Alumni Notes

Scott Kellermann (MPH TRMD ’78) has been named the County of Nevada Public Health officer in Nevada City, Calif. Kellermann founded a 175-bed Bwindi Community Hospital in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda, where he has worked for twenty years with the Batwa pygmies. He and his wife Carol also founded the Kellermann Foundation, which was supported by Nevada County residents.

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Nancy Palmatier (MPH ’76) has been volunteering in the vaccination clinic of the Arlington, Virginia, Public Health Department. “I’ve come full circle from volunteering 50 years ago in a free clinic,” she says. “Feels good to be part of the solutions.”

Erica Washington (MPH EPID ’09) has been named a Superbugs Ambassador by the Pew Trust. Ambassadors meet virtually with federal agency leaders and members of Congress to share superbug stories and expertise and urge increased commitment and momentum to preserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics and develop urgently needed new ones.

In Memoriam: Dr. Donald Lee Donohugh (MPH TRMD ’61) passed away at age 96 in Pacific Grove, Calif. A physician, teacher, and author, Donohugh received many accolades throughout his medical career. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy and completed his pre-medical requirements while on active duty. He received his MD from the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco in 1956 and was the director of medical services in American Samoa under the U.S. Department of the Interior.

After earning his public health degree in tropical medicine from Tulane, he became a fellow of both the American Society of Tropical Medicine and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He served as an instructor in medicine at Tulane, then became an assistant professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Louisiana State University. After being assigned to the International Center for Medical Research and Training, maintained by LSU in Costa Rica, as consulting epidemiologist, he worked with the Agency for International Development program to create the University of Costa Rica Medical School. In 1967, he became director of medical services at the University of California at Irvine Medical Center. He went on to open a private practice in Orange County, California.

He loved the ocean and enjoyed bodysurfing, spearfishing and sailing. He moved to Hawai‘i in 1985 and became a consultant in internal medicine on Kaua‘i and lectured at the University of Hawai‘i medical school.

As a distinguished veteran, he served as a line officer in the Pacific and Asiatic areas. He received various campaign medals, including four combat stars in Korea. He left the service as a lieutenant in 1952 to attend medical school. In 1966, he joined the Naval Reserve as commander and was called to active duty for periods during the Vietnam conflict. He was promoted to captain 1976 and retired in 1984 as a captain.

He was an author of numerous books and articles in professional journals, including “The Middle Years, Practice Management for Physicians” and “Kauai: A Paradise Guide.