Mark O. Hatfield was an Oregon politician who held several prominent positions in government, most notably as governor of the State of Oregon (1959 -1967) and as a United States Senator for the State of Oregon (1967-1997). Hatfield was known as a moderate Republican, often breaking with party lines to vote against both the Vietnam War and budget cuts to the NIH during the Clinton Administration. He died in 2011. In this interview, Hatfield focuses exclusively on his advocacy for health sciences education during his career in the senate. He discusses his role in the establishment of the Oregon Graduate Institute, the revitalization of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the 1980s, and the legislative fight to complete the pedestrian bridge between the Veterans Affairs building and the University Hospital in 1992. Hatfield also provides a brief history of medical education in the state of Oregon.