Richard Deyo '71
A doctor may have many tools and new technologies to help an ailing patient, but sometimes using none of them may be the best option. This alumnus, a respected professor of medicine and a thoughtful critic of the medical system, has used his keen analytical skills to help point out medicine's flaws-and help improve the system.
As a student, this alumnus kept an active schedule, participating in orchestra, Friars, Uncle Sam's Club, and serving as a student auditor. At Grinnell, he earned Phi Beta Kappa honors and was a President's Medalist. He went on to get an M.D. from Penn State and a master's of public health from the University of Washington. While earning his degree Washington, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, and he was the co-recipient of the Nellie Westerman Prize for Research in Medical Ethics.
Since 1986, he has been a professor at the departments of medicine and health services at the University of Washington, where he has been a productive researcher and scholar. He is perhaps best known for co-authoring Hope or Hype: The Obsession with Medical Advances and the High Cost of False Promises, a controversial book that suggests that some highly touted medical "breakthroughs" may be only marginally effective-and might actually be harmful.
During his career, he has earned many honors for work, including the John M. Eisenberg National Award for Career Achievement in Research and the Northwest Region Society of General Internal Medicine Lifetime Achievement in Research Award.
For his remarkable research and his commitment to improve the medical system, we are pleased to honor Richard Deyo '71.
