Friends of the UW School of Medicine
Supporting Medical Students
For more than 70 years, the Friends of the University of Washington School of Medicine (Friends) have provided vital financial assistance to medical students to reduce their financial burden. In recent years, the Friends have focused their efforts on raising funds for scholarships and supporting initiatives that promote student well-being. Their generosity has made a meaningful difference in the lives of hundreds of students, including providing scholarship support to more than 250 future physicians.
Join the Friends
Membership in the Friends is open to all who share a commitment to advancing medical education. This includes current and former faculty, emeritus and retired faculty, UW School of Medicine alumni and staff, as well as members of the broader community.
Members are invited to participate in an annual meeting where they help guide the allocation of funds raised throughout the year. The gathering also features updates from School of Medicine leadership and opportunities to hear directly from students who have benefited from the Friends’ support.
FAQs
No. While current and former faculty are welcome to join the Friends, if you are a UW School of medicine alumni, staff or spouse of a staff, or a community member interested in supporting medical education, you are also welcome!
As a member of the Friends of the UW School of Medicine Advisory Board, you play a vital role in advancing our mission. Here are a few key ways you can contribute:
• Attend biannual meetings. We gather each fall and spring to review progress, set priorities and plan for the future. These meetings also offer a chance to connect personally and professionally with fellow members.
• Support giving and fundraising. Your philanthropic support — and your willingness to encourage others to give — are essential to sustaining and expanding the impact of our programs.
• Help recruit new members. We value your help in identifying and welcoming new supporters to the board, broadening our community of advocates.
• Serve as an ambassador. Your knowledge of the School is a powerful asset. We ask you to help keep others informed, engaged and inspired by the work we do together.
How long you serve is completely up to you; there are no set term limits, so the term is decided upon by the member.
Since its founding in 1949, the Friends has sponsored more than 250 student scholarships and currently support over 25 students annually with a total of $27,000+ in scholarship aid. In addition to scholarships, we provide over $10,000 annually in emergency student loans and invest in programming, service learning and wellness and mental health programs.
All these initiatives share the same goal: supporting UW School of Medicine students and their dream to become medical professionals.
If you would like to learn more about joining the Friends, please contact co-presidents Kevin O’Brien at cardiac@uw.edu or Rena O’Brien at renafobrien@gmail.com.
You can also reach out to Angela Dugan, director for philanthropy, at 206.618.3318 or adugan@uw.edu.
Mission and History
The Friends support medical students in their education and experience. The volunteer advisory board consists of current and former faculty, alumni, staff, spouses and other community members interested in learning about and supporting medical students.
Founded in 1949 as the Medical Faculty Wives, the group later expanded its role and in 1978 changed its name to the Medical School Auxiliary. In 1993, the organization expanded again, adopting its current name.
Support Medical Students
at the UW School of Medicine
Would you like to make a lasting impact on the lives of future healthcare leaders? There are several meaningful ways to support UW School of Medicine students through the Friends:
Make a Gift Online
You may choose to give to one of the following funds:
• Friends of the UW School of Medicine Endowment — Provides enduring scholarship support in perpetuity.
• Friends of the UW School of Medicine Fund — Offers immediate assistance to students in the year the gift is made. This fund is renewed annually through generous contributions.
Mail a Gift by Check
Please make your check payable to the UW Foundation and mail it to:
UW Medicine Advancement
Box 358045
Seattle, WA 98195-8045
Be sure to indicate which fund you would like your gift to support.
Include the Friends in Your Estate Plans
Several Friends members have extended their support by naming the organization as a beneficiary of their estate or retirement plans. Planned gifts are a powerful way to ensure the future of the medical education programs we champion while offering flexible, creative options for your estate and charitable goals.
