For more than four decades, Joyce Jackson has helped shape healthcare in the Puget Sound region. In 2026, her impact was recognized with the Ragen Volunteer Service Award from UW Medicine, an honor that celebrates her volunteer leadership, deep partnerships and lasting commitment to patients.

Jackson’s connection to UW Medicine began in 1979, when she moved to Seattle as her husband Craig Jackson started his pediatrics residency. Jackson was trained in speech pathology and audiology, and she continued her career in speech and hearing at the UW before enrolling in the University of Washington’s Master of Health Administration program.

Over time, the University of Washington didn’t just shape her career — it became a partner in her life’s work.

After 16 years at Virginia Mason Medical Center, Jackson became CEO of Northwest Kidney Centers in 1998. Over the next 21 years, she expanded lifesaving dialysis care across the region, growing the organization from seven clinics to 20.

Advancing discovery, together

When Jackson began at Northwest Kidney Centers, they had a proud history as the world’s first dialysis provider. However, she believed its future depended on something more.

“We couldn’t just rely on what we had done before,” she says. “We had to think about what comes next.”

That mindset led to one of her most significant contributions, helping bring together Northwest Kidney Centers and UW Medicine to create the Kidney Research Institute.

The goal was clear: Combine strengths to fast-track discovery.

“Research can’t happen without patients,” Jackson says. “And community care is where those patients are.”

The partnership created a powerful model.

Northwest Kidney Centers provided more than funding. It offered access, insight and trust, connecting researchers with the patients they aimed to serve. UW Medicine brought world-class research expertise and infrastructure.

Together, they built a pipeline for discovery that continues to advance the understanding of kidney disease, improve treatments and train future leaders in the field.

Today, scientists at the Kidney Research Institute are using the “kidney on a chip” — a credit-card-sized model that uses 3D scaffolding to replicate a working human kidney — to study how healthy and diseased kidneys function, test novel drugs and define the next generation of therapeutic strategies.

“It takes humility and trust,” she says. “You have to recognize what each partner does best — and then build something together.”

Throughout her career, Jackson has remained focused on that idea: Progress happens when people work together.

“They help make sure the work matters,” she says of volunteer and community leaders. “Not just in theory, but in people’s lives.”

However, as Jackson points out, kidney disease remains one of the most complex and costly challenges in healthcare. Ongoing dialysis, first developed at UW Medicine in Seattle over 60 years ago, is still the most utilized (or most common) treatment for permanent kidney failure. While lifesaving, it has changed little over time.

“We desperately need new answers,” Jackson says. “Without research, we’re not solving the problem, we’re just managing it.”

That urgency continues to drive her work today, from supporting research to advancing organ donation and transplantation through her leadership with community organizations.

A legacy of far-reaching impact

Since retiring from Northwest Kidney Centers in 2019, Jackson has remained deeply engaged with UW Medicine and the broader community.

She helped establish the Bill Peckham Professorship for Person-Centered Care in the UW School of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and continues to support programs that connect research with real-world impact, including efforts that bridge cancer and transplant care.

Her commitment extends far beyond UW Medicine. Jackson serves on several nonprofit boards, including Bloodworks Northwest, LifeCenter Northwest — the region’s organ procurement organization — and Northwest Center, which supports people with disabilities. Together, these roles reflect a lifelong dedication to improving lives at every stage.

Her approach to service is both simple and deeply personal. Jackson calls it “joyful service,” bringing energy, passion and purpose to every role she takes on. It’s a mindset that continues to guide her work and inspire those around her.

Yet Jackson is quick to point out that her work has never been done alone. Every milestone, she says, from expanding care to launching the Kidney Research Institute, was built alongside colleagues, clinicians, researchers and community partners. That spirit of collaboration is what she hopes others will carry forward.

“Find what you care about,” she says. “And then contribute in a way that’s meaningful to you.”

For UW Medicine, stories like Jackson’s reflect something larger: the power of generosity and shared purpose to drive real change.

And for Jackson, the journey is far from over. “I don’t have to do this anymore,” she says. “I just want to.”

That desire to serve, to connect and to make a difference continues to shape lives and strengthen our communities.

Written By Patsy Cadwell