Volume 4 Quarter 1 Mar 2008

Sara Breithaupt, RT(R)

The Great Pacific NW: glacier-melt rivers, giant Sitka spruce, 12 feet of rain, ocean-fishing villages, Indian Reservations, and the 4,650-acre Lake Crescent. Animals: Roosevelt elk, black-tailed dear, black bears, river steelhead, river otters, the western robin, winter wren and pileated woodpecker.

If you grew up in Forks, WA like Sara, the splendor is yours, nestled in the valley of the Olympic Mountains. Sara transitioned easily from one slice of ecotopia to another, finding Portland situated nicely in the venerable Willamette Valley.

After 3 years of familiarizing herself with Portland and PPMC Sara is in great shape, hiking the town and running the Providence marathon daily: exposing broken bones and ailments with the art of radiographs.

Tall-soy-no water-tazo chai latte, tall-soy-no water-tazo chai latte, tall-soy-no water-tazo chai latte, say that 10x fast and win her admiration.

Sara enjoys the beach, visiting family on the West Side the best side, Vegas and hanging out with the kiddos at her church. Oh, and the Seahawks, Sara absolutely loves football.

Elaine Gourley

Washington, California, and Oregon: the West Side, the best side. Elaine left California love, where it never rains in the sun, at the age of 5; not wanting to live and die in LA, she sought out the green scene in Washington.

Not a Portland resident, however, Elaine gets to see the city like few others, as she makes her 4 AM communte. On the grind early, Elaine shines in her leadership of the Plaza Imaging Office.

Elaine enjoys the calm of the golf course with her son and husband. She gets to drive the cart (FUN!), enjoy refreshments and critique the guys’ game. She also loves the beach, where she can swim and take walks with her dog.

Elaine’s ideal vacation would whisk her to Switzerland to bask in the Föhn under gorgeous mountain peaks in valleys among lakes, then flip course and take her back to California to soak rays and swim, concluding with a couple hands at the Casinos for good luck.

Gary Groce

The Oregon Trail tested problem-solving skills of many children over the years. What pace should the oxen travel? How much food to ration? Pay the ferry or caulk the wagon and float across? These questions were all too real for Gary's family as they made their destiny as Oregon pioneers 6 generations ago.

Proud of his history, Gary has been with Providence for 34 years, he met his wife here and his eldest daughter is also part of the tradition. Gary’s duties take a lot of coordination and skill, keeping the Nuclear Medicine Office running smoothly.

When Gary needs inspiration for his music (keyboarder/vocalist) or needs sanctuary from the flashing lights, he escapes to his log home in Hood River. Here he is able to think and read freely and enjoy the serenity. When not wailing away on the mic or his “big bad Hammond B-3 organ,” you might find Gary in the garage restoring classic cars. For entertainment Gary likes to take a scenic train ride down the West Coast.

Tracie Keller

$19 million worth of gold struck in 4 years deposited settlers to the "Queen City of the Rockies." A small settlement in 1864 would soon become state capital of Montana and hometown of our own precious treasure, Tracie.

Having missed the gold rush by over a century, Tracie found her own prospects in Portland 30 years ago. It took 10 years to woo Tracie to Providence, but the long courtship was worth it. The ultrasound modality wouldn’t be so organized without her assistance and 20 year background with PPMC.

Tracie prefers active over passive leisure in her time off, enjoying a nice walk or hike or working out. A golf enthusiast, Tracie is part of the 25% of golfers nationally who are women, a strong demographic for marketers. A proud matriarch, Tracie adores her 3 children, 3 grandchildren and feline pal immensely. For vacation, Tracie prefers sunbathing on a serene beach in Mexico, chilled refreshments in tow. Oh, and the Cowboys, Tracie absolutely loves football.

Volume 3 Quarter 4 Dec 2007

Colleen Wright, RT(R)(M)

Nestled along the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, near the Hudson River in Upstate NY, lies a small town by the name of Glens Falls. Colleen may have been born here, like scenes from Ian Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me, but Portland has been her home for almost 22 years.

Colleen’s colorful personality is revealed when she likens her duties as lead Mamm tech to an ice cream sundae: the days provide for a variety of flavors, starting with a large scoop of stereotactic biopsies, sprinkled with a few wire localizations and topped off with a healthy serving of mammograms.

When not treating patients to 31 different scoops of service, Colleen’s pioneering spirit melts free. Nothing is more satisfying than a hearty hike, and the trails throughout the Columbia River Gorge provide her sustenance.

Colleen and her husband, Kevin, love to explore their surroundings and try to visit the Hawaiian Island of Kauai at least every other year. As a requisite all vacations must involve some mix of hiking or backpacking in the itinerary. This December Colleen’s trailblazing tendencies will be put to the test on her first trip abroad, to Prague.

Aaron Carroll, BS, MSPT, ARMRIT

Born in Watertown, South Dakota Aaron has lived in the vicinity of “falling water town” for 29 years. After 4 years at Pacific University Aaron became an MR applications specialist with GE, before joining Providence St Vincent. A new face to PPMC, Aaron is the lead MRI Technologist as of this November.

