Meet the Winners

Richard A. Kirkpatrick, M.D. ’72
Physician and Healthcare Advocate, Longview, Wash.

“So in a smaller town, you’re it…it’s you and the patient, and I like that. When I look back on my career and my life, I want to say I made a difference and I helped people not only in my exam rooms, but in the community as a whole. I think that’s what makes me tick.”

F. Bruder Stapleton, M.D., Res. ’74
UW Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Chief Academic Officer, Seattle Children’s Hospital

“I’ve been honored to be involved in trying to develop a culture of diversity and inclusiveness, maybe because I grew up in the ’60s and was very much concerned about civil rights. Everyone deserves respect. Not only should people be treated equally, but everyone should be given an equal chance.”

Lois C. Thetford, PA-C (Seattle 14)
Physician’s Assistant, Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers
Homeless Healthcare Advocate and UW Faculty

“I think that homeless healthcare is a really big, important subspecialty within medicine, and that we need more creative ways of helping people get the care they need.”

Paul K. Crane, M.D. ’97, Int. ’98, Fel. ’03, MPH
UW Associate Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine
Researcher and Educator

“The University of Washington is a profoundly good place. It is a world power in medicine. It is a world power in Alzheimer’s disease. And I feel humbled to be part of the faculty here.”

J. Randall Curtis, M.D., Res. ’91, Chief Res. ’92, MPH, Fel. ’97
UW Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Director, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence

“I was interested in palliative care before we even had a term for it. There were lots of institutions around the country where that wasn’t supported and where people actually thought that was a little bizarre…I never felt that way at UW Medicine. I always felt like the value of talking to patients and their families, understanding what they needed, and finding a way to provide it was supported by my mentors, my bosses and the whole system.”