About Us

Michele Cannon Bessler launched the Bessler Center, in co-creative partnership with her husband and Mary Bridge Children’s leadership. The Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children’s is grounded in the strength of our community and families to create the healthiest children in the nation. She is a board-certified community pediatrician with over two decades of experience who values the exceptional potential and strengths of every child, advocates for the unique, crucial health needs of youth and is ever grateful to the families and youth she has served. Dr. Cannon serves on community non-profit school and children hospital boards, aligned with championing youth and families. She has served in school board leadership roles navigating the pandemic, strategic planning processes, recruitment phases and enjoys collaborative, professional work committed to nurturing the fullest potential of young people.

Dr. Cannon is thankful for the opportunity to obtain her undergraduate degree from Brown University, her Doctor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and complete her pediatric residency and chief year at Rainbow Babies and Children in Cleveland, Ohio. To obtain a more systems approach mastery and to gain fuller appreciation for breadth and impact of public health, she is currently completing her Masters of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Cannon strives to see the extraordinary in the ordinary enjoying hiking, reading, yoga and her three adult children she and her husband raised in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Chris Ladish, PhD is the Assistant Vice President of the Bessler Center at Mary Bridge Children’s. Dr. Ladish is a licensed clinical psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist who has treated children at Mary Bridge for over 27 years. She serves on multiple interagency health boards, leadership councils, and steering teams including Family Connects Pierce County, Pierce County School Nurse Collaborative, Kids’ Mental Health Pierce County, Pierce County Perinatal Collaborative, and Global COR, an international collaborative bringing interdisciplinary consultation to pediatric providers throughout the world. She is passionate about improving health equity and healthcare access for all children in need of care and enjoys working collaboratively to bring care and advance policy to support marginalized communities. Dr. Ladish supported statewide efforts to bring youth back to school during the Covid pandemic, working with state government, congressional leaders and United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Dr. Ladish obtained her doctorate from Washington State University and completed internships and fellowships at the University of Washington and Stanford schools of medicine. She is currently pursuing her masters in public health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She resides at home with her family in Renton, Washington.

Rebecca has spent years working in social impact non-profit organizations. She has centered health equity throughout her career while creating impact within the areas of behavioral health, hate and bias crime response, and environmentalism. Rebecca has experience in community-led program development, grantmaking, and advocacy work, with a key focus on building meaningful relationships with partners. She is passionate about creating a health system where all children thrive.

Rebecca obtained her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University. She is currently completing a dual master’s degree in public health and public administration from the University of Washington.