Dr. Katina Rue, an osteopathic family physician and Sequim High School 1993 graduate, was named president of the Washington State Medical Association at its annual House of Delegates meeting on Sunday, Oct. 2.

The association represents more than 12,000 physicians, physician assistants, resident physicians and medical students throughout Washington state.

Rue is the program director of the Trios Health Family Medicine Residency Program in Kennewick. She is the first Latina and the first osteopathic physician to hold the top WSMA office, the organization noted on its website.

She received her undergraduate degree in 1999 at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., followed by a doctor of osteopathy in 2004 from University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, now called Kansas City University, in Kansas City, Mo.

She completed an osteopathic family medicine residency in 2007 at the Medical Center of Independence, which was affiliated with Kansas City University, in Independence, Mo.

Rue returned to her home state of Washington after residency, serving the Yakima and Central Valley communities as a practicing family physician for nearly a decade and pursing executive and clinical leadership roles in academia and residency training programs.

Academic appointments include clinical instructor positions with the Pacific Northwest University College of Osteopathic Medicine, the University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine, amongst others.

Rue served as faculty and associate program director at the Central Washington Family Medicine Residency in Yakima prior to her role as program director at Trios Health.

Her involvement in organized medicine is extensive, including membership in the Washington Academy of Family Physicians, Washington Osteopathic Medical Association, Yakima County Medical Society, American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and American Academy of Family Physicians. In addition to her leadership service at the WSMA, which includes six years on the executive committee and service on various other association committees, Dr. Rue served as the president of the Yakima County Medical Society from 2014-2016 and 2020-2022, serves on several Washington Osteopathic Medical Association committees, serves on the nominating and bylaws committees of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians and is an alternate delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians, and is past-president of the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation, among other roles.