WWAMI Stories and Student Features

November is Native American Heritage Month and we’re celebrating the contributions and diverse cultures of Indigenous colleagues in this multi-part series. This Native American Heritage Month, we’re highlighting students like Nix whose work centers Native communities.  Nix, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, is a UW School of Medicine student and co-lead of the Association of […]

For Idaho WWAMI alum Jordan Richter, MD, the path to medicine began in uniform. Richter and his family moved to Idaho in 2013. He was raised in a military-focused home and always expected to serve. After pursuing several different career paths, he decided the time had come and joined the Idaho National Guard as a […]

For several years, the UW Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine has welcomed medical students from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. This year, the exchange went both ways. UW School of Medicine student Deeya Sharma (MS3) recently became the first UWSOM medical student to complete a clinical rotation at Tohoku University through the exchange. Her […]

Kaden Moore helped with more than 170 cataract surgeries in Honduras this past August. One patient who still couldn’t see afterward is part of why his glaucoma research at the Moran Eye Center in Utah matters to him. The mornings after surgery are what Kaden Moore remembers most. Many of the patients had been effectively […]

  For Idaho WWAMI student Jack Gambassi, medicine didn’t begin in a lab or a lecture hall. It began at home in Boise, helping care for his two younger sisters.  Jack grew up in a family that encouraged his many interests. He played club soccer, played bassoon in the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and spent […]

A first-week of medical school conversation with Dr. Mary Barinaga, Assistant Clinical Dean for Idaho WWAMI started then Idaho WWAMI first year medical student Derek Southwick on a path to the National American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Board of Directors. Now he wants to bring that experience back to Idaho Falls. During his first […]

Before medical school, Wyoming WWAMI student Elizabeth Girling (E25) worked as a software engineer. This summer, she put those skills to work in the Fine Lab at the UW Center for Neuroscience, designing a video game to study how the brain responds to reward. Working with her Principal Investigator, Dr. Ione Fine, Elizabeth’s task was […]

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 […]