EDITOR'S NOTE: The University of Oregon School of Law's annual commencement is at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 17, in the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Centre. The ceremony will honor 165 graduates and is open to the public. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken will deliver the keynote address. For more information on these news tips, call the numbers listed, or the Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134. Grass never grows under Carol Pratt's feet. The soon-to-be UO law school graduate has had a very busy and eclectic professional life. Pratt fell in love with the physiology of movement while studying health and physical education and decided she eventually wanted to become a researcher in this field. But first she wanted to teach and coach, which she did. She worked initially at the high school level, then in 1974 moved to the collegiate level when she was recruited to be the head coach of women's basketball and field hockey at the University of Massachusetts. Pratt next completed a Ph.D. in neurophysiology and started realizing her long-term goal by doing research into how the spinal cord controls movement. Pratt was a researcher and assistant professor at Purdue University, then spent five years at the National Institutes of Health. In 1988, she moved to Portland to continue her research at Legacy Hospital's Neurological Sciences Institute. "I loved research, but I became increasingly frustrated at my inability to help people in a more direct way," she said. "In some areas of medicine, it can take a long time for new information related to treatment and rehabilitation to be known to physicians and covered by insurance companies." So where does the law fit in? A professional light bulb went on for Pratt while serving on her hospital's bioethics committee. "I saw how compelling the interface of medical technology and people is. It's a place where tough decisions have to be made," she said. "So I decided to go into health law hoping that if I couldn't move the system as a researcher, maybe I could as a lawyer." Pratt, who turns 50 this year, says she found law school to be a luxurious opportunity to be a "sponge rather than a faucet," and that, as an older student with more life and professional experience than most of her fellow students, she ended up in the role of counselor quite a bit. "Sometimes," she said, "they just needed to hear that, despite what happened today in class, the sun will come up tomorrow!" Not surprisingly, Pratt was selected by the third-year class to speak at the May 17 law school commencement ceremony. And as for what's next, she already has a job lined up with the Portland law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, where she will practice health law. SOURCE: Carol Pratt, (541) 461-5360. -more- LAW GRAD'S JOURNEY INCLUDES PERSONAL TRAGEDY AND CHALLENGES Sara Burke predicted that law school would be difficult and she was right--but not for the reasons she expected. Burke, who graduates from the UO School of Law on May 17, experienced more personal challenges in the three years she spent in law school than many people experience in a lifetime. Burke gave birth to her second child a little more than halfway through her law program. Tragically, her infant son died suddenly on a family summer vacation to Montana from a rare and mysterious condition that led to heart failure. Burke and her husband, Nathan, were devastated by their baby's death, but she decided to return to law school where she found the work a welcome relief and the faculty, staff and students extremely supportive. She also worked as a graduate teaching fellow in the Women's Studies Program. "Then at Christmas time, we received a wonderful gift," said Burke. "We learned I was pregnant again." A few months later, however, the family received some very shocking news. Nathan, 27, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer which had spread to his lungs. "We were obviously stunned, this was totally out of the blue," said Burke. "But as hard as this news was to accept, we decided to take it as one more challenge we would try and overcome. And since Nathan is responding well to treatment, we are very hopeful." After graduation, Burke plans to stay home with her husband, their five-year-old son and new baby, whom she'll deliver by Cesarean section in August. "I need some time to be with the ones I love, then I'll be ready to embark on my new career," Burke says. SOURCE: Sara Burke, (541) 334-5041. -30- #T-4094/Local