Dr. Erika Olson ’02 Obituary
Erika Olson, 46, passed away on May 28, 2025, at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Erika was born on July 24, 1978, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Kathleen and Donald Olson. She graduated from La Crosse Central High School in 1996. After graduation, Erika finished a BA in English literature and studied studio art at UW–Madison. She then served in the Peace Corps as a secondary school teacher in Burkina Faso, which changed the trajectory of her life.
Upon returning stateside, Erika earned a master’s degree in molecular biology before continuing on to complete medical school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. Due to her experiences in the Peace Corps, Erika pursued advanced training in infectious disease and global health. She then used her skills in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the NGO Doctors without Borders treating communities effected by HIV, TB, and Ebola.
When she next returned stateside, she spent the remainder of her career at Tuba City Regional Health Care serving the Navajo and Hopi Nations. There, she provided compassionate care as a hospitalist and for patients in her HIV and TB clinics. She worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outside of her career, Erika was a true hodophile. She embraced life with a bohemian spirit and an adventurous heart. She found joy in hiking and backpacking through nature’s most breathtaking landscapes, and cherished traveling with friends. One of her favorite experiences in nature was taking a nap on a sun-drenched rock under Dr. Seuss–looking trees in the Great Smokey Mountains. Her love for the outdoors was matched only by her passion for discovery — both of the world around her and within herself.
Remember our bohemian, living her own life, a true renaissance woman, a genuine and fierce friend, who will not make it to old age with us. Celebrate in ways that were important to her by spending time in nature, creating beautiful art, taking a road trip with people who adore you, and contributing to causes near and dear to her heart.
