New Medical Director Appointed

Kendra S. Lawrence, M.D., has been named the new Medical Director for Westminster School and will be responsible for the operation of the health center.

She will be on campus full time during the school year and will have weekday office hours by appointment for students who need to see a physician. Nursing staff also will be available in the health center from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. to see students and determine treatment needs. After hours and on weekends, the nursing staff, with Dr. Lawrence’s assistance, will be available on call.

As a part of her responsibilities, Dr. Lawrence will be working with faculty and students on health awareness, and with the athletic department on injuries and coordination of care.

“It is a great opportunity to practice clinical medicine, provide health education and look at public health issues on campus,” said Dr. Lawrence.  “This whole group of responsibilities attracted me to Westminster.”

Dr. Lawrence is very familiar with independent schools having attended Phillips Exeter Academy where she was on the varsity soccer, diving and tennis teams.  Following Exeter, she attended Yale University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in the history of art and was a varsity diver.  She then earned a Doctor of Medicine from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine with a concentration in primary care and family medicine. While there, she received the Humanistic Values in Medicine Award for her advocacy of social justice and equity for women and minorities.

In 2001, Dr. Lawrence completed a primary care internal medicine residence at the University of Connecticut in Farmington. As a resident, she received the James E.C. Walker, M.D. Award for excellence in patient care and teaching and the Howard Levine Science Award. Before her appointment at Westminster, she provided medical care in a private-practice setting for six years with Sally Ardolino, M.D. in West Hartford.

Dr. Lawrence lives in Avon with her husband, Davis, and their two children, Emma and Sydney. Her husband is the medical director at Wesleyan University. Dr. Lawrence’s interests include tennis, soccer, hiking, art, travel and cultivating peaches.

For parents wanting to reach Dr. Lawrence, she says the best way to contact her is via e-mail at klawrence@westminster-school.org.  She says she can call back, if needed, over the telephone.  Beginning in July, she will be at the health center part time. By August, the center will be staffed regularly.