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Our Story

Original employees of Mercer Island Pediatrics, at a recent gathering.

Front row, from left: Dr. Luz Gonzalez, Gail Provo, Dr. Jan Woolley, Dr. Al Skinner, Dr. Danette Glassy and Cheri Zavaglia. Back row, from left: Cathy Hummel, Peggy Way, Dr. Hal Quinn, Dr. John Schreuder, Dr. Ted Mandelkorn, Dr. Julie Ellner, Julie McAllister, Yin Chan and Becky Powell (Jack Woolley/Contributed Photo).

Mercer Island Pediatrics was established in the 1970's by Drs. Alfred Skinner and Philip Deane. Dr. Skinner came to Seattle by way of Boston after receiving his medical degree from Harvard University. While interning at Harborview he quickly embraced the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, and opened his first pediatric 
clinic on Mercer Island in 1955.The late Dr. Deane attended Yale University School of 
Medicine and joined Dr.
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Our Story
Skinner at the Mercer Island practice in 1957. They continued to work together for the next 30 years, until Dr. Deane took early retirement in 1985 to provide medical service and education to underserved communities with his wife, Lola. Phil and Lola also contributed to the development of an outdoor play area on the southend of Mercer Island that was deemed Deane's Children's Park, which is still a beloved community gathering place now known better as "Dragon Park". Dr. Skinner retired in 1989, but still lives in the Mercer Island home he built in 1962 and continues to advocate for children's health, including the importance of disease prevention.

A recent photo of the refurbished dragon.

A mid-century photo of the original dragon in Deane's Children's Park.

Skinner and Deane were joined over time by Drs. William Merritt, William Jacquette, 
Theodore Mandelkorn, and Janice Woolley. Dr. Woolley was the first female physician to practice on Mercer Island, and has co-written a book about nutrition for preschoolers entitled "Food For Tots". Dr. Mandelkorn was one of the forerunners in research and management of behavioral health disorders and has been described as an "early adapter" of ADHD expertise and treatment. His practice is now called Puget Sound Behavioral Medicine.
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Mercer Island Pediatrics is now comprised of 6 pediatricians — Drs. Julie Ellner, Hal Quinn, Luz González, Elizabeth Evans, Alicia Wang, and most recently, Rhys Brooks. Though the practice has enjoyed many homes over the years, we continue to serve the greater Seattle area and Eastside from our current location on the north end of Mercer Island, right off of I-90.

Our mission is to provide a medical home for children and youth, in partnership with families and the community. We aim to honor the strong values of ethical medicine and service to others that our founders habituated decades ago.
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