Alumni Spotlight

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.”

Helping Kids Thrive After Cancer

Eric Chow, M.D., Res, ’04, Fel. ’07

“Fifty years ago, most kids didn’t survive cancer. Today, more than 80 percent of kids who had it are long-term survivors,” says alumnus Eric Chow, M.D., Res, ’04, Fel. ’07, UW assistant professor of pediatrics and adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology.

Making sure kids stay well is his job. And his mission.

Have Couch, Will Travel

Deanna Glassman, M.D. ’16

Fifteen interviews: it’s not unusual for a medical student to have that many in the process of applying for residency. This can mean having to find up to 15 places to sleep, often in cities or towns thousands of miles from home.

Deanna Glassman, M.D. ’16, remembers the challenges of the interview trail well. That’s why she now volunteers for Help Our Students Travel (HOST) by offering free accommodations to traveling medical school students.

Finding Kindred Spirits From the Past

Grace Holmes, M.D. ’57

“If I had been the right age, would I have enlisted?”

This was the question that Grace Holmes, M.D. ’57, pondered as she was writing her book: North Dakota Nurses Over There, 1917–1919. The book chronicles the experiences of female nurses who cared for the sick and injured during World War I.

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.