Three Idaho physicians have earned 2026 Idaho WWAMI Excellence in Teaching Awards after being nominated by the people who know their impact best: University of Washington School of Medicine students.
The annual awards recognize physician preceptors who go above and beyond to educate and mentor medical students during their clinical training across Idaho. This year’s recipients: Blaine Olsen, DO; Erich Garland, MD; and John Mitchell, MD, were celebrated for challenging students to think critically, building their confidence and modeling compassionate, patient-centered care.
For Dr. Blaine Olsen, the greatest lessons extended beyond medical knowledge. Sofie Borzadek, a fourth-year medical student, said Dr. Olsen encouraged learners to take ownership of patient care from the start.
“He pushed me to start thinking like a real physician,” she said.
By expecting students to develop assessments, formulate treatment plans and present those plans directly to patients, Olsen helped them grow into more confident clinicians.
“Overall, my confidence grew and I was more prepared for my later rotations because of Dr. Olsen’s guidance,” Borzadek wrote. She also praised his constructive feedback and career mentorship, noting that his advice ultimately influenced her specialty choice.
During a neurology rotation, Erich Garland, MD, inspired student Brooke Lorenz through his commitment to serving patients in a physician-shortage area. She described him as a physician who combined clinical excellence with humility, resilience and compassion.
“His resilience, humility, and unwavering dedication to providing excellent care left a lasting impression on me,” she wrote.
Lorenz said Dr. Garland strengthened her clinical reasoning by modeling patient-centered care, effective communication and teamwork. She added that he “consistently made time for questions and created an encouraging learning environment,” leaving a lasting impact on both her education and her development as a future physician.
For John Mitchell, MD, creating a welcoming environment was central to his teaching philosophy. Akshay Venkatesh, a fourth-year medical student, said Mitchell made students feel like valued members of the care team from their very first day.
“From day 1, he was invested in making sure that I would be positioned to really succeed.”
Throughout the family medicine rotation, Mitchell exposed students to the specialty’s broad scope, from outpatient care and obstetrics to newborn and inpatient medicine, while also sharing his expertise in sports medicine, point-of-care ultrasound and musculoskeletal care. Venkatesh said Mitchell’s mentorship helped him become “a more confident, well-rounded, and patient-centered clinician.”
Although each physician teaches in a different specialty, students’ nominations reflected a common theme: exceptional educators do more than teach medicine. They invest in their students, encourage them to grow, and model the kind of physician they hope the next generation will become.