Alaska WWAMI has reached an exciting milestone, welcoming a record 30 students to its 2025 class — the largest cohort in the program’s history. The steady growth reflects years of strategic planning, new clinical exam space, recent faculty hires, and expanded clerkships to meet the state’s urgent need for more physicians. The push to grow Alaska’s physician workforce occurred at Governor Dunleavy’s request in 2022.
The Alaska legislature approved funding to expand the class size to 30 students starting in 2023 through a phased approach: growing to 25 students in the 2024 cohort, and 30 in the 2025 class.
“We have worked hard to ensure we continue to have a robust pool of applicants,” said Dr. Kathy Young, Assistant Dean, Foundations, Alaska WWAMI.
Part of that effort included revitalizing the Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program. Paused in 2018 due to federal funding cuts, the program relaunched in 2024. It was named after Della Keats, an Inupiaq traditional healer from Noatak. The program aims to inspire rural Alaska Native and other underrepresented high school students to pursue college degrees in health-related fields, including medicine.
“Since the Della Keats program returned, we have strengthened our outreach to pre-med and high school students,” Dr. Young said. “Additionally, we have refocused the PreMed Summit and continue to offer a virtual option to extend our reach to interested students.”
Alaska WWAMI started in 1971 with just nine students. By 2010, the class size had grown to 20. In 2023, it increased again to 25. This year’s 30-student milestone marks the largest class yet.
“We are thrilled to welcome the first class of 30,” Young said. “It’s a privilege to work with some of the brightest minds and watch them grow into future physicians and surgeons for Alaska.”