A professed avid cyclist, Aaron is training for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic next year. At least 3 times a year Aaron and family venture out to Black Butte (like the porter) to bike, hike, ski and shop. If ever in Sisters be sure to check out their favorite shop, Sundance shoes at 141 E Cascades Ave. Aaron and his wife, Linde, have 2 wonderful children-Ethan who is 7 and Annelise who is 4. Annelise is also the proud guardian of her feline pal, Jazzy.

Barbara Clark, Lead Transcriptionist

“Well, I have completed a full circle.” Barb says of her local affiliations. Born at the old St Vincent Hospital, where her mother was an RN, and raised on the West side, Barb now reps the East side life with Prov Portland. “I have worked for Providence since May, 1977. I started out in Medical Records transcription, and then transferred to Diagnostic Imaging in 1987, when they started the x-ray transcription in this department.” As the only on-site transcriptionist, Barb is the go-to person for report support and must coordinate the home transcriptionists as well.

“Does anybody really have spare time?” Barb keeps it real, enjoying WSU football games, visiting family in Phoenix, reading, and lots of “mini-vacations.” Her favorite getaway spot (like Colleen) is Kauai, where gazing into the ocean becomes an island pastime when not kayaking, tube-riding, snorkeling, or taking sunset sails. Last year she spent a month in Sicily visiting famiglia and touring the Tuscany/Umbria area. Married for 41 years, Barb’s clan includes 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, and 5 grandchildren.

Michael Sandoz, RT(CT)(R)

The family man Mike grew up in sleepy Portland and has seen it grow faster than his 3-year-old son Mitchell. After earning a business degree in Stockton, CA, Mike returned to Oregon and continued his education in sports management at OSU. Mike’s pursuit of learning brought him to PPMC as an x-ray tech student in 1993. He stayed on after graduation and eventually moved into CT in 2001.

Most of Mike’s free time is spent at home with the kids, Leah and Mitchell, and tending to the yard or projects around the house. During the summer, water sports take over with a great deal of boating, water skiing and wake boarding. With a passion for learning like her father, Leah is enjoying her 1st grade curriculum and activities, while Mitchell takes it easy playing with Matchbox cars and the 2 cats, Scooter and Cheddar Cheese. Mike and his wife Carol celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in October.

Volume 2 Quarter 3 Oct 2007

Peggy Misho

A Portland native, Peggy ventured as far as Colorado before reclaiming her rightful home in Oregon. After a brief stint in Denver and a year at the University of Montana, Peggy completed her undergraduate education at Oregon State university in (what is now) Family and Consumer Sciences. Peggy ensures an active department by facilitating the scheduling of over 6,000 patient exams per month.

The activity doesn’t stop with the end of a workday, not with two Irish Terriers and six 2-month-old puppies at home. Luckily Peggy has the help of her caring husband and 10-year-old daughter, Sarah. When leisurely privilege permits, Peggy may be found doing some mix of the following: reading, walking, hiking, biking, camping, boating, knitting, sewing, fishing, or golfing, among other things.


Darryn Matsushima, RDMS (AB, OB/GYN)

Darryn may strike you as a typical Portland lover, and in many senses he is. Born and raised in the city of many names (Roses, Bridges, Beer, Green), Darryn has only been away from beloved PDX while attending universtiy. Darryn has served diligently for the Providence Ministry five years strong with his command of high frequency sound waves (inaudible to humans) and enjoys his duties in Ultrasound as lead sonographer.

Joyous matrimony has been made more marvelous by the welcoming of infant daughter, Maile, on August 10th. Two young Labrador Retrievers, Da’Kine and Haole, add to the excitement and ensure that no free minute is wasted. If given the opportunity, Darryn would love to forget life’s stressors and relax in Hawaii with his beautiful family.


Bob Berry, CNMT

Hailing from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bob has just begun to explore all that Oregon has to offer since his move here five years ago. Upon joining the PPMC team, Bob has adjusted well to the daily excitement of medical imaging, as evident in his role as lead tech in the Nuclear Medicine modality.

A traveler at heart, Bob enjoys the sights and sounds of life the world over. His most recent journey took him to Lambeau Field in Wisconsin, where he witnessed the Packers play the rival Vikings. Not one to squander opportunity, Bob takes full advantage of our proximity to the coast and the popular Sunriver Resort.


Wynnette DeMenge-Salazar, RT(R)(M)

Originally from Iowa, with brief interjections in Tucson, Klamath Falls and Grants Pass, Wynnette has called Portland home for 39 years. Of those 39 years in Portland, an amazing 27 have been with PPMC (Booyah!).

After a hard day’s work, Wynnette likes to wind down by breaking out her dancing shoes. She is in her 6th year of tap dance lessons, and within the last year has added ballet and hip hop to her repertoire of steps. After class, Wynnette chasses home to her husband of 27 years and her two children, Romeo, 15, and Alexi, 11.

Though easygoing siblings, Romeo and Alexi have their moments of difference. When Romeo named the new cat Sara, Alexi retorted by inserting Banana as the new middle name. Sara Banana DeMenge-Salazar and family enjoy long walks on the beach and outdoor recreation.