Anna Colombini `76

Naturopathic Doctor Peninsula Naturopathic Clinic

---

If you were a car, what model and make would you be and why?

This is an easy one. I would be a Toyota Hybrid, so that I can reduce my carbon footprint on this world and to help reduce the toxins that are produced so that diseases from environmental causes can also be reduced.

Anna Colombini sees her career as part naturopathic physician and part community educator.

"I have a passion for empowering others through knowledge, so in addition to teaching my patients, I hold classes throughout the community on subjects such as nutrition, healthy cooking, weight loss and body detoxification," she said. She received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science before going for her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine.

"I felt called to practice medicine since childhood, and it was confirmed that I would be in the medical field after watching my mom pass away from Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma when I was 18 years old," she said. "My family did not have the finances to support me through college, so I put myself through the University of Puget Sound and Bastyr University, both private schools."

She began practicing medicine in 2006, but also had to work another job to keep ahead of her student loan payments.

"Most people would be surprised that I was practicing medicine while bartending so that I could pay off loans," she said. "This is particularly surprising in my field of natural medicine."