It is with mixed emotions that I announce that Chris Martin, executive director for Airlift Northwest, will retire at the end of February 2020. Chris has been with UW Medicine for 40 years, starting as a pediatric nurse at UW Medical Center before transferring to Harborview Medical Center, where she worked in the emergency department as a staff nurse before taking a leadership role as the administrative director of Emergency and Trauma Services. She was in that role for 23 years.
In 2008, Chris became the executive director for Airlift Northwest. As a member of my executive team, Chris has been a tireless champion for our region’s patients and their families, overseeing the safe and rapid air transport for the most critically injured patients. Chris has participated on the Governor’s Steering Committee on Trauma, the Washington State Central Trauma Board and the North Region Trauma Board. Under her leadership, ALNW expanded its footprint to meet the regional demands for access to care in times of medical crisis. Chris oversaw community outreach and educational efforts to ensure that communities understood ALNW and the vital role it plays.
In this next chapter of her life, Chris is looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren and family. We will certainly miss her and her “can do” attitude. We are working on a transition plan with her team. Details for a celebration of Chris’s career at UW Medicine will be shared soon.
Please join me in thanking Chris for her contributions to UW Medicine and wishing her the very best in retirement.
Lisa Brandenburg
