Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
School Hours (M-T-W-Th) - 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Early Release School Hours (Friday) - 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
School Office hours (M-F) - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
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Doernbecher Children's Hospital School Program follows Portland Public School District for emergency / weather closures. Please visit FlashAlert or consult your local television / radio station for emergency / weather closure information. 
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Address
OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital
700 SW Campus Dr
Portland, OR 97239
Ph: 503-418-5444
Fax: 503-418-0026
700 SW Campus Dr
Portland, OR 97239
Ph: 503-418-5444
Fax: 503-418-0026
Administrator
Angie Turner
aturner2@mesd.k12.or.us
aturner2@mesd.k12.or.us
Administrative assistants
Tana Cyr
tcyr@mesd.k12.or.us
Ph: 503-290-4621
Xóchitl Tombleson
xtombleson@mesd.k12.or.us
Ph: 503-262-4200
tcyr@mesd.k12.or.us
Ph: 503-290-4621
Xóchitl Tombleson
xtombleson@mesd.k12.or.us
Ph: 503-262-4200
Doernbecher Units
Acute Care Unit
The Hospital School Program on the 9th floor of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital is staffed by certified teachers and assistants who provide small group and individualized instruction. Children who are unable to go to the classroom are eligible for bedside instruction. Hospital staff are flexible in their approach to learning and can provide many motivational, educationally related activities.
Patients will find educational activities, art projects, thinking games, computers with a wide variety of educational software, and internet access in the classroom, as well as the opportunity to interact with other students who are hospitalized. If a student brings homework, necessary assistance will be provided. The hospital teacher can contact the child’s teacher at home for assignments if needed.
The classroom is located in Room #9659 on the south end of the 9th floor. Students come by wheelchair, on foot, or even in their beds. Patients often look forward to school which can be a familiar and comforting break from medical procedures. Some families have reported that school in the hospital represents hope and healing for their children.
Meet the Doernbecher Acute Care Unit Staff
Liz Richard
Hospital Teacher, Doernbecher Acute Care Unit
Liz knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. She would come home from kindergarten on the Oregon coast and teach her little sister everything she had learned that day. As the daughter of a rural hospital administrator she would often spend weekend and summer days “helping” at the hospital with her three siblings. With that childhood, being a hospital school teacher just makes sense. Liz feels like this is where she was always meant to teach.
Liz earned bachelor degrees in secondary education and history from the University of Portland where she spent her sophomore year in Salzburg, Austria and attended soccer games as the mascot, Wally the Pilot. She then earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from the PACT program at Providence College in Rhode Island.
Liz has taught in various educational settings, both private and public, including a behavioral school in Rhode Island and a pre-k through eighth grade private school in SE Portland. She enjoys meeting students where they are at each day to help them reach their full potential. Liz has been a teacher since 2005 and with the hospital school program since 2023. Outside of the classroom she advocates for individuals with IDD as a member of several committees and boards.
While not teaching or advocating, Liz enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters or her larger family on Whidbey Island or Cape Cod. She loves the beach, hiking, camping, and playing board games. Liz also enjoys a good book and deep conversations with friends and family.
Nalani Wineman
Hospital Teacher, Doernbecher Acute Care Unit
Nalani loves working with students and families in the hospital utilizing her extensive skills in creative thinking and problem solving. Nalani began teaching for Beaverton School District in 1993, and over the years also taught in San Diego, Seattle, Tucson and Portland, Oregon. She has taught in diverse settings including primary general education to high school behavioral support classroom. Nalani has been teaching at Multnomah Education Service District Hospital School Program since 2011.
Nalani earned a B.S. Finance / Economics from Oregon State University. She worked in the financial industry and volunteered during lunch hours at a local school. Nalani received a scholarship for graduate school, and completed a master's degree from Lewis & Clark College in Education (with focus on Math, Science, Technology Integration) and after teaching for some years, attended graduate school for Special Education.
Nalani loves adventure, including hiking, kayaking and traveling with her family. Nalani enjoys creative work painting abstracts, landscapes, and other mixed media arts. Island Boyz by Graham Salisbury is one of her favorite reads. Salisbury writes powerful short stories set in Hawai'i reminding Nalani of her childhood and growing up on Oahu.
SooMin Hwangbo
Educational Assistant, Doernbecher Acute Care Unit
Born in South Korea, growing up in Malaysia, and spending her time since undergraduate years in the States, SooMin is an adventurous soul with a huge love for language, literature, and diverse cultures. SooMin earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature with the passion to learn more about Latin American culture and literature. As a result, she is trilingual, speaking her native language Korean, and also English and Spanish fluently - she also knows a little bit of Mandarin that she learned in Malaysia!
