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2009 Silver Medal Award

Joseph Anderson, MD

The Life and Times of Joseph Anderson, MD

Joseph Anderson was born in 1941 in Stromsburg, Nebraska.  His mother was a music teacher and his father was in the furniture business.  Joe’s father died when he was eight years old.  Summer jobs during his youth included farm worker, construction, paper boy, and helping out in a local hardware store and a variety store.  Mentors when he was growing up included an uncle who was the Stromsburg family doctor, an uncle who owned a business in Sioux City, Iowa, and teachers, coaches, and employers.  Joe attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln after high school beginning courses in electrical engineering.  In the second year of college he found a desire to become a medical doctor and switched majors to physics and completed pre-med requirements.

After graduation from college, he attended the University of Nebraska College of Medicine from 1963 to 1968.  After the second year of medical school he completed requirements for a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering.  He lived in the Phi Chi house during medical school and was the house breakfast cook before classes in the morning.  Joe was also the house manager for one year.  After completion of medical school he did a rotating internship year at Wayne County Hospital in Eloise, Michigan, where as an intern he became impressed with the role of medical imaging in the care of his patients.

He joined the U.S. Navy after internship and was stationed with the Marines at Camp Pendleton, California for two years, working as a General Medical Officer in dispensaries and at the hospitals in anesthesia.  During that time he considered a residency in internal medicine or radiology.  After an interview at the Los Angeles International Airport with William Wilson, Chairman of Radiology, Joe accepted a residency position in general radiology at the University of Nebraska.

After residency he began a career in academic radiology at UNMC.  He worked for a few years as a general diagnostic radiologist and became very interested in the new developing field of diagnostic ultrasound, beginning to do obstetric and abdominal sonograms on a then state-of-the-art articulated arm B-scanner.  The field of ultrasound and Joe’s involvement expanded from there.  He was instrumental in developing training programs in diagnostic ultrasound for technology students and residents and continues his love of teaching and of ultrasound imaging.

During his career at the University of Nebraska he has been involved with the training of new sonographers, residents, and fellows in body imaging.  He has served the UNMC Department of Radiology as section leader in body imaging and as vice chairman.  He has been an imaging consultant for head and neck oncology.  For several years he has been a member and an officer on the UNMC Faculty Senate.  He has served as hospital credentials committee chairman and a member of the hospital medical executive committee for several years.  Joe has been a member of the Nebraska Radiological Society since 1975 and was president in 1986.  He has been a choir member and Sunday school teacher in his church.

Joe was married to Darlene Goodwin during medical school in 1966 and she has been a constant and devoted supporter of his career and of their family.  Darlene and Joe have three children.  Laura Kirkland is a second grade teacher in Flower Mound, TX.  Laura is married to Kelly and together they are the parents to two children, Tyler age 12 and Lindsay age 8.  Jeffrey is an engineer with Applied Materials in Round Rock, TX.  Jeffrey is married to Patty and together they are parents of Matthew age 7.  Mark is a charter school music teacher in Brooklyn, NY.  Mark is Married to Wen-Han, they are both musicians in New York.  Joe’s sister Marion and brother-in-law Michael Rosenfeld live in New Hope, PA.