of healthcare professionals with psychiatric, substance use, behavioral, and co-occurring disorders, as well as maintaining strong relationships with WPHP’s stakeholders.

In addition to the daily work of meeting with and supporting program participants, Dr. Moss has led program development and standardization initiatives throughout her time at WPHP.

Shortly after joining the organization, she collaborated with Dr. Chris Bundy, WPHP Executive Medical Director, on a cognitive dysfunction screening pilot study for all WPHP referrals. The findings suggested that screening doctors for possible cognitive dysfunction should not be based solely on age. Dr. Moss and Dr. Bundy presented “What’s Age Got to Do with It? Insights on the Aging Physician Controversy from WPHP’s Cognitive Screening Program” at the 2017 Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP) Annual Education Conference.

Dr. Moss also collaborated with suicidology experts, including Jeffrey Sung, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and WPHP Board Member, to develop a more robust suicide screening and risk mitigation procedure for program participants. The documents created as a result of these efforts will soon be available to other Physician Health Programs.

In 2020, the Washington State Department of Health Veterinary Board of Governors (VBOG) invited Dr. Moss to collaborate with veterinary medicine wellness expert Sonja Olson, DVM, and the University of Washington Forefront Suicide Prevention Center to create three mandatory training modules for all Washington state veterinary medicine professionals. These trainings focus on wellness, mental health, suicide risk mitigation, and medication safety in veterinarian practices and were approved by VBOG in 2023.

At the national level, Dr. Moss has served on FSPHP’s Board of Directors as the Western Region Director since 2022. She recently received the 2026 FSPHP Member Service Award for her outstanding service to the Federation, the national medical community, and the patients they serve.

Dr. Moss’ dedication to professional well-being extends beyond the medical community. From 2024 to 2026, she served as a public member of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Well-Being Task Force. She contributed to a charter aiming to advance the well-being of Washington’s legal professionals by identifying systemic challenges and recommending actionable strategies that align with national standards, which will be presented to the WSBA Board of Governors later this month.

The WPHP team is profoundly grateful for Dr. Moss’ leadership, wisdom, and continuous work to reduce the stigma associated with illness in healthcare professionals and raise awareness about resources for the medical community through collaboration, outreach, and education. Thank you, Dr. Moss!