03/19/2026
Trailblazing the path forward in spine care!
Huge congratulations to our incredible Physician Assistant, Allison Luedke, at Spine Team for earning the Washington Academy of Physician Associates Trailblazer of the Year award. Your dedication, innovation, and commitment to patient care continue to set the standard and inspire everyone around you!
Congratulations to MEDEX Spokane faculty member and alumna Allison Luedke, recipient of this year's Washington Academy of Physician Associates Trailblazer of the Year award! The following is excerpted from her inspiring speech from the awards ceremony on March 8:
"When I think of trailblazers in our profession, I think of the PAs who bring care to underserved communities, who shape legislation, who build new programs from the ground up, and who advocate tirelessly for our profession. I have so much respect for those individuals and the paths they are forging.
My own path has been a little different.
In many ways, I still feel like I’m at the beginning of my career, learning every day from colleagues, mentors, and students. So I’ve spent some time thinking about what 'trailblazing' might mean in this context.
Maybe trailblazing isn’t always about creating entirely new paths. Sometimes it’s about continuing the path that others created before us, and doing our part to keep it strong for the next generation.
I also want to acknowledge the people who truly are the trailblazers in my life, my mentors at MEDEX, especially Sarah Serpinas, who shaped the clinician and educator I’m becoming, my colleagues in the operating room and clinic who teach me constantly, and the students who inspire me with their dedication, perseverance, and enthusiasm.
This award is not something I see as a finish line. If anything, it feels like encouragement to keep growing, to keep supporting students, to keep caring for patients, and to keep contributing to this profession that has given me so much.
Thank you to WAPA for this unexpected honor, and thank you to all of you for the work you do every day to advance the PA profession. I’m truly grateful to be part of it."
UW School of Medicine Alumni Association
