Title: (retired) Pediatrician / Medical Director
Employer: Walla Walla Clinic / Lincoln Health Center

Alison’s career was spent helping people and her community. As a pediatrician at the Walla Walla Clinic in Washington she would often treat low-income and at-risk youth free of charge. Through that and volunteering at a clinic after graduating from SIU School of Medicine she saw that there were children in her own community who were suffering from an escalation of simple ailments because they were not able to get treatment. Once she saw the extent of the need she worked to co-found the Lincoln Health Center to provide free services to high risk teens. She volunteered there on her days off from her full-time job and helped to build a successful model of school-based health centers.

Her undergraduate degree in Biology here at Illinois allowed her to pursue a career she loved. It allowed her to be a respected female in a traditionally male field.

Alison would be a great person to talk with if you are also interested in making a difference in your community through improving the health of children and families Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Alison.

You can read more about Alison’s background in this story about her 2019 LAS Humanitarian Award.