On a busy autumn day at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus, nearly 70 students from Federal Way High School stepped into the world of healthcare—listening to heartbeats, testing reflexes, and asking big-picture questions about their futures. The experience was part of Healthcare Explorers Day, a hands-on outreach event organized through the Family Medicine Interest […]
For first-year Seattle medical student Nick Talley, the path to medicine began long before he ever opened a textbook. Talley spent 20 years on active duty in the US Army, serving as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant—better known as a Green Beret—from October 2002 to October 2022. Stationed with the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) […]
When Lessly Tapia Torres was a child, she was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Her mother was told there were few options for follow-up care because of their immigration status. For Lessly, that moment was formative. “I remember watching my mom fight for me, while seeing other families struggle in the clinic,” she recalls. “It opened […]
The University of Washington School of Medicine warmly welcomed students from the incoming E25 class at the Seattle and Spokane WWAMI sites with the annual Stethoscope Ceremony. This meaningful tradition marks the beginning of medical school for new students, as they receive their first stethoscopes—a symbolic and practical gift from the UW Medicine Alumni Association. […]
Zhaoyi “Joey” Wang, a rising fourth-year medical student in Spokane, has been awarded the 2025 College of American Pathologists (CAP) Distinguished Medical Student Award—a national honor given to just one student per medical school who demonstrates exceptional interest, aptitude, and involvement in pathology. “From exploring recreational genetic testing in high school, to shadowing pathologists during […]
Erica Crittendon was selected to receive a 2025 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Physician Professional Advisory Committee (PPAC). The awards program recognizes medical students across the United States who advance public health and those who exemplify the USPHS Commissioned Corps’ mission to protect, promote, and advance the health […]
At Watt Dhammacakkaram, a Buddhist temple and cultural center for Seattle’s Cambodian community, this year’s Khmer New Year celebration included something new: free health screenings. The event marked the first time SHIFA (Student Health Initiative for Access), a UW School of Medicine (UWSOM) student-led health outreach group, partnered with the temple to bring care directly […]
From left: Claire Charvet, Alexandra Stearns, Kennedy Child, Ainsley Brockman, and Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, Vice Dean of Research & Graduate Education. Photo credit: Kim Blakeley. Gonzaga University Students Conduct Biomedical Research in Seattle Four Gonzaga University (GU) students spent eight weeks working in biomedical research labs alongside UW School of Medicine principal investigators, graduate students, and […]
L to R: Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, Vice Dean for UW Medicine Research Graduate Education with students Claire Charvet, Emma Spiegel, Alexis Terterov and Shafiq Moltafet The summer of 2023 offered transformative learning experiences for four Gonzaga University undergraduates who had the opportunity to work in busy research labs at the University of Washington School of Medicine […]
