Any parent knows how tough it is going to college while raising a child but imagine raising three young kids while going through medical school. Grace Champion, a fourth year Alaska WWAMI medical student, has proven that she’s a champion at accomplishing both goals. Raised in Palmer, and now living in Anchorage, she credits her husband’s support and recognizes it takes a village to raise children, especially in her situation.
“Having a partner who supports my dream of being a mom and a doctor is incredibly important because it’s okay to want to be both,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of help from my parents and my husband’s parents, too.”
Champion and her husband, Robbie, have three young boys. Her oldest is five years old and her twins, Cole and Nolan, are three.
Champion said being immersed in a culture of supportive women with backgrounds in medicine has also played a key role in her success. They include her mother, who is a retired Alaska ER doctor, as well as various other mentors.
“Throughout my time in WWAMI, I’ve been surrounded by female mentors who worked very hard to support the choices I’ve made in growing a family and allowing me to access opportunities to succeed,” she said.
For six months of Champion’s third year in medical school, she was based in Soldotna at the Upstream Family Medicine Clinic, working with attending physician, Dr. Kristin Lee, (an Alaska WWAMI graduate). Champion’s family commuted to see her, or she traveled to Anchorage to see them. She credits Dr. Lee for accommodating her as a student and a mom.
“She always invited me to scrub in for c-sections,” she said. “Participating in that way was pivotal to shaping my career interests in OB anesthesia. She made reasonable accommodations while still holding me to the same expectations as other students and found ways for me to have a very full experience during pregnancy and while raising a family.”
Champion also commuted between the Pacific Northwest and Anchorage during her third year while completing 12 weeks of rotations in Seattle.
“If I had the weekend off, I would fly home on Friday night and back to Seattle on Sunday afternoon,” she added. “I typically didn’t go for more than a week without seeing my family.”
Being a parent is a strength she brings to medicine, to her patients and her team. However, finding the correct balance between medical school and her personal life can be challenging, especially when there’s always something that needs to be done.
“I tend to be a pretty serious person, and my kids are generally hilarious and playful, which helps bring me down to earth,” she said
Despite the challenges, Champion wouldn’t change a thing about her journey.
“Knowing I have three little boys who want to play with me and don’t care about my grades or test scores really helps my perspective,” she said. “Being a mom brings so much joy and levity to my life.”
Soon, Champion will embark on a new challenge. On Match Day (March 21, 2025), she learned she’ll be spending the next several years training as a resident anesthesiologist at the University of Michigan. She and her family will move there in early June.
However, no matter where life takes her, her heart will always belong in the 49th state.
“We will definitely move back to Alaska once my training is completed,” she said. “I’m hoping to work at the Alaska Native Medical Center and serve the Alaska Native population.”