Distinguished Alumni
Golden Graduates Luncheon
Tues. May 20, 2025 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Walker Ames Room, Kane Hall, UW Campus, Seattle
The UW Alumni Association invites all Huskies who graduated 50 or more years ago to gather and celebrate your enduring Husky connection. Join us on the UW’s scenic campus for lunch, good company and plenty of Purple Pride.
UWAA/UWRA Members: $35 | Non-members: $40 | RSVP by Friday, May 16
UW Professor Emerita Pamela Mitchell, ‘62, ‘91, is this year’s guest of honor and recipient of the Golden Graduate Distinguished Alumna Award. Since 1969, Mitchell has been a dedicated and impactful UW leader and faculty member. Over the course of her career, her research and teaching has touched millions of lives.
The award will be presented by UW School of Nursing Executive Dean Hilaire J. Thompson. Ph.D. student Marin Strong and UW Provost Tricia Serio will be joining the celebration with remarks and reflections.
Adding a delicious touch to the festivities will be the award-winning chefs of Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes, proud supporters of the UW Alumni Association. We can’t wait to welcome you back!
A special thank you to Jøyus Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine for providing a non-alcoholic drink option for this event.
If, after you register, you or a guest are no longer able to attend for any reason, please ensure your cancellation or modification request is submitted on or before Friday, May 16, to be eligible for a full refund. A link to canceling/modifying your reservation is provided in your confirmation email. Thank you.
Every year, the Golden Graduates Distinguished Alumni Award honors one alum from 50 or more years past who has demonstrated sustained, long-term and meaningful engagement with the UW. Learn more about how the UWAA celebrates outstanding members of the UW community on our awards page.
Golden Graduate Distinguished Alumna: Pamela Mitchell, BSN ‘62, Ph.D. ‘91, FAHA, FAAN
Since 1969, Dr. Pamela Mitchell has been a dedicated and impactful University of Washington leader and faculty member. Throughout her long and rich career, Dr. Mitchell filled numerous leadership and research roles at the University, including serving as interim dean of the School of Nursing from 2012 to 2013. Dr. Mitchell also served as the executive associate dean of the UW School of Nursing until her retirement. She was a tenured professor and named Professor Emerita in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing & Health Informatics. Dr. Mitchell served as an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine’s Department of Health Services and is the founding director of the Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education. She also served as co-director of the Research Education Core in the Institute for Translational Sciences.
Dr. Mitchell received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the UW in 1962; her master’s degree in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco in 1965; and her doctoral degree from the UW in 1991. Prior to joining the UW nursing faculty, Dr. Mitchell worked as a staff nurse in intensive care and neuroscience units and as a public health nurse.
Dr. Mitchell is highly respected throughout the national and international nursing communities for her innovative practice research and advances in nursing care for patients with increased intracranial pressure, such as those with head injury and stroke, in both acute and community care settings. She began conducting the earliest clinical research focusing on the consequences of nursing care on intracranial pressure at a time that preceded the application of technologies to this area of research. Over the course of her career, Dr. Mitchell expanded her scope to focus on post-stroke recovery, conducting research that has the capacity to touch millions of lives.
Dr. Mitchell has also made unique contributions to studying systems of care as well as the individual within those systems, advancing our understanding of the importance of organizational support for nurses practicing in critical care units.
Dr. Mitchell has held numerous leadership positions, including president of the American Academy of Nursing from 2007 to 2009, and is a fellow of the American Heart Association and Stroke Council. She is the author or co-author of more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, books or book chapters, book reviews, abstracts and technical reports.
In so many ways, Dr. Mitchell’s contributions to nursing science, research, practice and education will continue to have a lasting impact on the nursing profession and the health of our communities.
Drawn from Pamela Mitchell’s 2022 induction into the Washington State Nurses Association Hall of Fame. Read complete bio here.
Presenter: Hilaire J. Thompson, Ph.D., RN, ARNP, AGACNP-BC, FAAN
Dr. Hilaire Thompson is the executive dean of the UW School of Nursing, a registered nurse and nurse practitioner, professor of biobehavioral nursing and health informatics, core faculty at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and an adjunct professor in Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education at the UW School of Medicine. As a faculty member since 2006, she has held several leadership roles including graduate program director for the UW School of Nursing and associate vice provost in the Office of Academic Personnel in the Provost’s Office.
Dr. Thompson earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Mary Washington College in Virginia and her accelerated bachelor’s in nursing from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her postdoctoral work at the UW.
Funded by support from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and foundation awards, Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on improving outcomes following geriatric traumatic brain injury, as well as fall prevention. This work has been recognized with induction into Sigma’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing, and membership in the Washington State Academy of Sciences.
As executive dean, Dr. Thompson leads the nursing programs across the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses and ensures success in all aspects of the mission of the UW School of Nursing.
Presenter: Marin Strong
Marin Strong (she/they) is a community health nurse who is in their second year of the Ph.D. in nursing science program at the UW. While she grew up in New Hampshire, she has been fortunate to learn, live and participate in research in Indonesia, Nepal, India, South Africa, Brazil and Kenya. Domestically, she has worked for an Indigenous health system in Alaska, as an epidemiological lead for COVID-19 in Texas, and now serves our local community through a Public Health Seattle King County clinic. Their research interests span tuberculosis stigma, public health nursing, HIV PrEP in pregnancy and innovative community-delivered medication for opioid use disorder. She loves skiing, hiking, cycling and drinking good coffee in and around the Pacific Northwest.
About UW Provost Tricia R. Serio
Tricia R. Serio joined the University of Washington as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2023. A biochemist, Dr. Serio also holds a faculty appointment in the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Biochemistry.
As the UW’s academic and budget officer, Dr. Serio is focusing her leadership on core areas to advance the University’s academic mission.
Dr. Serio (she/her pronouns) came to the UW from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she was provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. A professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Dr. Serio previously served at UMass Amherst as associate chancellor for strategic academic planning and dean of the College of Natural Sciences. She has also held research and professorial positions at the University of Arizona, Brown University and Yale University.
At UMass Amherst, Dr. Serio launched and led initiatives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for faculty, staff and students, which included equity action plans for classroom belonging and faculty workload and a staff advisory council. She also established initiatives to promote faculty scholarship and creative activity that focused on sustainability, healthy aging, society and technology, inclusive excellence, data science and mid-career research support.
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Serio earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at Lehigh University and completed her master’s degree and Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale.
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