Wilson Society member spotlight: Anne Moore ’70, ’74M (MD)

Forever influenced by Rochester’s distinctive approach to medical education, Anne Moore continues the legacy by supporting scholarships for future doctors.

Anne Moore ’70, ’74M (MD)

For Anne Moore ’70, ’74M (MD), being a physician has often meant figuring out difficult problems. Her University of Rochester education helped instill a determination to get to the bottom of those questions that arise when caring for a patient. Faced with a medical challenge, Moore would go to all the resources she could to figure it out. She says, “I approach my work with a curiosity, asking myself, ‘What’s going on here, and can I fix it?’” Throughout her career, that process has been very rewarding.

Moore believes the University of Rochester’s distinctive approach to medical education shaped who she is as a physician. Rochester’s biopsychosocial model is patient-centered and puts equal emphasis on understanding the biology as well as the environmental, social, and psychological issues affecting a patient. Reflecting on her experience, Moore shares, “The education is very unique in the sense that from day one we were talking about the interaction between mental health and physical health. This has produced a special breed of the most caring physicians, who pause to notice the emotional state of their patients.”

Moore received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and stayed to attend the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD). Her parents were teachers, and growing up, Moore thought she would follow their footsteps and teach math. When she arrived at Rochester, she chose to take many liberal arts classes alongside her math major. She saw her peers in the sciences were spending much of their time in the lab, but she knew that was not for her. She began to be interested in medicine while doing a research study about health education in schools. With the support of family, especially her father who enthusiastically urged her to follow her dreams, Moore entered medical school at SMD. Once she began her primary clerkship, Moore gravitated toward working with younger patients and went on to select pediatrics as a specialty.

Recently Moore celebrated her 50th medical school reunion. She has had a fulfilling career, working at Kaiser Permanente in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and then at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Currently, she works as a travel physician, visiting hospitals around the country. Now nearing retirement, Moore also devotes much of her time to the equestrian program at her property, Kent Hill Farm, near Denver, CO.

With so many fond memories of Rochester and feeling that the school helped to create who she is today, Moore joined the Wilson Society and established a bequest to support scholarships at SMD. Moore is eager to help other students have the same experience she did, and ultimately to ensure that future doctors value the interrelation of mind and body that she gleaned from the University of Rochester’s biopsychosocial approach.

“It’s my honor and pleasure to participate in giving. I find it very meaningful to continue the legacy.”