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Program Leadership - Virginia Mason Internal Medicine Residency
Virginia Mason attracts excellent clinicians and all-star teachers. Residents consistently cite the teaching faculty as a highlight of our program. We strive to provide relevant teaching and guidance with each patient interaction, teach and practice evidence-based medicine, and promote resident autonomy. It is our pleasure to be your teachers and colleagues.
Brandee Grooms, MD, FACP
Program Director
Hospital Medicine
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Medical School: Loma Linda University
Residency: St. Mary's Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.
Chief Residency: St. Mary's Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.
Dr. Grooms is proud to have taught residents and medical students for more than 10 years at Virginia Mason. During this time, she led improvements in the clinical learning experience for medical students rotating on our inpatient ward teams. She supports residents in their development as leaders in medical education, and created a peer mentoring program to support the teaching skills of the inpatient faculty. Her experience training PAs and ARNPs as Program Director for the Advanced Practice Fellowship in Hospital Medicine has cultivated her interest in how clinical experiences and team structures can best meet our patients’ needs, as well as the educational needs of each individual while supporting the highest level of satisfaction, connection, and purpose in everyday work. Brandee enjoys ballet, chocolate, and looking forward to adding chickens to her family’s garden.
“I am elated to have joined this outstanding leadership team in service to our residents as Program Director. Each year, I am inspired by the depth of compassion and eagerness for personal and professional growth each resident brings to our program. Seeing residents attain the skill and confidence to graduate and become trusted colleagues is a joy for me. Providing support and guidance so they can thrive during this process is my mission. Success is when we empower residents to recognize that the changes and challenges we see in health care are their opportunity to lead and become the problem-solvers that ultimately improve our patients’ lives. At Virginia Mason, we are fortunate to be able to work toward this goal in a setting that is consistently at the leading edge of transforming health care and where resident voice and engagement in these efforts is valued.”
Joy Bucher, MD, FACP
Associate Program Director
Primary Care
Primary Care Program Director
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Washington
Medical School: University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Residency: University of Washington
Chief Residency: University of Washington
Dr. Bucher's interests include fostering a love of primary care and a commitment to finding and teaching sustainable work practices through the years of a medical career. Mentorship of residents and medical students is a priority with a focus on coaching toward future job and life satisfaction. As a primary care internist in the downtown General Internal Medicine Clinic, she sees her own panel of patients and coordinates the residents’ experiences in their continuity clinics and ambulatory block rotations. Dr. Bucher created the Primary Care Retreats for primary care residents and the Clinic Immersion experience for all three-year residents.
She became Associate Program Director in 2019 and works on career development, curriculum development, recruitment, and chairs the Clinical Competency Committee.
Dr. Bucher supervises residents at Eastgate Public Health where she also works on quality improvement projects with residents. She completed the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS) for Leaders training in 2021 and mentors residents through their training.
She enjoys learning from The Curbsiders Internal Medicine and other podcasts, and reading anti-racism books and bringing that knowledge to work.
Outside of medicine, Joy enjoys reliving the former glories of being a high school (runner) and college athlete (rower) on her Peloton and keeping up with her husband and two children in the usual life adventures.
“I enjoy working with students and residents and watching them 'grow up' and join me as colleagues. Our residents are absolutely wonderful people — great with patients, always working to improve our program, and with lives outside of medicine.”
Michael Soung, MD, FACP
Core Faculty
Primary Care
Clinical Instructor, University of Washington
Medical School: Northwestern University
Residency: University of Washington
Chief Residency: University of Washington
Dr. Soung’s interests include physician and patient education, evidence-based clinical practice and all areas of primary care medicine. He helps coordinate the evidence-based medicine curriculum for the residency program and is recognized as an expert in motivational interviewing, agenda setting, and fostering resident autonomy.
He is a past recipient of the Virginia Mason Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year award. He is regularly invited to speak at American College of Physicians, University of Washington, and Virginia Mason CME events on a variety of core primary care topics.
He is an active member of Virginia Mason’s Best Practices Task Force which helps maintain evidence-based quality standards for the Department of Primary Care. Outside of work, Dr. Soung enjoys reminiscing about long-distance running, dodging traffic on his short bike commute, and taking orders from his two young daughters.
Dr. Soung supervises residents at Eastgate Public Health.
“I am constantly amazed by our residents. They balance the demands of life and work and still manage to maintain a strong enthusiasm for learning and scholarship. It is such a pleasure to work with them. I try my best to pinpoint each resident’s individual educational needs and target teaching towards filling in the gaps, while still helping to see the forest from the trees.”
Carly Magnusson, MD
Core Faculty
Hospital Medicine
Transitional Year Program Director
Clerkship Director, Medical Student Rotation
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School
Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Chief Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Dr. Magnusson joined the faculty as a hospitalist after her Chief Resident year and is now the site co-director of the third year clerkship for medical students from the University of Washington. She has special clinical and educational interest in palliative care and in the ways behavioral economics concepts can be applied to patient and clinician decision-making. Outside the hospital, she can be found traveling with her husband, Erik, hiking in the nearby mountains, or knitting while listening to podcasts.
“When I was deciding where I wanted to work after residency, it all came down to the culture and the people. I’m thrilled to have the chance to invest in the hospital and training program that invested so much in me. I love working with learners to develop their autonomy, embrace and grow from uncertainty, and find the joy and fun in medicine.”