Ever since high school, SooMin enjoyed teaching her peers and students who needed her help. She led four summer camps in mountain villages in the Philippines, taught English speaking and writing in Korea, and worked as a Spanish teaching assistant at her college. As a bilingual (or trilingual) educational assistant at the hospital school, SooMin loves connecting with each student and their families and wishes to be an encouraging support during their time at the hospital.
In her free time SooMin loves to cook, bake, and sing. She loves writing lyrics for songs and has released a couple original songs in the past! Growing up in southeast asia, surrounded by beautiful tropical oceans and forests, SooMin loves the sea, nature, and living creatures.
Hematology / Oncology Unit
The Hospital School Program staff who are located in the Hematology / Oncology Unit provide educational services to school-age students who have cancer and blood-related disorders. Students may receive services at bedside or in the classroom. Most of our instruction is individualized, however, students have time to interact with each other and participate in small group activities. Once per month we offer Songs, Stories, and Science where we share folk stories, sing songs and teach a science lesson. We are also fortunate to have community partners such as OMSI, Master Gardeners, and the Children’s Cancer Association who work with our students bringing in rich, engaging activities enjoyed by all.
The priority for our students is to work with them on assignments from their local school. With parent permission, we will collaborate with teachers to coordinate schoolwork. Students can receive credit in their local schools for work completed in our program. We often function as a resource as well, helping families and schools navigate this often unfamiliar territory. We can provide guidance on short-and long-term educational planning, including school re-entry.
Meet the Doernbecher Hematology / Oncology Unit Staff
Susan developed an awareness and passion for hospital school teaching after supporting a friend’s daughter during an extended time of hospitalization. With a background in teaching that includes instruction from 3rd to 12th grade, she welcomes the opportunity to come alongside students and provide the different supports needed for school aged patients to find academic success during treatment. Additionally, Susan is a resource for families as they transition out of treatment back into school; advocating for a smooth transition back to full time school.
Susan has been teaching with the Multnomah Education Service District Hospital School Program since 2015. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire and her master’s degree in Teaching and Special Education from Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR.
When not working with students, Susan enjoys playing the ukulele, gardening, travel and reading. Her first favorite books were the “Betsy Tacy” Books by Maud Hart Lovelace, but is currently enjoying anything written by Amor Towles, especially “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
Anna has been with the hospital school program since 2000 and has loved every minute of it. Working with children and families in the hospital has been a lifelong dream. Anna is always inspired by the curiosity and inquiry she witnesses in her students, who prove daily that given meaningful work students can't help but engage! She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Masters Of Arts in Teaching with an endorsement in special education. When not teaching, Anna will be outside taking a hike or in a kayak enjoying Oregon’s beautiful waterways. If it's raining as it sometimes does in Oregon, you will find this lifelong reader snuggled up with a book or hanging out with her family.
SooMin Hwangbo
Educational Assistant, Doernbecher Acute Care Unit
Born in South Korea, growing up in Malaysia, and spending her time since undergraduate years in the States, SooMin is an adventurous soul with a huge love for language, literature, and diverse cultures. SooMin earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature with the passion to learn more about Latin American culture and literature. As a result, she is trilingual, speaking her native language Korean, and also English and Spanish fluently - she also knows a little bit of Mandarin that she learned in Malaysia!
Ever since high school, SooMin enjoyed teaching her peers and students who needed her help. She led four summer camps in mountain villages in the Philippines, taught English speaking and writing in Korea, and worked as a Spanish teaching assistant at her college. As a bilingual (or trilingual) educational assistant at the hospital school, SooMin loves connecting with each student and their families and wishes to be an encouraging support during their time at the hospital.
In her free time SooMin loves to cook, bake, and sing. She loves writing lyrics for songs and has released a couple original songs in the past! Growing up in southeast asia, surrounded by beautiful tropical oceans and forests, SooMin loves the sea, nature, and living creatures.
Hemostasis & Thrombosis Center
The Hospital School Program located in the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center at OHSU provides a variety of services to families, patients, schools and/or daycares. A few services include: development of medical plans tailored to the school environment that educate the school or daycare staff on the medical needs of the child, recommendations of accommodations to better equip the student to be most successful in their academic career or daycare setting, consultation to families and schools regarding IEP’s, 504’s, and/or health plans, and guidance in transition from high school to 4-year university, technical school, community college, and/or the workforce.
Meet the Doernbecher Hemostasis & Thrombosis Center Staff
Education: My teaching history dates back to 1998 at Simmons College in Boston where I earned my Masters in Arts and Teaching while educating 5th grade students.
Teaching Experience: Upon my return to Portland in 1999, I taught 5th and 6th graders for 4 years in Lake Oswego followed by tutoring middle and high school students in math. Finally in 2007, I began my dream career of teaching in the Hospital School Program at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.
Hobbies: My favorite hobbies include running, skiing, hiking, biking, soccer, traveling, reading, gardening, and baking, all with my family of two kids and a yellow lab.
Favorite book: My favorite book is Sarah’s Key and Plain Truth.