Women’s History Month 2026
This year’s theme for Women’s History Month, Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future, honors the contributions of women that are on the frontlines of sustainability efforts across economic, educational, environmental and social justice movements. Within our own department, we celebrate the established and emerging leaders who exemplify this work by highlighting a few examples.
Dr. Elizabeth Hansen has made it a personal and professional goal to reduce the environmental impact of anesthesia industry wide. An associate professor and a pediatric anesthesiologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, she serves as principal investigator of Project SPRUCE, a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional consortium that focuses on minimizing waste, optimizing anesthesia care and reducing emissions from anesthetic gases.
Dr. Nathalia Jimenez is a pediatric anesthesiologist and professor whose research focuses on reducing health disparities and improving care transitions for Hispanic/Latinx and migrant children. Through culturally and linguistically responsive interventions that strengthen connections between hospitals, communities, and schools, her work advances models of pediatric health that are both resilient and sustainable over time. Currently, Dr. Jimenez is completing a prestigious health policy fellowship with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of health disparities and social determinants of health.
A former trainee who started as an intern with the program in 2015, Dr. Casey Quinlan is now an assistant professor of pediatric anesthesiology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and currently the associate program director of the Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine Residency Program.
This July, in an exciting development for the department, Quinlan will move into the role of program director.
When asked how her prior experiences at UW will inform her goals and vision for the residency program, she said, “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the CLIME Teaching Scholars Program and in an ACGME Learning Community Grant. These experiences have shaped my understanding that there are as many realities in the room as there are individuals. Each person’s lived experience is inextricably linked to how they engage in our learning environment and clinical space.”
She is passionate about the program’s mission to train residents who will become exceptional physicians in a variety of arenas. “I view the director position as a service role,” she shared, “helping to foster the aspirations and strengths of each resident as they navigate their own path.”
On a personal note, when asked what drives her to do this work, Quinlan said, “Having trained in this program myself, I have a deep understanding of the incredible opportunities and wide-ranging expertise that our faculty and clinical sites offer. Also, I am aware that training in a large department comes with potential vulnerabilities. As I move into the residency program director role, I am driven by the challenge of helping to leverage the best of what our department has to offer while simultaneously working to build a sense of belonging and community to support residents through some of the most difficult moments along the way.”
Additional highlights
CBB Council site visits
The Council for Community Building & Belonging will visit with team members over the next couple of months at UW Medical Center – Montlake, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, VA Puget Sound Health Care System and UW Medical Center – Northwest.
Recommended reading
“Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” National Women’s History Alliance
“Women’s History Month: March 2026.” United States Census Bureau
“Women’s History Month 2026.” History