Alumni Spotlight

The Magic Touch

Anita Hendrickson, Ph.D. ’64

Mentor, innovator, ceiling-breaker: that was the late Anita Hendrickson, Ph.D. ’64. When she graduated from high school in 1953, her father wouldn’t pay for college; instead, Hendrickson got a job and financed her own education. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University, earned a doctorate in anatomy from the University of Washington and launched a groundbreaking career in vision science.

From the Very First Day

Kindra Freedom, PA-C (Seattle Class 43) and Brad Newhart, PA-C (Anchorage Class 1)

From the Very First Day: Kindra Freedom, PA-C (Seattle Class 43) and Brad Newhart, PA-C (Anchorage Class 1) Kindra and Brad noticed each other on their first day of school at MEDEX Northwest, and it only took a few days for them to build up the courage to meet. MEDEX convenes in Seattle for the first quarter of training, and they started going on study dates. Then Brad went to Alaska for didactics and clinicals. After two years of long-distance phone calls and intermittent vacations, they decided to tie the knot. The best thing about being married to a fellow PA-C, say Kindra and Brad, is that they understand work stressors and serve as each other’s sounding board. They also know when it’s time to leave work at work.

Seattle’s Own Mama Doc

Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D., Res. ’06

A year into practicing, Jenny McCarthy announced on Oprah that she believed the MMR vaccine gave her son autism. The next day, I was in clinic counseling a family about a one-year check-up. The mom bit her lip when I mentioned MMR on the list of shots and told me she had seen Jenny on Oprah. That’s when I knew I had to start creating online content, and I began to think about where parents were getting health information. I really wanted this mom to understand the phenomenal safety record for MMR and the way it would protect her child.

Alumni Spotlight

A Beautiful Tapestry

Loren C. Winterscheid, M.D., Ph.D., Res. ’62 (surgery), FACS

A Call to Serve

Kristel Hallsson

The Magic Touch

Anita Hendrickson, Ph.D. ’64

Improving Medical Education, One Trip at a Time

Frank James, M.D. ’83, Res. ’87

Finding Kindred Spirits From the Past

Grace Holmes, M.D. ’57

From the Very First Day

Kindra Freedom, PA-C (Seattle Class 43) and Brad Newhart, PA-C (Anchorage Class 1)

Seattle’s Own Mama Doc

Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D., Res. ’06

From Grad to Fellow

Andy Powers, Ph.D. ’11

Physician, Novelist, Curator, Activist and TED Fellow

Nassim Assefi, M.D. ’97

Wilderness Rescue

Scott Light, PA-C (Seattle Class 38)