Erin M. Bauer, MD
Core Faculty
Program Director, Rheumatology Fellowship
Rheumatology
Medical School: The George Washington University
Residency: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles
Chief Residency: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles
Fellowship: University of California Los Angeles
As core faculty and a member of the Section of Rheumatology, Dr. Bauer coordinates specialty electives, facilitates the mentorship program, and oversees the feedback and evaluation system. She has been an active member of the Residency Advisory Committee since she arrived at Virginia Mason in 2016. She joined the internal medicine leadership team in 2020 and became rheumatology fellowship program director in 2024. As a rheumatologist, she has a particular interest in musculoskeletal ultrasound and teaching musculoskeletal physical exam and preventive care for immunosuppressed patients. Outside the hospital, she spends time with her daughters, collecting dahlia tubers, and urban hiking.
Margaret Ragland, MD, MS
Core Faculty
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Graduate School and Medical School: University of Washington
Residency: Northwestern University
Fellowship: University of Colorado
Dr. Ragland's professional interests include providing high-quality multidisciplinary, values-based critical care and systematic practice evaluation for quality improvement. She has clinical interests in obstetric critical care, acute pulmonary embolism management, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. One of the greatest joys of her role as a teaching attending in the Critical Care Unit is to support residents as they develop their complex medical decision-making skills and to see them develop as independent physicians over the course of residency.
She joined the residency core faculty in 2022 and focuses her time on inpatient curriculum development and resident academic and career coaching.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Ragland spends her time exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband, son, and two old lady dogs. She recently started swimming after a long post-high school hiatus and is enjoying diving (literally) into the challenge of being back in the pool.
"The intelligence, perspective, energy, curiosity, and humor that Virginia Mason residents bring to days in the hospital is a joy to be a part of. The opportunity to learn from and work with residents is a true privilege and inspires me to be the best attending I can be. Supporting residents in their development as full-fledged physicians and reaching their career goals is the greatest delight I can imagine."
Michelle Lam, MD, MPH, FACP
Core Faculty
Clerkship Director, Medical Student Rotation
Clinical Instructor, University of Washington
Medical School and Graduate School: University of Washington
Residency: University of Washington
Dr. Lam is a primary care physician and medical educator. After completing medical school and residency at the University of Washington, she joined Virginia Mason’s downtown General Internal Medicine clinic in 2019. Her clinical interests include chronic metabolic diseases and obesity medicine.
As a member of the residency core faculty program, she coordinates the General Internal Medicine block for interns and serves as the site co-director of the third-year clerkship for medical students from the University of Washington. Outside of the clinic, she enjoys hiking, rooting for Seattle sports teams, spending time with her husband, chasing after her two young daughters, and cuddling up with her dog.
“I joined Virginia Mason because of their commitment to education - teaching and mentoring residents and medical students is one of the best parts of my job! I love working with learners to develop their knowledge and clinical skills, grow their autonomy and experience the joy of medicine. I appreciate their intelligence, compassion and curiosity and they inspire me to learn and grow as a physician and educator.”
Mathini Mohanachandran, MD
Core Faculty
Medical School: University of Washington
Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Chief Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Dr. Mathini Mohanachandran (Dr. Mohan) joined the Lynnwood Medical Center as a primary care internist following completion of her residency at Virginia Mason. She has continued working with the residency following her chief year, precepting at Eastgate Public Health and Lynnwood and writing clinic didactics to review key primary care topics with residents. Dr. Mohan is involved with the Social Justice curriculum, helps lead Primary Care retreats and serves as a primary care mentor.
Outside of the clinic, she is an avid baker and bookworm.
“Our residents have a love of learning and improving themselves and being able to aid them in their journey and watch their growth into becoming excellent physicians wherever life may take them is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.”
Daniel Hanson, MD, FHM
Core Faculty
Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Chief Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
After completing his residency at Virginia Mason IM in 1995, Dr Hanson joined the General Internal Medicine Department where he practiced as a primary care physician. There, his practice had special emphasis on preventive care and HIV. He became Chairman of the Quality Assessment Committee and served as the Internal Medicine Residency as Associate Program Director from 1998 to 2004. In 2001 he transitioned to the Hospital Medicine Service where he became the Section Head of Hospital Medicine (2003-2008) and Director of Quality and Safety for Hospital Medicine (2010-2013). In addition to these administrative roles, he completed a Kaizen Fellowship, AHA-NPSF Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship and became certified as a Team STEPPs Master Trainer. As of 2023, he has rejoined the Internal Medicine Core Faculty as the Director of Leadership in Quality Improvement Program (LQIP) and remains a staff hospitalist.
“The core values of Virginia Mason, and especially the residency program, have always been the most important reason for joy and success in my work. I am grateful to be a part of a team working hard to ensure our trainees’ have the same opportunities that I have benefitted from.”
Erika Cunningham, MD
Core Faculty
Primary Care
Medical School: University of Washington
Residency: Virginia Mason Medical Center
Dr. Cunningham trained with the Virginia Mason Internal Medicine Residency and joined the Department of Primary Care at the Federal Way Regional Medical Center in 2016. Within the residency program, she precepts residents at their continuity clinics in Federal Way and at Eastgate. She also coordinates the Advanced General Internal Medicine Elective and writes clinical didactics on topics in primary care. Her clinical interests include geriatrics and metabolic disorders.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Cunningham plays classical violin and piano. She has a particular interest in Brahm's shorter piano works and Beethoven's late string quartets. She also spends time with her two young sons, husband, and cat, Hamburger.
