Tom and Ruth Nighswander
Leaders and innovators in public health, the Nighswanders work to improve health care where it is needed most, by adapting technologies, training medical staff, and treating patients one on one. Their compassion, dedication, and enthusiasm is a powerful force for “Tikkun Olam” – repairing the world in communities from Alaska to distant Malawi.
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Ruth and Tom Nighswander began their life partnership as high school sweethearts in Kent, Ohio. They married in June of 1964 – and left for Peace Corps training the very next day. Expecting to be teachers, they found themselves working on a tuberculosis crisis in Malawi. Little did they suspect a random assignment in Africa would shape their lives, leading to careers in medicine, advances in rural health care, and the founding of a village for Malawi orphans.
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Dr. Tom Nighswander
Focus on Rural Health
Inspired by his Peace Corps experience, Tom completed a medical degree at Case Western Reserve University and launched his career with the Public Health Service in Alaska. Since 1972, Tom has worked with the Alaska Native Medical Center to improve health care in underserved areas. From his early days setting up clinics and training health aides in remote villages, Tom has become a leading voice setting health care policy in Alaska. Tom's work is always centered on the patient. In addition to his role as administrator, teacher, and consultant, he continues to treat patients, one on one. In 2016, Tom was recognized by the Alaska Academy of Family Medicine as the Alaska Physician of the Year. Tom's vision to expand access to health care also includes innovative solutions. From 1999 to 2007, Tom facilitated the Alaska Telehealth Advisory Commission, formed to advance health care with telecommunications. Under Tom’s leadership, this commission gave rise to Alaska’s eHealth Network, enabling patients and health care professionals to consult electronically throughout the state. 
Tom has also dedicated the last 20 years to the WWAMI* program, with the goal of increasing the number of physicians in underserved areas. As a professor and regional dean of the WWAMI* program, Tom has guided scores of Alaskan students through medical training. Many of his students have returned to practice in their home communities. 
*WWAMI is a 5-state medical school partnership among Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
Tom’s community service extends well beyond the workplace. He has chaired a host of committees, addressing issues from alcohol abuse to cancer research. He has also served on the Executive Boards of Commonwealth North, United Way, and many other non-profit organizations. Tom received the Barbara Berger Award and the Alaska Meritorious Health Service Award for contributions to public health. |
Ruth Nighswander, RN
Caring for Youth
Ruth returned from the Peace Corps to teach 5th grade and earn a Master’s degree in Education. Once in Alaska, she pursued a nursing degree from Alaska Methodist University (now APU). With her love of nursing and background in education, Ruth is a perfect fit for her 30-year career as school nurse in the Anchorage School District. Her programs demonstrate a creative approach and a propensity to go above and beyond: “2nd cup of coffee” sessions with parents, mobile mammography clinics for staff, Mock Earthquake Days, Healthy Hearts classes, Daffodils for Cancer. Ruth was chosen to spearhead the daunting task of computerizing the school district’s patient records. Her team approach was invaluable in guiding district nursing staff through this transition. In 2001, the Alaska School Nurses Association voted Ruth as Alaska’s School Nurse of the Year. 
Ruth is the contract nurse mentor for the Anchorage School District. She also mentors nursing students from the University of Alaska and teaches first aid classes. A cancer survivor herself, Ruth offers counseling and and a shoulder to lean on for others coping with the disease. Colleagues describe her in glowing terms: leader, motivator, imaginative, promoting group harmony, well-organized, and “never without direction.” They value her ability to connect - encouraging, listening, and doing the “small things that count.” Ruth has a history of making herself available wherever there is great need. She initiated the School Nurses Fund, helping students in need from over 50 schools. She helped at-risk teens at MacAuley Manor and Covenant House, taught at the Native Head Start, and organized ski teams for local causes. An avid parent volunteer, Ruth earned the title of "Parent of the Year" from Bartlett High School. She was named a YWCA Woman of Achievement and awarded the Anchorage Hospice Award of National/Global Community Service. 
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Partners Together
Ruth and Tom have both enjoyed being Youth Counselors at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for the past three decades. In addition, Tom and Ruth’s international ties have led to some unique volunteer opportunities. As Regional Ambassadors for Anchorage’s Winter Olympics bid, the Nighswanders lobbied delegates in Nairobi and hosted them in their Anchorage home. The American College of Physicians honored both Tom and Ruth with the Volunteerism Award in 2013.
Malawi Children's Home
In 1984, the Ministry of Health recruited Tom to return to Malawi for a year-long assignment, developing a National Health Plan. Ruth found her niche teaching at the Kamuzu College of Nursing, while their two young children attended Malawi schools.
The Nighswanders answered another call from Malawi in 2000, where an entire generation of parents had been lost to the AIDs epidemic. A friend asked them to help set up the Malawi Children’s Village, a home-based program to provide basic needs and education for some 3000 orphans. Ever since, Ruth and Tom have dedicated several weeks a year living and working in the village, and served year-round on the Executive Board.
Ruth and Tom have both enjoyed being Youth Counselors at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church for the past three decades. In addition, Tom and Ruth’s international ties have led to some unique volunteer opportunities. As Regional Ambassadors for Anchorage’s Winter Olympics bid, the Nighswanders lobbied delegates in Nairobi and hosted them in their Anchorage home. The American College of Physicians honored both Tom and Ruth with the Volunteerism Award in 2013.
Malawi Children's Home
In 1984, the Ministry of Health recruited Tom to return to Malawi for a year-long assignment, developing a National Health Plan. Ruth found her niche teaching at the Kamuzu College of Nursing, while their two young children attended Malawi schools.
The Nighswanders answered another call from Malawi in 2000, where an entire generation of parents had been lost to the AIDs epidemic. A friend asked them to help set up the Malawi Children’s Village, a home-based program to provide basic needs and education for some 3000 orphans. Ever since, Ruth and Tom have dedicated several weeks a year living and working in the village, and served year-round on the Executive Board.
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Back in Alaska, the Nighswanders continue to advocate for the Malawi Children’s Village. Through their efforts, six Anchorage elementary schools have adopted schools in Malawi, exchanging letters and raising money for much-needed supplies. Alaska Pacific University and West High School organized trips to learn and to help. The pipeline between Alaska and the Children’s Village grew a life of its own, attracting groups outside the Nighswanders’ circle: adding classrooms, houses, bicycles, infrastructure, and educational support. Rewards flowed two ways: exchanges offered innovative educational opportunities, enriched global perspectives, and transformative experiences for all who participated.
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Inspiring Wellness
Ruth and Tom themselves present a model of healthy living, undaunted by age and spiced with adventure. Ruth ran her first marathon in 1981, branching out to triathlons by 2008. She drove a snowmobile 800 miles across Alaska to commemorate the 1926 Serum Run. Ruth and Tom climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with their son and daughter-in-law in 2012, and recently completed a trek along the Pacific Coast Trail. The Nighswanders especially enjoy hiking, fishing, and skiing in the Alaska outdoors with their two adult children and three grandchildren. They feel blessed to have all of them here in Anchorage. |
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