Profile Type: Vice Chairs

Heidi Combs

Personal Statement

​Early in my training it became clear that intense pathology transfixed me so inpatient psychiatry was a natural fit. My specific area of expertise within psychiatry is care of the acutely ill hospitalized psychiatric patient. I have also developed clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of Catatonia. In addition to clinical care, education is another area of interest. I love to teach and it has been the focus of my career. I am intimately involved in the education of psychiatry residents and am a founding faculty member of the Clinician-Teacher Pathway for our residency program. In addition to teaching medical students and residents, I regularly educate primary care providers on detection and treatment of psychiatric illnesses in primary settings. I assumed the role of Vice Chair of Education in 2020 and in that role I oversee all educational efforts for our department.

Ryan Kimmel

Personal Statement

I am the Psychiatry Chief of Service for both campuses of the University of Washington Medical Center. I also direct our Psychiatric Consultation and Telepsychiatry Program. My clinical focus is on patients who are hospitalized with simultaneous psychiatric and medical issues.  Academically, I most often teach psychiatry trainees about psychopharmacology for refractory mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.

Michelle Lynch

Michelle earned both her BA in Business Administration and Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Washington. She’s been with the University of Washington for over 20 years and joined the Department in March 2023. She’s looking forward to learning about the vast array of education, research, and clinical programs in the Department and working with the staff, faculty, and leadership teams to improve mental health in our community.

Michelle began her UW career in 2000 as a Policy Development Analyst in the Office of Planning and Budgeting and after a decade in various central administration leadership roles moved into the Administrator position in the Department of Medicine/Division of General Internal Medicine.  Prior to the UW, she was with Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound where she held several roles including Financial Analyst and Fee Schedule Manager.

In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time with her geologist daughter, traveling, reading, baking, and attending local music events (including singing with a hyper local women’s a cappella group, the Beaconettes).

Anna Ratzliff

Personal Statement

I am a national expert on collaborative care and specifically, on training teams to implement and deliver mental health treatment in primary care settings. My passion for translating complex research ideas into practical real-world applications began when I received my MD and PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California at Irvine. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington where I have developed additional expertise in suicide prevention training, mental health workforce development, adult learning best practices, and mentorship. I am the Co-Director of the AIMS Center (Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions) and Director of the UW Integrated Care Training Program for residents and fellows.