Rep. Adam Smith and Dr. Umair Shah to Discuss Mental Health in SU Talk

Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service will host Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) and Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s Secretary of Health, on the evening of October 30 to discuss mental health issues and the affect that is having on our broader culture and strained health care system. Rep. Smith’s recently released book, Lost and Broken: My Journey Back from Chronic Pain and Crippling Anxiety, will be discussed and available for purchase.

“Early one morning in April 2016, I woke up and seriously contemplated the possibility that I would never be able to generate the strength, focus and courage to get out of bed. The combination of crippling anxiety, chronic pain, muscle atrophy and the fascinating mix of pharmaceuticals coursing through my body had, I feared, finally broken me,” explains Rep. Smith. “Thus began a years-long journey in search of diagnosis and treatment that taught me that life isn’t about finding that quick fix to stop worrying and struggling. It’s about learning who you are, understanding your body and mind well enough to face those struggles that we will all inevitably face and then being able to enjoy your life even when those struggles come.”

Dr. Shah will help explain the magnitude of mental and behavioral health concerns in Washington state and offer ways to help those suffering from anxiety, depression and other debilitating health matters.

“I hope that Washingtonians take away from our conversation not only a better knowledge of the challenges our state faces for addressing mental and behavioral health concerns, but also hope for the opportunities we have to become more thoughtful, caring neighbors, co-workers, family members, friends and communities,” says Dr. Shah.

Rep. Smith, of Washington’s 9th District, has served in Congress since 1997 and is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee since 2011. Lost and Broken, his memoir, describes how he slowly and painstakingly found his way back from a low point of chronic pain, issues with medication and crippling anxiety to finding a calmer mind and freeing himself from pain and medication.

Dr. Shah has served as Washington’s Secretary of Health since December 2020. Over his career, Dr. Shah has been a clinician, innovator, educator and leader in health. He has been a champion for underserved communities, at the intersection of health and health care, building on the values of equity, innovation and engagement.

About the Institute of Public Service

The Institute of Public Service (IPS) at Seattle University educates students for positions of leadership in government and nonprofit sectors. The academic programs of IPS are responsive to the evolving character of public service and to the changing problems public leaders confront. Those programs include a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs and a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration.

###