Meet Yi Chan, Second-year Alaska WWAMI TRUST scholar!Yi grew up in Utqiagvik, Alaska, where working at the local hospital taught her a hard truth about rural medicine: you never know what will come through the door, or what you’ll have on hand to treat it. That’s part of why she chose WWAMI’s TRUST program for […]
Meet Gretta Pickett, a 2nd year Seattle WWAMI medical student who is now in her Rural and Underserved Opportunities Program placement in Nome, Alaska. This summer she’s looking forward to learning about the practice of medicine in rural Alaska, how traditional foods and practices shape health in Alaska Native communities, and building her physical exam […]
Feona Hoy is spending her RUOP somewhere pretty fitting for someone building a career on showing up for people: North Pole, Alaska. As a second-year student with Alaska WWAMI, Feona is using this rotation to dig into something she’s genuinely fired up about — how smaller communities deliver effective healthcare, and focusing on what it […]
Meet Abigail Moffett, a rising second-year student at UW School of Medicine’s Alaska Foundations site! Abigail kicked off her RUOP rotation in Juneau on June 29th. As a TRUST student, she’s stepped in with an existing connection to the community. “Juneau has been a wonderful place as a TRUST site in my experience, and both […]
For many University of Washington School of Medicine students, a 699 rotation offers a chance to customize a clinical experience around a specific area of interest. These special assignment electives allow students to complete clinical training at approved sites throughout the WWAMI region, providing hands-on learning opportunities beyond the standard curriculum. For Alaska WWAMI student […]
For Alaska WWAMI medical student Mauri Butzke, arriving at her TRUST community in Kodiak was more than the start of a clinical placement, it was her first lesson in rural medicine. Reaching Kodiak required a six-hour drive from Anchorage to Homer, followed by a 14.5-hour journey aboard the Tustumena, part of the Alaska Marine Highway […]
Dr. Megan Ritter can trace her interest in medicine back to a single book she read in third grade. “I read a book called The Great Doctors and was fascinated by the mixture of science and humanity,” she said. “The stories of Drs. Harvey, Jenner, Lister and others left a lasting impression and ignited my interest in the science […]
For first-year Alaska WWAMI students Kunkun Wang and Nickolas McVay, a new partnership with Special Olympics Alaska has created opportunities to serve athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities while developing skills they will carry into their future careers as physicians. The initiative began when Special Olympics Alaska reached out to the University of Washington’s Service-Learning […]
For Alaska WWAMI Foundations faculty member Dr. Carol Paredes, the first year of medical school is about more than building scientific knowledge. It’s about helping students become compassionate physicians. She believes great doctors earn their patients’ trust through empathy, respect and genuine listening. “One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is partnering with first-year […]
Last month, five Alaska WWAMI graduates were recognized during the University of Washington School of Medicine’s (UWSOM’s) 32nd annual Traditional Blanket Ceremony. The annual celebration honors Indigenous graduating medical students and those who completed the Indian Health Pathway. Held in Seattle, the ceremony celebrated graduates’ achievements and their commitment to serving Indigenous communities. Among […]
