HERMISTON — Good Shepherd Health Care System announced Feb. 18 it hired two board-certified orthopedic surgeons.

Drs. Patrick Dawson and Tamara Simpson join the team of Drs. Kyle Duncan (podiatrist), Trey Rigert (physiatrist), Matthew Thompson (orthopedic surgeon), James Whittum (orthopedic surgeon) and Zhiqing Xing (orthopedic surgeon) at Good Shepherd Orthopedics, 1122 W. Elm Ave., Hermiston.

Dawson and Simpson are a couple. He grew up in Chicago, and she grew up in Pendleton, according to the announcement. Both surgeons are fellows of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the Oregon Association of Orthopedics, with more than two decades of experience caring for patients of all ages.

Dawson earned his doctor of medicine from Loyola University School of Medicine and did his residency in orthopedic surgery at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland. He then completed a sports medicine fellowship from Congress Medical Associates in Pasadena, California.

Simpson earned her doctor of medicine from OHSU, where she also completed her residency in orthopedic surgery. She then completed two fellowships, a sports medicine fellowship at University of California San Francisco in San Francisco, and an orthopedic trauma fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Simpson explained high school sports and a college injury that inspired her to pursue the field of orthopedics. She said she grew up on a farm in Pendleton and envisioned a career as a large animal veterinarian.

“However, my exposure to sports during high school led me to discover the field of

Orthopedics,” according to Simpson. “After experiencing a series of minor injuries that required orthopedic expertise, but did not necessitate surgery, I became captivated by the field.”

A pivotal moment in her career path occurred in college when a horse fell on her and she suffered a fractured ankle.

“The injury required surgery, and I was fascinated by the surgical process and the recovery that followed,” she said. “I was amazed by how, after healing, I could return to activities such as running and skiing without any lasting issues. It was during this recovery that I knew for certain that orthopedics was the field I wanted to pursue.”

In their spare time, Dawson and Simpson enjoy skiing, rafting, fishing and spending time outdoors with their teenage son.

The seven physicians at Good Shepherd Orthopedics are taking new patients. For more information, visit www.gshealth.org/good-shepherd-medical-group/orthopedics.