Future rural physicians stepped beyond the classroom and into conversations about leadership, advocacy and community health during the Montana WWAMI TRUST Student Leadership Retreat, held June 24–27 in Bozeman. The annual retreat brought together second- and third-year TRUST students for several days of learning, mentorship and reflection as they prepare to serve rural and underserved […]
For more than two decades, Cindy Stergar has strengthened Montana’s healthcare system by helping to build the primary care workforce, expanding access to medical services and championing physician education. Now, after retiring as CEO of the Montana Primary Care Association, she leaves Montana with a stronger physician workforce and a lasting influence on the next […]
The landscape stopped Mikayla Bullman in her tracks not because it was foreign, but because it wasn’t. Rolling grassland, wide sky, communities scattered far from the nearest hospital. “Rural Montana is not all that different,” she would later reflect. “The landscape even looks the same.” This summer, Bullman and fellow Montana WWAMI second-year Lucy Corbett […]
Last month, we celebrated a remarkable achievement as 29 Montana WWAMI students crossed the stage at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, officially earning their Doctor of Medicine degrees. Among the graduates were eight Montana WWAMI TRUST scholars, whose medical education included an extended focus on serving rural and underserved communities throughout the state. On May 22, […]
Before joining their classmates at the Physician’s Oath & Hooding Ceremony, Montana WWAMI graduates Verena Lawrence, Jamie Ritter and TRUST scholar Jesi Kennedy (Assiniboine descent) took part in a Traditional Blanket Ceremony recognizing their completion of the Indian Health Pathway. Held on the morning of graduation, the ceremony honors students’ commitment to improving health […]
When medical educators from across the United Kingdom gathered in Dundee, Scotland, for the UK Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (UKLIC) Conference in April, Montana WWAMI’s approach to building a rural physician workforce was part of the global conversation. Jay Erickson, MD, Montana WWAMI Assistant Clinical Dean delivered the conference keynote presentation, “Reflections on Creating a Physician […]
When attendees gathered in Butte for the Montana Addiction Medicine & Pain Conference, Montana WWAMI student Megan Ogle shared her comprehensive research on kratom, a plant-derived substance that has gained attention for its use in pain management and opioid withdrawal. A third-year medical student and Miles City TRUST Scholar, Ogle explored the complex questions surrounding […]
Montana WWAMI‘s Aubrey Kessel will continue her journey in women’s health after matching into OB-GYN at the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow. Originally from Sidney, Montana, the fourth-year student was drawn to OB-GYN because it offered everything she hoped to find in medicine: the opportunity to build long-term, meaningful relationships with patients across the lifespan while […]
From Montana to Utah, fourth-year Montana WWAMI student Kaylee Stein will soon head into pediatrics after matching at the University of Utah. Originally from Eureka, Kaylee was drawn to pediatrics because of its focus on prevention, healthy development, and the opportunity to build lasting relationships with children and their families. She values the chance to […]
Every year, the National Rural Health Policy Institute hosts physicians, nurses, medical and nursing students, hospital administrators and rural health policy experts to gather at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to explore and contribute to the key policy issues affecting rural health in the nation. This year, Montana WWAMI Assistant Clinical Dean/Physician Educator Dr. Jay […]
