Alumni Spotlight

The Starfish Scholarships

Tom Benedetti, M.D. ’73, MHA ’00 and Tom Norris, M.D., Fel. ’89

It’s an old story, and it goes something like this. Picture an old man at the beach, and a child, and a lot of starfish, stranded by a storm. The child picks up a starfish and places it gently back into the water. The old fellow thinks the child is wasting her time, so he offers some counsel. Why bother? he asks her. There are so many starfish. What could it possibly matter?

Homeward Bound

Lt. Col. Kristen Wyrick, M.D. ’03

War is hard on families. And life on the home front can be difficult, too.

This is a fact that Lt. Col. Kristen Wyrick, M.D. ’03, and her husband, Col. Brian Wyrick (retired), are intimately acquainted with. Right after the birth of their first son, Kristen and Brian each received five-month tours of duty in Afghanistan. Brian left in 2007 and Kristen the year after.

In the Face of the Storm

Stephen Morris, M.D., MPH

Hurricanes have a way of upending the best-laid plans. Alumnus Stephen Morris, M.D., ’05, MPH, was about to leave for a family vacation in Hawaii when a series of powerful storms began churning across the Atlantic. He still boarded a plane, but not to go on holiday. Instead, Morris flew into the destructive wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria to care for the sick and injured.

Finding Joy

Erika Goldstein, M.D., Res. ’84

This year, Erika Goldstein, M.D., Res. ’84, MPH UW professor of medicine and associate dean of the Colleges at the UW School of Medicine, concludes her long, distinguished career. With over 34 years practicing general internal medicine at Harborview Medical Center and teaching clinical medicine to students, she has accumulated a lot of wisdom about what makes a good doctor.

Answering the Call

Major Dan Hankes, M.S., MPAS

Major Dan Hankes, M.S., MPAS, remembers crouching in the back of darkened helicopters by night, helping special ops flight paramedics provide combat trauma care in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was probably the most thrilling point in his career.

What Good Can I Do?

Genevieve L. Pagalilauan, M.D. ’00, Res ’03

“My grandfather wasn’t a daily presence in my life, but I understand his commitment,” says Genevieve L. Pagalilauan, M.D. ’00, Res ’03. “He made tremendous self-sacrifices. He was part of the Bataan Death March during World War II. I don’t think you can grow up with stories like that and not think: what is my purpose here? What good can I do?”

Pagalilauan, a UW associate professor of medicine, has asked and answered these questions. By becoming a doctor, like her grandfather.

Oh, the Places They’ll Go!

Meet two M.D. graduates as they head off to residency

In March 2018, the UW School of Medicine’s graduating class came together for Match Day to find out where they’ll be going for their residencies. We talked to two of them about their next phase.

Helping the Next Generation

David Greeley, M.D. ’89, FAAN

David Greeley, M.D. ’89, FAAN, is a third-generation doctor — but his father, a general internist, initially tried to talk him out of it.

“By the time I was applying to medical school, my dad was feeling the crunch and seeing the changes in medicine,” says Greeley. But his son was undeterred, finding happiness and intellectual fulfillment in his choice: the practice of neurology.

Heart and Soul

Jeff Hostetter, M.D. ’00, M.S., FAAFP

A math teacher, a coach and now a doctor in North Dakota: that’s alumnus Jeff Hostetter, M.D. ’00, M.S., FAAFP. “It’s all about service,” says Hostetter. “I taught high-school and college students, coached two varsity sports, and now I mentor residents. For me, teaching is very fulfilling.”

Healing Land

Lisa Sferra, M.D. ’97, Res. ’99

Beacon Avenue South is a major, trafficked street. Still, it doesn’t surprise Lisa Sferra, M.D. ’97, Res. ’99, to find someone parked on the side of the road near her property. It happens fairly regularly. One passerby told her, wistfully, “This looks like the place I grew up in Laos.”