The Origin
In 2016, the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) and Gonzaga University formed a partnership to provide for medical education in Eastern Washington through the WWAMI program. The new Regional Health Partnership was housed on Gonzaga’s campus in the Schoenberg Center. The initial phase of the partnership focused on providing for the education of medical students in the first few years and housing the MEDEX Spokane PA program. Each year 120 first and second year medical students and 30 PA students call Gonzaga home.
Opportunities for Gonzaga’s Pre-health Community
UWSOM medical students and faculty began to collaborate with the Gonzaga undergraduate students and their advisors. Some of the highlights of this collaboration include:
- Healthcare graduate school student panels
- Suturing clinics
- Participation in the Spokane Center for Public Neuroscience Education (SCPNE) and neuroscience outreach
- Programming for Gonzaga students by UWSOM clinical faculty on topics like art and medicine and the effects of climate change on
- Workshops put on by UWSOM’s Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM)
- Collaboration in organizations such as Med for Ed and Health Equity Circle
- UWSOM clinical faculty participating in undergraduate classes
- Mentorship programs
Several Gonzaga faculty spend time educating both first and second year medical students. They often bring what they learned about these experiences into their undergraduate classes. Many advisors who support the Health Professions Pathways Program have gained insight into the graduate admissions process through close contacts with UW staff or by participating directly in medical school candidate interviews.