In honor of her leadership in the COVID-19 response in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley and her service to the College as as a consultant on all things COVID-related, the Occidental College Board of Governors is honored to name Dr. Kimberly Shriner '80 our 2021 Alumna of the Year.
Dr. Shriner is an infectious disease and tropical medicine specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, CA. Since 1992 she has taught as a faculty member at the hospital. She has been a leader in the COVID-19 response in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, recognizing even before the first cases in the area that COVID was going to pose a serious challenge. She works with the staff at Huntington to train them on PPE use and how to safely work with patients, lower their anxiety, and gives them updates and lectures on COVID and the vaccines.
Dr. Shriner is regularly interviewed by local and even national press, answering questions about COVID, vaccines, schools, etc. Over the course of the past year, she has served as Oxy’s consultant on all things COVID, working closely with Emmons Wellness Center Director Sara Semal, Presidents Elam and Veitch, trustees, and numerous committees to ensure that Oxy is prepared and applies best practices in dealing with the pandemic. In Fall 2020, she co-taught a course on the COVID-19 pandemic with Professor Roberta Pollock, providing ongoing mentorships and preceptorships for students at Huntington Hospital, and inviting prestigious speakers such as Jane Goodall (a personal friend of hers) to give talks at Oxy.
Dr. Shriner is the founder and director of Huntington’s Phil Simon Clinic, which provides complete HIV and infectious disease care for the underserved in the San Gabriel Valley, and in 2001 she founded The Phil Simon Clinic Tanzania Project, a nonprofit global outreach program in East Africa. In 2005, Oxy honored her with an Alumni Seal Award for Service to the Community in recognition of her work with the Phil Simon Clinics.