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Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipients

2010 Distinguished Alumnus Jerris Hedges

Jerris Hedges Celebrated ER physician named Distinguished Alumnus award recipient
When he received his AA degree in general science from Centralia College in 1969, Jerris Hedges couldn't have known how far he'd go or what a mark he would leave in his wake. His goal was to make positive changes in the world, something that he has done and likely will continue to do. From ground-breaking research on the pacemaker to serving as an initiator of the standardization of emergency room procedures, Hedges is certainly leaving his legacy. And for his accomplishments Hedges becomes the college's 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.

"Dr. Hedges's accomplishments are extraordinary," said Dr. Jim Walton, college president. "He helped standardize emergency room procedures and wrote the manual for ER medical care that is in use around the world. He was a major researcher in the development of the pacemaker. His work has doubtless been responsible for saving countless lives and he's not done yet. We are very proud to have him as our Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient."

From the very outset, Hedges intended to have a powerful, positive impact on the world through his study and lifetime work. "I have a drive to make a positive change in the world," Hedges. "And so far I've been given that opportunity." The monumental changes Hedges has wrought with that opportunity must leave the observer in awe. Hedges was born at the original St. Peters Hospital in West Olympia and grew up on a small beef farm outside of Littlerock and graduated from Rochester High. Hedges enrolled at Centralia College in 1967, choosing general engineering. "I chose that path," he explained, "as it seemed to provide the best science training. Between chores on the farm, summer jobs to earn tuition, and my studies, I dabbled in wrestling," Hedges recalled. It was also at Centralia College that Hedges met Susan, his wife of over 40 years.

Hedges studied aeronautical engineering at the UW. "I chose aeronautics because of its breadth and depth of knowledge and application," he said. "Aeronautics encapsulated mechanical, electrical, chemical, and civil engineering in a compact, light-weight structure that would leave the ground." By then Hedges had decided on a life career goal; he would study medicine and apply his engineering experience to new medical procedures and techniques.

Hedges earned his bachelor's degree in astronautics and aeronautics, a master's degree in chemistry, and his medical degree at the University of Washington. He completed his medical residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. During this period of his career, Hedges settled into the sometimes helter-skelter world of Emergency Medicine. It was in this field that he began to make his presence known on an international scale.

Upon joining the faculty of the Oregon Health Sciences University at Portland, Dr. Hedges continued his studies and participation in emergency medicine. In some 20 years of work—and more than 100 medical investigations and publications, Hedges had achieved much in reshaping the practice and philosophy of emergency medicine. "When emergency medicine as a field developed," Hedges explained, "patients would come in and seek help, and no one was particularly trained in a broad matter to deliver that care. What a standardized discipline, from training to practice, brought was the generalist knowledge to the surgeon's interventional approach in the ER."

Hedges and his colleagues wrote a book that told emergency room staff how and why you would do a procedure in the emergency setting. The result was to give emergency rooms the resources needed in almost any possible scenario. The ultimate effect was the elevation of emergency medicine to a separate branch of medicine.

Hedges is also well-known for his work on trans-cutaneous cardiac pacing in the early 1980s, helping introduce that modality into daily emergency practice. "One of the things I got interested in was how to treat patients whose heart was either beating too slowly or had stopped," says Hedges. Hedges combined his engineering knowledge with medical skills to restore cardiac pacing in critical patients. His ground-breaking research led to the development of an electro-mechanical device to even out erratic heart beat—the pacemaker.

Today Dr. Jerris Hedges is dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii and facing another new challenge. His vision is to structure a system to address disparities in health care delivery to Asian and Pacific Islanders. "The poor survival outcome for Asian and Pacific Island patients is concerning." Hedges said he hopes health access and outcome disparities can be strengthened to "save the lives of those with major injury through a systems approach to trauma care delivery."

Hedges is invited to speak at Centralia College's commencement on Friday, June 11, and will be honored at events taking place during that day.


Centralia College seeks Distinguished Alumnus candidates

A Centralia College selection committee continues to seek nominations for the college's annual Distinguished Alumnus award. This prestigious award is the highest honor the college confers upon individuals who have attended the college and is presented during commencement exercises in June.

The award is given to an individual who attended Centralia College for at least one year and has made significant contributions to his or her profession or society in general.

Previous winners of the honor include Brian Valentine, senior vice president of Windows, Microsoft; Susan Dunn, special assistant for policy support with the state Employment Security Department; Del Smith, founder and owner of Evergreen International Aviation, Inc.; Gordon Sweany, past chairman of the Board of Safeco Insurance; Patty Morton, an executive in the U.S. State Department; and Richard Ice, a retirement community administrator.

Both Smith and Valentine have earned National Alumni of the Year honors and were recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges.

Others honored include: Gary Justice, former KIRO-TV News anchor; John Mulligan, third-highest ranking official in the U.S. Post Office; Margaret Woods, a nationally recognized leader in the education of young children; Ford Rainey, movie and television actor; Jennifer Williams, founder of the British American Arts Association; James Lonborg, NASA engineer; Donald Fowler, an executive with Tandem Computers; Bill Brumsickle, a former school official and state legislator; and Orin Smith, president of Starbucks.

While the college is aware of the careers and accomplishments of many of its graduates, each year the selection committee depends upon members of the community to make nominations for the award, sharing their knowledge of the successes of Centralia College alumni. For additional information or nominating forms, call Centralia College, (360) 736-9391, ext. 290 or 561. The name and information on how to contact a nominee may be mailed to:
Julie Johnson
Centralia College
600 Centralia College Blvd.
Centralia, WA 98531