Tait Shanafelt, MD – Health Professional Burnout

Dr. Tait Shanafelt is the chief wellness officer, associate dean, and Jeanie and Stewart Richie Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. Dr. Shanafelt is a hematologist/oncologist whose clinical work focuses on the care of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  He served a 7-year term on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Leukemia Steering Committee from 2014-2020 and has been principle investigator on four R01 grants from the NCI, including two active R01s.  He has been the principle investigator on numerous clinical trials testing new treatments for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia including two national phase three trials for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG).  He has published over 500 peer review manuscripts and commentaries in addition to more than 200 abstracts and book chapters.

In addition to his leukemia research, Tait is an international thought leader and researcher in the field of physician well-being and its implications for quality of care.  His pioneering studies in this area over 20 years ago are credited with helping launch the entire field of organizational efforts to promote physician well-being. He previously served as the founding director of the Mayo Clinic Program on Physician Well-being and served a 3-year term as the president of the Mayo Clinic Voting Staff from 2013-2016.  In 2017, he moved to Stanford where he leads the WellMD Center.  He served as a member of the National Academy of Medicine Committee on System Approaches to Support Clinician Well-being and now serves on the  National Academy Clinician Well-being Steering Committee.  He has helped hundreds of organizations and their leaders work to improve burnout and promote professional fulfillment for physicians. Dr. Shanafelt has served as a keynote speaker to the AMA, ACGME, AAMC, and ABIM.  Tait’s studies in this area have also been cited in CNN, USA Today, U.S. News, and the New York Times. In 2018, he was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in healthcare.

Mel Pohl, MD, DFASAM – Pain and Addiction

Dr. Pohl is a Family Practitioner. He is the Senior Medical Consultant of the Pain Recovery Program at The Pointe Malibu Recovery Center. Dr. Pohl is the former Chief Medical Officer of Las Vegas Recovery Center and was a major force in developing Las Vegas Recovery Center’s Chronic Pain Recovery Program. He is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Dr. Pohl is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

He is a nationally known public speaker and the author of A Day without Pain, revised edition (Central Recovery Press, 2011) and The Pain Antidote – Stop Suffering from Chronic Pain, Avoid Addiction to Painkillers, and Reclaim Your Life (DaCapo, 2015). Dr. Pohl filmed a show for PBS on chronic pain which aired around the country in 2016.

Maggie Knowles – Healing with Money (Workshop)

Maggie Knowles teaches adults about financial literacy and helps seniors with bill-paying and household finances. She belongs to the American Association of Daily Money Managers, whose members provide services such as budgeting, recordkeeping, and fraud detection. Having been in recovery for many years, Maggie is currently writing a book about healing her relationship with money.

She has a B.A. from Swarthmore College, an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College, and post-graduate work at the University of Washington. Highlights of her career include training 3,000 greeters for an international convention in Seattle, producing television programs in Missoula, Montana, and teaching improv in Lake Chelan. Highlights of her life include trips to Iceland, Northern Ireland, and Brazil.

Courtney Strong, LMHC, SUDP and Lenni Shea, LMHC, SUDP – Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention (Workshop)

Ms. Strong joined WPHP in 2020. As Clinical Director, Ms. Strong provides training, professional development, and operational oversight of Clinical Coordinators and Facilitators working with WPHP participants.  Ms. Strong is also responsible for strengthening partnerships with evaluation and treatment providers and WPHP collaborators while engaging with WPHP leadership to ensure our commitment to accountability, consistency, and excellence.  She has a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Substance Use Disorder Professional who has been working in the behavioral health field for over ten years. Prior to joining WPHP, Ms. Strong served as Director of Edgewood Health Network Seattle. Ms. Strong applies principles of system redesign, organizational health, and relationship building to promote the shared goals of our staff, participants, and community stakeholders.

Lenni is a substance use disorder professional (SUDP) and licensed mental health counselor associate (LMHCA) in the state of Washington. They earned their bachelor’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in psychology from Washington State University, a certificate in drug and alcohol counseling from Bellevue College and a master’s degree in addiction counseling: integrated recovery for co-occurring disorders from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. They have training in trauma-informed yoga, mindfulness based relapse prevention, Health at Every Size, body liberation, and working with the LGBTGEQIAP+ population. Lenni continues to seek out learning through a social justice mentorship, and opportunities for community-based mutual aid and activism in addition to their formal training.

Early Registration (ends 2/16/24): $255

Scholarship Registration (ends 3/8/24): $25

Regular Registration (ends 3/22/24): $335

Thanks to our generous donors, WPHP has scholarship funds available to fully underwrite first time attendees and to assist returning attendees experiencing financial hardship. If you are interested in scholarship support, please apply when registering. You will be asked to provide additional information to determine eligibility. The deadline for scholarship requests is February 16, 2024. Applicants will be notified on February 23, 2024. Scholarship awards may not cover the entire cost of Reunion participation.

The WPHP Reunion is only able to accommodate participants and their adult family/key support guests. Please call WPHP directly if you need support with the cost of childcare to facilitate your attendance.

WPHP has three established donation funds designed to assist program participants:

1. Thomas Hornbein, M.D. Fund
2. The Lynn R. Hankes, M.D. Reunion Scholarship Fund
3. The Daniel O’Neill Family Fund

As is our tradition, last year generous donors stepped forward and underwrote scholarships for 21 participants/key support’s who otherwise would not have been able to attend the reunion. WPHP expresses heartfelt gratitude for this strong show of generosity. As you register this year, we encourage you to perpetuate this tradition by donating an amount that is meaningful to you. Thank you so much!