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Lisa Hess ’86

October 31, 2018, in Iowa City, Iowa, of breast cancer.

Lisa was born in Chicago and grew up in Minnesota. At Reed, she majored in biology and wrote her thesis on lymphocyte homing with Prof. Laurens Ruben [biology 1955–92]. She met her husband, Rob Piper ’85, on campus, and, after graduating, worked as a cell biology researcher and nuclear medicine technologist. Lisa earned a medical degree at Oregon Health Sciences University Medical School and afterwards trained in Indianapolis and Iowa City as an ob-gyn. For two decades, she was a partner in OB-GYN Associates in Cedar Rapids and treasured caring for her patients of all ages and walks of life.

Lisa was a compassionate, curious, and knowledgeable physician who advocated for the rights of the women she cared for. While a resident at the University of Iowa, she became the mother of twins and enjoyed the challenges and joys of raising a family. She was true to her principles, steadfast in her integrity, and humane in her quirky sense of humor. She is survived by her husband, Rob; her sons, Sam and Max Piper ’22; her brother, Demian Hess; her mother, Valerie Lee; and her father, Jeffrey Hess. 

Appeared in Reed magazine: March 2018

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