To explore your giving options or connect your adviser with one of our planned giving experts, please contact:
Angela Dugan
Director for Philanthropy
adugan@uw.edu
Co-Presidents:
Rena O’Brien, RN
Kevin O’Brien, MD
Immediate Past Co-Presidents:
David C. Dale, MD
Rose Marie Dale
Members at Large:
Jean D. Crill
Janet H. Murphy, MBChB
David J. Pierson, MD
Pamela Yung, MD
Ex officio:
Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD
Caroline Anderson
Donald W. Belcher, MD
Melvin E. Belding, MD
Michael J. Bishop, MD
Shirley W. Bishop
Jane B. Bremner
James B. Bushyhead, MD
Kristine E. Calhoun, MD
Anna G. Chesnut
Charles H. Chesnut III, MD
Ann A. Coulter
Helen Dichek, MD
Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH
Ann C. Eschenbach
Elspeth V. Ferguson
Maren B. Gilliland
Amy Grady
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
Nancy M. Hardy, MD
W. Alan Hodson, MD
Denise G. Klaff
Leslie J. Klaff, MD
Maria Linde
John D. Loeser, MD
Karen W. Loeser
Colleen A. McGough
Patrica McInturff
Sandra B. Norris
Jonathan H. Ostrow, MD
Christine M. Pierson, MD
Dona L. Pierson
Patricia G. Read-Williams, MD
Betsy Robertson
Joan Samson
Werner E. Samson, MD
M. Roy Schwarz, MD
TC Schwarz
Teresa A. Scott
Barbara A. Smith
Yvonne N. Spadoni
Barbara R. Stapleton
Christina M. Surawicz, MD
Sheila J. Swanson
Alexander L. Sytman, MD
Bunny Wood
Katherine Turner
Betty Ripley
Marion Haviland
Dixie Rushmer
Bunny Williams
Janet Ward
1949 – Katherine Turner
1950 – Dixie Rushmer
1950 – Jean Harkins
1951 – Dorothy Lazarus
1952 – Bunny Williams
1953 – Carol Perrin
1954 – Catherine Volwiler
1955 – Jean Morris
1956 – Jean Morris
1957 – Penny Hain
1958 – Eleanor Bruce
1959 – Eleanor Bruce
1960 – Lorraine Figge
1961 – Dixie Rushmer
1962 – Lucille Decker
1963 – Margaret Nyhus
1964 – Joan Grayston
1965 – Lucille Phillips
1966 – Jean Wootton
1967 – Marion Loomis
1968 – Ellyn Swanson
1969 – Shirley Merendino
1970 – Janet Clawson
1971 – Naomi Everett
1972 – Elizabeth Sherris
1973 – Cathy Ensinck
1974 – Jean Crill
1975 – Ginney Stevenson
1976 – Jean Blagg
1977 – Lorna Aagaard
1978 – Kathy Belknap
1979 – Carol Christensen
1980 – Eleanor Farrell
1981 – Sandra Sumi
1982 – Janet Kalina
1983 – Yvonne Spadoni
1984 – Nancy Herman
1985 – Maren Gilliland
1986 – Zita Mannik
1987 – Jane Cummings
1988 – Anna Gene Chesnut
1989 – Judy Knopp
1990 – Joan Samson
1991 – Marla Moss
1992 – Miriam Cullen
1993 – Ann Spiess
1994 – Teresa Scott
1995 – Peggy Hanel
1996 – Mimi Hanks-Bell
1997 – Lorraine Figge
1998 – Catherine Ensinck
1999 – Rose Marie Dale
2000 – Jean Crill
2001 – Anne Green
2002 – William Green, MD
2003 – Anna Gene Chesnut
2004 – Ann A. Coulter, Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD
2005 – Ann A. Coulter, Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD
2006 – Susan G. Marshall, MD, Joan Samson
2007 – Susan G. Marshall, MD, Joan Samson
2008 – Elspeth V. Ferguson
2009 – Elspeth V. Ferguson
2010 – Sandra B. Norris
2011 – Sandra B. Norris
2012 – Zita L. Mannik
2013 – Zita L. Mannik
2014 – David J. Pierson, MD
2015 – David J. Pierson, MD
2016 – Pamela Yung, MD
2017 – Pamela Yung, MD
2018-2024 – Rose Marie and David Dale, MD