We hope you had a wonderful evening and saw firsthand the impact that your giving has made to improve the health of the public. Without you, the breakthroughs that create better care wouldn’t be possible. Our sincere gratitude for your inspiring support!
Each year, we honor supporters and volunteers who have made extraordinary contributions to advancing our mission of improving the health of the public. We are deeply grateful to the 2024 recipients, and we invite you to learn more about them below.
The Osher Foundation
The Bernard Osher Foundation received the 2024 Brotman Award for its leadership in establishing the UW Osher Center for Integrative Health. “Our work is changing lives, restoring hope and healing the whole person,” says Iman Majd, MD, LAc, director of the Osher Center.
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Bruce and Jeannie Nordstrom
Bruce and Jeannie Nordstrom received the 2024 Brotman Award for their leadership in supporting the Institute for Protein Design (IPD). “Their early philanthropic gifts helped launch the IPD. They funded early-stage research with generous gifts with flexibility to drive high-risk, high-reward achievements,” says David Baker, PhD, director of the IPD.
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Loch Anderson and Allyn Perkins
Loch Anderson and Allyn Perkins, recipients of a 2024 Ragen Volunteer Service Award, are on a mission to get everyone talking about men’s health. “Loch and Allyn have been incredibly inspiring to me as a physician and leader,” says Hunter Wessells, MD.
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Dixie Wilson
Wilson’s many contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research, cancer vaccines and education are being recognized with a 2024 Ragen Volunteer Service Award. “I’m grateful to be associated with UW Medicine, a world-class educational, clinical and research institution,” says Wilson.
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Timothy H. Dellit, MD
CEO, UW Medicine
Tim Dellit, MD, was named CEO of UW Medicine, executive vice president for medical affairs and Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the UW School of Medicine in November 2023 after holding these same roles on an interim basis since July 2022. He previously served as chief medical officer for UW Medicine, executive vice dean for clinical affairs for the School of Medicine, vice president for medical affairs and president of UW Physicians (UWP), a faculty practice plan with more than 2,800 members.
In his leadership roles, Dr. Dellit is a strong proponent of practice transformation as UW Medicine strives towards the quadruple aim of improving the healthcare experience and quality of care for our patients, improving the health of the population we serve, reducing healthcare costs and improving the practice environment for our clinicians. He is also deeply committed to addressing healthcare inequities and improving care in underserved communities.
Dr. Dellit earned his MD from Cornell University Medical College. He is board-certified in both infectious diseases and internal medicine. Dr. Dellit’s clinical and research interests include general infectious diseases, orthopedic trauma-related infections, prevention of healthcare-associated infections and appropriate use of antibiotics.
Nora Disis, MD
Director, Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI)
Mary “Nora” Disis, MD, is director of the UW Institute of Translational Health Science and the Center for Translational Medicine in Women’s Health. She is also associate dean of the UW School of Medicine, dean of research and graduate education, associate dean of translational science, Helen B. Slonaker Endowed Professor for Cancer Research, professor of medicine and oncology and adjunct professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pathology.
Dr. Disis believes patients and physicians must work as partners, especially in the field of oncology. She believes all aspects of clinical care, as well as cutting-edge research, should be brought to the table to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Dr. Disis earned her MD at the University of Nebraska. She is board-certified in both medical oncology and internal medicine. Her research focuses on immune-based therapies for common cancers, in particular breast and ovarian cancer.
Neil King, PhD
Translational Investigator, Institute for Protein Design (IPD)
Dr. Neil King joined the Institute for Protein Design as a translational investigator in early 2014. During his postdoc, he pioneered the development of general computational methods for designing self-assembling proteins with atomic-level accuracy. His group at the IPD is using and extending these methods to design functional protein nanomaterials for applications in targeted drug delivery and the design of next-generation vaccines.
Proteins are nature’s building block of choice for constructing “molecular machines”: stable yet dynamic assemblies with unparalleled molecular recognition, catalysis and responsiveness to changes in environment. Dr. King’s group is incorporating these features into the design of functional nanomaterials with the goal of creating new opportunities for treating disease. They are working with collaborators around the world to optimize the performance of their artificially designed proteins.
Marion Pepper, PhD
Executive Co-director, Institute for Translational Immunology
Dr. Marion Pepper graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and English from Williams College, then earned her PhD in immunology in 2006 from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota and joined the Department of Immunology as an assistant professor in 2011. She was promoted to associate professor in 2017 and to full professor in 2023. Dr. Pepper was appointed interim chair of the Department of Immunology in 2021 and was named chair in 2022.
In November 2023, Dr. Pepper became executive co-director of the Institute for Translational Immunology, which seeks to create a formalized network of interdisciplinary, immunology-focused biomedical researchers and postdoc fellows that will accelerate research discoveries and collaboration across disciplines.
Dr. Pepper’s team studies immune memory (when the immune system responds more robustly to something the second time compared to the first time). The goal of the Pepper Lab is to design better vaccines and block the formation of immune memory to prevent allergic disease.
