Dr. Cynthia Fitch, Professor of Biology

Dr. Cynthia Fitch, Professor of Biology

We recently received the following e-mail from an SPU alumna:

I would really like to nominate Dr. Fitch. When I was a student she was pretty much the only female Biology professor and served as such an amazing example of how to balance being a great scientist, a wife, a mother, a mentor, and a Christian. She shaped the lives and influenced all of my female friends (and many males of course!) and I am sure continues to do so.

Dr. Fitch is Associate Professor at SPU and is the Coordinator of the Pre-professional Health Sciences Program. In 2004, she received the President's Award for excellence. The SPU Response wrote this about her:

In presenting Cynthia Fitch with the President’s Award for Excellence, SPU President Philip Eaton noted that her scientific specialty — genetics — has been much in the news of late as the worldwide discussion of genetic engineering issues continues. He added, “She comes to these issues as a Christian person challenged to excellence, as a scientist engaged in cutting-edge research.”

In the new Science Building, Fitch and her students study chromosomes, using fluorescent tagging. She sees tagging as a teaching tool and as a research technique for medical diagnostics and other wide-ranging applications. “The great thing is, the students and I get to work on tagging right here in our own labs, which keeps us completely current,” says Fitch.

Her significant contributions to Seattle Pacific extend beyond the classroom. As pre-med and pre-dental program advisor, Fitch is instrumental in helping SPU students consistently achieve a 90-plus percent acceptance rate into medical school. She is advisory to Ivy Honorary; serves on the Undergraduate Policies and Evaluation Committee; and co-leads the weekly Biomedical Ethics Cadre. “I work with students who are hungry for challenges and eager to explore the world around them,” she says. “They make my job a pleasure.”