A Report to the Community | Spring 2025

Partners in Medical Education

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Report to the Community

UW-GU Health Partnership Honors Founding Presidents Cauce and McCulloh

Community members celebrated the bold visions and vast accomplishments of the Health Partnership founders, University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce and Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh, as they each retire from their roles this summer.

Read more about how the Health Partnership has created a greater impact than UW or GU could imagine alone.

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“With more than 2,600 Gonzaga grads in health sciences and nearly 1,000 UW doctors since the onset of the partnership, families will have greater access to caring, qualified providers.”
Thayne McCulloh, Gonzaga President

“As we find we need more doctors, nurses and other health care workers, particularly in less populated areas, the most sustainable solution is to educate and retain them here in Washington to care for our local communities.”
Ana Mari Cauce, UW President

Milestones and Achievements

Over the past nine years, the Health Partnership has:

Increased public investment and support to expand the number of medical students from 40 to 60, and dental school students from eight to 16, annually in Spokane.
Trained nearly 3,000 clinicians in Spokane to provide patient care to communities throughout Central and Eastern Washington.
Developed a $60 million, state-of-the-art facility to provide excellence in medical and health education and research, made possible through a public-private collaboration with McKinstry’s Emerald Initiative.
Created and supported research opportunities for students to improve and enhance their educational experience through summer lab immersion and research fellowship programs.

Strengthened partnerships and communities through a lecture series featuring UW School of Medicine researchers, engagement with clinical providers and outreach to rural underserved populations.
Offered Parkinson’s patients (and others) opportunities to test the latest treatments in GU’s Human Physiology labs.
Innovated collaborative teaching models that leverage expertise with joint faculty members, shared lab space and courses that tap into centers of excellence, such as leadership training.

Eastern Washington Economic Impacts

UW: $81.4 million annually**
20 Year Projection*: $1.6 billion
20 Year Actual Projection**: $1.628

GU: $317 million annually***

These findings represent our deep commitment to provide impact academically and economically in all parts of the state.

Sources: *Tripp Umbach, 2014; ***Independent Colleges of Washington, 2021-22; **Parker Strategy Group, 2024

Students Offer Fentanyl Overdose Prevention and a Bit of Kindness

Matt Lumsden arrived at Gonzaga University with plans for entering a medical field with “a human component,” and set out to find a volunteer experience that would add to a holistic education. He started volunteering with the Spokane Regional Health District’s Syringe Services while he completed his undergrad at GU and began medical school at UW, inspiring other future health providers to join him in this humbling and life-saving work.

Read more about his service to the most vulnerable.

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headshots of a woman and a man with a gray and blue background

Early UWSOM-Spokane Grads Build Thriving Practices

As members of the first classes under the UW-GU Health Partnership, Mara Hazeltine (2019) and Justin Thompson (2020) are part of a pioneering group of students who paved the way for future cohorts. Thompson said the partnership helps future physicians fall in love with the area. That happened to him when he came to Spokane to attend medical school. Hazeltine grew up closeby and chose to launch her career and begin a family here.

Read more about grads building thriving practices

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RIDE Expands, Increases Access To Quality Dental Care

The UW School of Dentistry’s Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, or RIDE program, is nearing the completion of its new regional training center for oral health care excellence. This state-of-the-art simulation and teaching space will support the growth of the RIDE program and serve as a hub for training additional oral health professionals and students once fully operational by autumn quarter 2025.

“The Health Partnership fosters an environment of innovation and knowledge exchange, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and enhanced community health.”
Francisco R. Velazquez M.D., S.M., FCAP; Health Officer | Spokane Regional Health District

“At Evergreen Bio, we see the impact of the Health Partnership in strengthening the healthcare workforce and driving bioscience innovation, making our region a hub for medical excellence.”
Michaele Armstrong, Ph.D., M.B.A. Executive Director | Evergreen Bio

Med Students Find Their Match

Each spring, graduating UWSOM Spokane students join their peers from medical schools across the country in learning where they “matched” for their next three to seven years in U.S. residency training programs. Find out where our 247 participants will be practicing.

Medical Leaders Honored With Health Partners Awards

Health Partners in Ellensburg and Wenatchee were recognized for their exceptional commitment to improving the health of their communities and mentorship of medical residents and allied health students. In the Wenatchee Valley, Casey Vogt, Student Services Coordinator, Jessica Brooks, HR Specialist and Alexandra Graham, MD, Internal Medicine Physician at Confluence Health and Felipe Gutierrez, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Karen Maqueda, Teaching Program Coordinator, Tobe Harberd, MD, Family Physician, and Scott Hippe, MD, Family Physician with Columbia Valley Community Health were honored. Ellensburg’s John Merrill-Steskal, MD, KVH Family Medicine and Kittitas Valley Hospital’s Mark Larson, MD, Kevin Martin, MD and Kyle West, medical staff coordinator, received awards.