Family Medicine provider H. Edwin “Ed” Stickle, MD will serve as Chief of the Medical Staff of Skagit Regional Health for the coming year, more than a decade after filling the role the last time.

Dr. Stickle follows Kelley Cline, MD, who completed a three-year term in December. He called Dr. Cline the “best Chief of Staff we’ve ever had” in complimenting her leadership, her ability to gain provider engagement and work to update the Professional Performance Evaluation process.

Dr. Stickle was appointed to the then Unified Medical Staff of Skagit Valley in 1997 and served as President in 2008 after participating as chairman of the Credentials Committee and as President-elect.

While he has held the leadership position before, Dr. Stickle said it’s an “entirely new job” with new administration at Skagit Regional Health and growth and change in the medical staff. “It certainly helps that I have done it once before and I know how the MEC (Medical Executive Committee) works,” he said.

Dr. Stickle’s practice features a wide range of care including hospice, palliative care, Family Medicine with OB, a nursing home practice and serving as a hospitalist, which helps in his medical staff role.

“I have a broad perspective and a foot in both places, I work in the acute care hospital and I work in the clinic,” he said. “I think that will assist me in representing the doctors.”

He is a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California and completed his residency at Hinsdale Family Practice Residency in Illinois. He joined Skagit Regional Health in 2015 after many years in private practice with Physicians Care Family Medicine.

Joining Dr. Stickle on the Medical Staff of Skagit Regional Health leadership are:

• Chief of Staff Elect Al Johnson, MD, MBA
• Chief of Ambulatory Medicine Johanna Santos, MD
• Chief of Community Medicine Ellen Rak, MD
• Chief of Inpatient Medicine Ramy Hanna, MD
• Chief of Surgery Allison Porter, MD
• Chief of Women and Children Trisha Halvorsen, MD
• Chair of Peer Review and Quality Jenny Benson, MD
• Chair of Credentials Committee Kirk Brownell, MD

Leadership of the Medical Staff of Cascade Valley Hospital has no changes for 2020 and is under the leadership of Chief of Staff James Fletcher, MD.