WWAMI Stories and Student Features

Meet Yi Chan, Second-year Alaska WWAMI TRUST scholar!Yi grew up in Utqiagvik, Alaska, where working at the local hospital taught her a hard truth about rural medicine: you never know what will come through the door, or what you’ll have on hand to treat it. That’s part of why she chose WWAMI’s TRUST program for […]

Meet Gretta Pickett, a 2nd year Seattle WWAMI medical student who is now in her Rural and Underserved Opportunities Program placement in Nome, Alaska. This summer she’s looking forward to learning about the practice of medicine in rural Alaska, how traditional foods and practices shape health in Alaska Native communities, and building her physical exam […]

Feona Hoy is spending her RUOP somewhere pretty fitting for someone building a career on showing up for people: North Pole, Alaska. As a second-year student with Alaska WWAMI, Feona is using this rotation to dig into something she’s genuinely fired up about — how smaller communities deliver effective healthcare, and focusing on what it […]

For many University of Washington School of Medicine students, a 699 rotation offers a chance to customize a clinical experience around a specific area of interest. These special assignment electives allow students to complete clinical training at approved sites throughout the WWAMI region, providing hands-on learning opportunities beyond the standard curriculum. For Alaska WWAMI student […]

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 […]

Born in Boise and raised in Kuna, Idaho, Kenya Morales-Luna grew up as the daughter of immigrant parents from Guanajuato, Mexico. From a young age, she often served as an interpreter during her parents’ medical appointments, giving her an early view into the challenges many families face when navigating the U.S. healthcare system. “Through my […]

The Idaho WWAMI program recently welcomed its newest cohort of Targeted Rural Underserved Track (TRUST) scholars during a special luncheon held on the first day of orientation, marking the beginning of their medical education journey. The TRUST program prepares future physicians to serve rural and underserved communities by fostering meaningful, long-term connections throughout medical school. […]

Across the entire country, there are fewer than 8,000 geriatricians caring for more than 58 million Americans over the age of 65. By 2030, that demand is expected to be more than double. In Idaho, where the physician shortage is already the worst in the nation, that gap is even more acute.  “We simply do […]

For years, a complex neurological diagnosis in North Idaho often came with an unwelcome prescription: a long drive. Patients seeking specialized care for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological conditions frequently had to travel hours away often across state lines to find it.  Dr. Cliff Hampton has spent the last 11 years working to change […]

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 […]