Bonnie Ronish, MD, MPH
About
Dr. Ronish is a board-certified pulmonologist and occupational and environmental medicine specialist at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. She is currently the medical director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic, where she supervises and teaches residents and manages patients with a variety of occupational and environmental injuries and illnesses.
Dr. Ronish's current clinical interests include occupational lung disease, chemical and environmental exposures (heavy metals, mold, chemical exposures), complex polytrauma, long-Covid-related lung disease, and general pulmonology and occupational medicine. She has also collaborated with the Department of Health to do medical screenings for patients exposed to environmental contaminants in drinking water (specifically PFAS) and provides risk communications for patients with suspected chemical exposures.
Through the UW School of Public Health, Dr. Ronish works closely with Occupational and Environmental Medicine residents, acting as an academic adviser on graduate theses, capstone projects and quality improvement projects. She collaborates frequently with industrial hygienists in her clinic and through DEOHS and is constantly looking for the next improvement project for the clinic or collaboration opportunity.
Education
- MD, St Louis University School of Medicine, 2010-2014
- Residency in Internal Medicine, University of California (LA), 2014-2017
- Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Utah, 2017-2020
- MPH & Fellowship in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, University of Washington, 2020-2022
Affiliations
Occupational and Environmental Clinic at HarborviewMentorship
Dr. Ronish does not currently conduct primary research but is available as a co-mentor for MPH student research projects.
Engagement
Equity, diversity and inclusion
Dr. Ronish strongly supports EDI initiatives in academia and beyond, especially in light of the struggles many are facing in the new wave of anti-EDI rhetoric. A diverse workforce in medicine is critical for a robust, healthy and thriving medical and educational system. Without EDI initiatives, brilliant minds from underserved backgrounds are at risk of being overlooked, while those in the majority lose the opportunity to broaden their education and thinking. She strongly supports recruitment of those with diverse backgrounds at all levels of education and leadership, and recognizes how much more medicine and education can still improve with their practices. Dr. Ronish hopes to contribute her voice as a strong advocate for a robust and versatile approach to recruitment and education of students, staff and leadership.
Community and research partnerships
Dr. Ronish collaborates with the Washington Department of Health to provider outreach, risk communication and medical care for those in the community who have been exposed to high levels of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through contaminated drinking water or work exposures.