The Bigger Picture

Lisa Pawelski '79

Lisa Pawelski '79, Dermatologist

What do you think you gained from the highly personalized education you got at Dickinson? 

"I really do believe that the smallish, very personal, academically rigorous, get-a-kick-out-of-asking-questions kind of place that Dickinson is made me a better doctor."

How did your Dickinson experience prepare you for your work? 

"Being surrounded by brilliant professors and really smart kids who kept me on my toes and thinking for four years honed my critical thinking, encouraged my inquisitive mind, got me excited about making unexpected connections and trained me to be a really good detective."

How would you characterize the people you studied with at Dickinson? 

"The first people who greeted me and surrounded me and were in sync with me were forward looking and bright and curious and capable, and that’s a great way to train for four years, with people like that ... I can’t say enough about the professors, I really can’t. The opportunity to explore just about anything—artistic, academic, social and otherwise—was amazing."

Do you think Dickinson's interdisciplinary liberal-arts approach to education continues to impact the way you practice medicine?

"The spirit of Dickinson prepared me to look to the bigger picture with patients. To look at not just the disease but also their social circumstances."

Published October 1, 2012