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 […]
“My path to this research is a funny one: it was an accident.” That’s how Alaska WWAMI first-year Joren Bowling describes landing at the center of an international research project examining the risks and challenges of delivering healthcare on the Moon. But the accident, as he tells it, was years in the making. A long […]
Last week, we shared in the joy and pride as 21 graduating Alaska WWAMI students crossed the stage at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, officially earning their titles: Doctor of Medicine. On May 22, 2026, we celebrated the Alaska WWAMI graduating Class of 2026 during the Physician’s Oath and Hooding Ceremony. The graduates are part of […]
What does it take to practice medicine where temperatures drop below minus 40 degrees during the winter, medevac flights are delayed by weather, and patients may travel by canoe to reach care? Those questions were at the heart of “The Art and Science of Arctic Medicine,” a recent CLIME Conversation Café and CLIMEcast Live Zoom […]
For Dr. Tim Hinterberger, teaching first-year medical students about the brain means embracing both science and mystery. As a faculty member in Alaska WWAMI’s Foundations block: Mind, Brain & Behavior (MBB), Hinterberger introduces students to one of medicine’s most complex frontiers: the human brain and consciousness itself. “For thirty years I’ve told students on the […]
For first-year Alaska WWAMI students Bhargavi Pochi and Shannon Miller, service learning is about more than volunteer hours. As co-leads for the Alaska AIDS Assistance Association (4As) Service Learning Advisory Committee (SLAC), the two students are working directly with Anchorage’s most vulnerable community members while gaining firsthand insight into addiction medicine, harm reduction and compassionate […]
