Read feature stories about students, staff and faculty from across the WWAMI region.
Montana WWAMI students recently joined peers, faculty and staff from across the WWAMI region for the annual Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST) Retreat at Camp Lutherhaven in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The gathering explored the challenges rural communities face in accessing healthcare and how future physicians can help address gaps in care. Dr. Jay Erickson, Montana […]
For Allie O’Rourke, E26, learning to care for patients has meant learning to listen. A first-year Montana WWAMI student and former nurse, O’Rourke brought seven years of healthcare experience with her when she began medical school. As part of the American Indian Medical Experience (AIME), Montana WWAMI students split into two groups, with one traveling […]
The E2026 Montana WWAMI cohort gathered Sept. 17th at Montana State University for the annual White Coat Ceremony. The milestone marked the beginning of the Foundations Phase of their medical education. The ceremony brought together students, family members, faculty, and supporters to recognize the students’ transition into medical school and the responsibilities that come with […]
Three Montana WWAMI students received $1,000 scholarships from the Montana Medical Association (MMA) Foundation, supporting their medical education and aspirations to serve patients in Montana. Isabelle Erickson, Emily Cleveland and Alex Wickens were selected as this year’s scholarship recipients. The Montana Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarships were presented during the MMA’s annual meeting Oct. 2–3, 2026 […]
Montana WWAMI welcomes several new faculty leaders and has expanded the roles of experienced educators, strengthening the program’s commitment to student mentorship, clinical education and professional development. Dr. Brenna Polsinelli, a Montana WWAMI graduate from the E-19 cohort, is serving as the program’s new primary care preceptorship (PCP) director. She completed her family medicine residency […]
Medical educators from Montana WWAMI joined colleagues from around the world in Calgary, Canada, for the Conference on Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (CLIC). The conference offered an opportunity to exchange ideas about medical education and explore ways to prepare future physicians for rural practice. Among the attendees was Megan Ogle, a third-year Montana WWAMI student and […]
For first-year Alaska WWAMI student Paige Noble, receiving her first white coat was more than a milestone. It was a chance to reflect on the long journey that brought her to medical school and the people who supported her along the way. “The White Coat ceremony is a milestone that I think every person trying […]
For Dr. Maureen “Mo” Ferguson, TRUST is about more than preparing medical students for rural clinical rotations. It is about giving them the tools, relationships, and perspective they can carry throughout their careers. “I think that creating those connections, not just between doctors, faculty and preceptors, but between the students, is probably the most important […]
Receiving her white coat marks the beginning of student Heidi Sellmann’s journey toward becoming a physician For Heidi Sellmann, receiving her white coat at Idaho WWAMI’s White Coat Ceremony was more than a milestone. As the first (future) physician in her family, the ceremony offered a chance to reflect on the winding path that […]
When Idaho WWAMI students walk into the interview room at State Hospital South in Idaho, their attending psychiatrist is already waiting for them on a screen. That is Eunice Stallman, MD, and for the next six weeks she’ll be their teacher, their supervisor, and often the person they turn to when the biggest questions of training […]
