WWAMI Stories and Student Features

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 […]

For Dr. Kanan Silvas, medicine has always been about community. An Idaho WWAMI alumnus (E11) who grew up in North Idaho, Silvas is now an emergency medicine physician and internal hospitalist at Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene where he helps expand clinical training opportunities for students rotating through the emergency department. He also serves as […]

For decades, Idaho WWAMI Assistant Clinical Dean Dr. Mary Barinaga has helped shape the educational experience of Idaho WWAMI medical students. Now, her contributions are being honored with the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Outstanding Clerkship Award for 2024–2025. Dr. Barinaga has played a central role in Idaho WWAMI for years, helping […]

Creating a learning environment where students feel supported, valued, and confident has long been central to Dr. Travis Nielsen’s approach to teaching. That dedication was recently recognized with the Family Medicine Outstanding Clerkship Award for 2024–2025 from the University of Washington School of Medicine. “I have been working with medical students in my clinic for […]

Three Idaho physicians have earned 2026 WRITE Excellence in Teaching Awards for their dedication to teaching and mentoring future physicians through the WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience (WRITE) program. This year’s Idaho recipients are Dr. Michelle Eide of Ketchum, Dr. John Hatzenbuehler of Hailey, and Dr. Jessica Sollstrom of Nampa. Michelle Eide, MD – Ketchum […]

When Simrat Kaur attended the Annual American Burn Association Conference in Orlando this spring, she brought with her not only original research, but a deeply personal understanding of recovery after life-changing injury. Kaur, a medical student at the UW School of Medicine, is currently completing a research year with the Northwest Regional Burn Model System […]

On most mornings, Heather Pollard is awake before the rest of her household, studying in the quiet before the day begins. Soon after, she starts getting her three children ready for school in Anchorage, shifting between her roles as a third-year medical student and a mom. Pollard’s interest in medicine began early. “I was first […]