40 UNDER 40: Elsa Goodsen

Elsa Goodsen’s path to healthcare started on a golf course. 

In college, she was studying bioengineering and spending her summers caddying at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. One day, a guest asked about her major and suggested she look into medical device sales. 

“At the time, I had never even considered it,” she recalled. “I thought my path would stay purely technical. But that conversation stuck with me.” 

Before graduating, Goodsen secured a medical device internship. Within weeks, she knew she’d found the right fit. 

“I loved that it combined science with strategy,” she said. “I loved that it was competitive. And most of all, I loved that it connected innovation directly to my community’s standard of patient care.” 

From there, Goodsen intentionally built her career in healthcare commercial roles, moving from medical device into increasingly complex therapies. 

Today, as a Key Account Manager at Dendreon, she works with health systems across the Pacific Northwest to expand access to immunotherapy for men with advanced prostate cancer. 

Looking back, Goodsen said that conversation on the golf course changed the trajectory of her life. 

“It showed me that sometimes the most meaningful opportunities come from unexpected places — and that performance and purpose don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” she said. 

Goodsen said entrepreneurship and service were modeled for her early. Her grandmother owned and operated a successful salon in downtown Coeur d’Alene for more than 30 years, while her grandfather ran his own insurance agency. 

“Watching them lead with integrity showed me that sustainable success is earned daily,” she said. 

Goodsen’s father, an engineer, shaped her analytical thinking, and her mother, a Coeur d’Alene School District educator for 25 years, taught her that leadership is about contribution and impact within her community. 

“In healthcare and business, integrity is non-negotiable,” Goodsen said. “Trust is currency. My upbringing and mentors reinforced that performance matters, but how you achieve it matters more.”