ABOUT

The Mission of the Washington State Psychiatric Association (WSPA)

To promote public understanding of psychiatry through public education, and advocacy for patients and their interests.
To provide a professional group identity among all psychiatrists in Washington State by promoting peer support and collegiality.
To promote professionalism in the practice of psychiatry by providing continuing professional education, reviewing members' professional qualifications, and reviewing ethical concerns.

A short history of the WSPA

The Washington State Psychiatric Association (WSPA) is a professional, non-profit corporation serving psychiatrists in Washington State. It is organized for the purpose of supporting professionalism in the practice of psychiatry and promoting top quality mental health care. WSPA fulfills a dual role, serving as a state association which focuses on local issues, and as a district branch of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) linking WSPA members with developments in mental health care taking place regionally and nationally. WSPA grew out of an earlier regional organization which served psychiatrists in Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. Subsequently, Washington psychiatrists found that their increasing numbers and professional issues prompted the creation of a distinct statewide organization, and the Washington State Psychiatric Association was born.

Meet Our Executive Committee

Alissa Hemke, MD

President

Originally from California, Alissa Hemke completed her undergraduate work at Scripps College and medical school at University of Michigan. She completed general psychiatry residency and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at University of Washington. She is an Acting Assistant Professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry. Her clinical work includes outpatient supervision of child and adolescent fellows and general psychiatry residents, and directing the Seattle Children's Outpatient Psychiatry Early Childhood Clinic. Her research interests include behavioral interventions in young children and working with lay providers, including peer parents and community health workers. She is passionate about medical education, psychotherapy, and ensuring access and equity in care. She serves on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's Infant and Preschool Committee . Outside work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, and tending to her garden.

Neeru Bakshi, MD

President-Elect

Dr. Bakshi is a board-certified psychiatrist, speaker, and advocate for mental health equity. She completed her psychiatry training at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Washington and is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist. She has served in various leadership roles, including co-chair of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals’ African-American/BIPOC Subcommittee, and is an active member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Academy for Eating Disorders.

Passionate about expanding access to compassionate, culturally informed care, Dr. Bakshi speaks nationally on mental health equity, inclusive leadership, and eating disorders. She believes treatment should be deeply personalized, considering each patient’s unique context to help them lead meaningful lives.

As WSPA president-elect, she is dedicated to fostering a more inclusive psychiatric community, supporting professional growth, and advocating for systemic change that improves mental health care for all.

Avanti Bergquist, MD

Secretary Treasurer

Avanti Bergquist, MD, MS, FAPA, DFAACAP is a physician with board certifications in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as Adult Psychiatry. She currently works as a child and adolescent psychiatrist in both community mental health and inpatient treatment programs.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Duke University, a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Oregon School of Science and Engineering at OHSU, and received her MD from the University of Louisville. She completed both her Psychiatry residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at the University of Washington. She previously worked as a healthcare lobbyist in the Washington State Legislature, as a psychiatrist specializing in eating disorder partial hospitalization and residential treatment, and prior to that was on faculty at the University of Washington in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department and an attending psychiatrist on the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Bergquist is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) where she serves on the Advocacy Committee. She has many local leadership responsibilities in the Washington State Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (WSCCAP), the Washington State Psychiatric Association (WSPA), and is a governor appointee to the Washington State Children and Youth Behavioral Health Workgroup. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Washington Master of Arts in Applied Child & Adolescent Psychology program. As a community leader, she is a publicly elected director of the Renton School District Board of Directors.

Dr. Bergquist is passionate about advocating with policy makers to improve the mental health system locally and nationally.

Justin Stamschror, MD

Immediate Past President

Dr. Justin Stamschror hails from the great state of Minnesota. After finishing his undergraduate degree at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, he completed his medical degree at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Stamschror completed his general psychiatry training at the University of Washington before completing a fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Washington.

While in training, he served as the resident representative on the Washington State Psychiatric Association Executive Council and Chief Resident at the VA Puget Sound. He currently has an academic appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, teaching Addiction Psychiatry fellows and General Psychiatry residents at the VA Puget Sound in Seattle, where he is the Medical Director of the Opioid Treatment Program in the Addiction Treatment Center.

He also serves as a Major in the Washington Army National Guard as the Senior Psychiatric Officer in the state. When not working, Dr. Stamschror lives in West Seattle with his wife and two dogs, and enjoys surfing, traveling, trying new restaurants, and listening to records.