Dr. Doug Eisert, Pediatrician at Confluence Health, awarded Leah Layne Memorial Health Leadership award

WENATCHEE - Dr. Doug Eisert, a longtime pediatrician in the Wenatchee Valley practicing at the Confluence Health  East Wenatchee Clinic, was recently awarded the 2024 Leah Layne Memorial Health Leadership Award.  

Named after the late Leah Layne, a long-time campaigner and activist for rural health, the award is granted by the  Washington Rural Health Association (WRHA) to an individual who exemplifies Leah’s spirit, vision, foresight, and  dedication to rural health through demonstrated leadership skills by dedicating their time and talent to improving the  health and well-being of others. Eisert was announced as this year’s recipient at a WRHA luncheon held in Spokane on  March 26.  

Put forward for the award by Sarah Rafton, executive director of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of  Pediatrics (WCAAP), in her nomination she stated, “Pediatrician Dr. Doug Eisert has made a significant impact on child  and adolescent vaccine coverage in the Wenatchee Valley, exemplifying prevention and public health, and preventing  cancer. Dr. Eisert has stood out for his leadership in two immunization learning collaboratives where he improved  vaccinations for children and adolescents by 24% at Confluence Health in Wenatchee and 15% at Confluence Health in  East Wenatchee, impacting 6,215 patients. Dr. Eisert’s leadership and the work of the clinic teams made a significant  impact on health equity, improving vaccinations for Hispanic patients by 27.5%. In his work on increasing HPV  vaccination at ages 9-10, Dr. Eisert helped the clinics improve vaccination coverage by 31%, impacting 1,252 patients  aged 9-10 at both clinics combined. Dr. Eisert is a true champion for Wenatchee Valley children and youth, improving  public health and health for future generations.” 

Dr. Sherri Zorn, a fellow pediatrician and WCAAP quality improvement coach who also worked with Eisert on the efforts,  commented, “Over and over, Dr. Eisert proved himself to be a gentle, wise, and innovative leader with incredible  intuition about how to best support his teammates in their day-to-day work to improve vaccination rates and improve  the health of Wenatchee’s youth. He was a joy to work with; as a quality improvement coach, I learned so much from his  questions, insights, and humility." 

While thankful for the award and grateful for the recognition, Dr. Eisert was quick to emphasize that these successes  were a team effort and a part of the work of the entire pediatrics staff. 

“We worked with several vaccine interest groups and tracked our successes and opportunities in making progress with  increasing the vaccination rates of our patients. I give a big shout of thanks to Keri Hartman, certified medical assistant  at the East Wenatchee pediatrics clinic, and to the entire team and staff for the big effort on vaccinations the last two years,” remarked Dr. Eisert. “It always takes a team to be successful, and our group rose to the challenge. I am honored  to receive the award, but everyone did their part.” 

“Dr. Eisert stands out to me as exemplar of WCAAP and our members – working every day to inspire and support his  teammates in clinic to improve child and teen health, and public health,” reflected Sarah Rafton after hearing her  nomination had been selected to receive the award. “Dr. Eisert also models how we hope we can all treat each other as  health care professionals: demonstrating personal interest in his peers and warmth in all he does.”