The Loss of a Dear Friend: Dr. Yolanda Oertel

Dr. Yolanda Oertel seated third from the left at the 2016 Culmore Clinic Wine Tasting

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr. Yolanda Oertel, Culmore Clinic Board member and patron.

Born Yolanda Castillo in Lima, Peru, Dr. Yolanda Oertel enjoyed a trailblazing career and lived a life of meaning and service.  She was a Board-certified Pathologist and Professor of Pathology at George Washington University School of Medicine and a consultant to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Dr. Oertel was also named Distinguished Alumna from Cayetano Heredia Medical School in Lima, Peru and published books and research. An active and highly respected member of the Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads community, Dr. Oertel was a fervent supporter of Culmore Clinic which serves low-income, uninsured adults in that very community. 

Her December 2014 gift of stock, in loving memory of her husband Dr. James Oertel, led Culmore Clinic through two organizational transformations.  The first was the Clinic’s move from paper to electronic medical records, the development of its first formal fundraising plan, and the creation of the first real Clinic website and branding. These were catalyzing investments.  Dr. Oertel joined Culmore’s Board of Directors in 2015 and participated in the strategic planning process that initiated the Clinic’s second organizational transformation— the hiring of an Interim Executive Director who would increase operations from one to two days per week, increase services offered, and create Culmore Clinic as an intensive primary care home. This was to pave the way for the Clinic to hire its first, permanent Executive Director to lead the establishment of a full-time, Patient-centered Medical Home in the Bailey’s Crossroads community.

Thanks to Dr. Oertel’s gift, Culmore Clinic is well on its way to realizing this vision.  Anne-Lise Quinn, Ph.D. joined Culmore Clinic as Executive Director in February 2020 and has led the Clinic’s response to the COVID-19 crisis that has severely impacted the Bailey’s Crossroads/Culmore patient community that Dr. Oertel cared so much about. While there is such sadness in the loss of this wonderful woman, the Board and staff of Culmore Clinic humbly and joyfully celebrates the life of Dr. Yolanda Oertel and her lasting impact on Culmore Clinic and the patients it serves.

We invite you to leave a message or share a fond memory in the comments section below.