Tribute to Linda Pinsky
Written by her colleague and friend, Dr. Joyce Wipf, professor emeritus.
Dr. Linda Pinsky received her medical degree, completed her residency and was chief medical resident at the University of Washington. She joined the faculty in the Division of General Internal Medicine in 1992 as an acting instructor, rising through the ranks to associate professor in 2001.
Enduring achievements and innovations
Her ability to think outside the box was legendary. During her ambulatory care chief residency at UWMC Roosevelt, she contributed creative ideas and content to our then new Resident as Teacher and Team Leader course curricula.
This evolved during her faculty tenure participating in our annual UW resident course, with national presentations and courses conducted at numerous professional society meetings, as well as other residency programs, notably including the University of Puerto Rico.
Linda co-led the production of educational videos in the UW Video Studio to enhance the teaching course; these were subsequently utilized by many programs across the country.
“Linda was a special person, an accomplished physician and brilliant educator with unique talents. I am proud of our professional collaboration over two decades and cherished her friendship.”
With a shared passion for teaching evidence-based physical exam, she led the creation of our Advanced Physical Diagnosis website.
Collaborating with the UW School of Medicine IT Department, the multi-year project started in 1999, at a time of rapidly evolving website platform design.
Her brilliance and perseverance were critical to the enduring success of the resource, which continues today as a classic resource on selected exam findings.
In addition to multiple national workshops on bedside teaching and physical diagnosis, she led creation and implementation of an 18-hour physical examination course with the School of Dentistry Oral Surgery Program.
Her international education activities included teaching clinical medicine in China, Guatemala and Uganda. She is fondly remembered for her volunteer work in rural Guatemala with the Seattle-based Guatemala Village Health organization.
A talented investigator and writer, she authored 17 peer-reviewed original publications (9 first author) on diverse themes, including genetics in primary care, the UW Teaching Scholars Program, resident peer advising and professional development, teaching skills and assessment, and the educational impact of international health rotations by students and residents. Her family notes that in her spare time, she wrote a book about her medical and life journey called “Waiting for an Epiphany”.
Dr. Pinsky leaves a legacy of innovative achievements and creative resources in medical education, kindness and devotion to her patients, trainees, and colleagues, and lasting memories of her volunteer activities in the communities she served.
A memorial service will be scheduled in October. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made to the Guatemala Village Health.