Diversifying Our Nation's Doctors:
WWAMI Reaching Out to Underrepresented Students
By: Francisco Saavedra, M.D.
WSU/UI-WWAMI and UW School of Medicine

Diversity
Diversity means many things to many people, but one thing is certain: creating a culture of inclusion that celebrates and includes diverse perspectives -from race, gender, age, language and country of origin to educational background, sexual orientation, physical abilities and ideologies- is a central objective of the world's most forward-thinking organizations and professionals. The WSU/UI WWAMI Medical Program is one of them.

What is WWAMI?
Washington State University (WSU) and University of Idaho (UI) are members of WWAMI, a regional medical education cooperative program through the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM). Students from Idaho and Washington can complete their first year of medical school in Pullman-Moscow. The states involved in the cooperative program are Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, hence the acronym WWAMI.

Doctors of Color
According to Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the U.S. (2006), of the nation's 885,000 doctors, just 14 percent of them identify as African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Chicano/Latino, or Native American. While the number of female physicians has more than doubled since 1980, they still represent just 26 percent of all physicians. As multicultural populations around the nation grow, there is a great need for doctors of color.

Promoting a Culture of Inclusion
Recognizing the lack of underrepresented groups in the medical field and acknowledging a particular responsibility to those groups in which minorities are prevalent, we created the WWAMI Multicultural Programs Initiative. We are very interested in promoting a culture of inclusion in order to celebrate diversity and to provide academic and cultural enrichment in our environment. The WWAMI Multicultural Programs' new initiative is intended to create a culture of inclusion by:
1) Facilitating the identification, recruitment, retention, and professional development of individuals from underrepresented and/or disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degrees; and
2) Disseminating the culture of inclusion by promoting and teaching multicultural issues to all students interested in learning how to be sensitive at the personal and clinical levels, in providing healthcare to diverse groups in the US and abroad.
In addition, support is available in the following areas: to provide individual counseling to medical students for both academic and nonacademic needs; facilitate access to the multitude of resources within our universities, region, the community and abroad; and develop academic, informational, social and international programs for medical students throughout the year.

Advantages of WWAMI
The WSU/UI WWAMI Medical Education Program is different from the others in that both universities share classes and instructors. The joint WSU/UI WWAMI program forms a single class of nearly 40 first-year students. Classes are taught on both campuses with faculty from UI and WSU. The medical students in the program study the same medical courses offered at the UWSOM. However, because of the smaller class size at WSU/UI, the professors are able to give extra assistance and attention to students.

In addition to smaller class size, students in the WSU/UI WWAMI program participate in clinical experience during their first year: students work beside a physician in a local clinic. They can choose from a variety of specialties, including family medicine, surgery, obstetrics / gynecology, and pediatrics. Working closely with these physicians, students learn patient interviewing techniques such as how to gather patient history and screening skills. Also, all students are offered a summer fellowship to work for a month with a physician in a rural or underserved community. Research and educating the public are opportunities available to students who have completed their first year of school.

How do I apply?
Students are eligible to enter the program after receiving a degree from a college or university. After they apply and are accepted to the University of Washington School of Medicine, Idaho residents spend the first year of medical school at UI/WSU WWAMI; Washington residents can attend UI/WSU WWAMI by choice or by appointment. All 2nd year students are schooled in Seattle. The 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations can happen at clinical training sites in any of the five WWAMI states.

High school and college-aged students
Aside from teaching first year medical students, WWAMI also offers programs for high school and college-aged students. These programs help prepare them for applying to medical school, offer opportunities to participate in health career exploration, and educate students about health issues. For more information, please visit http://www.wwami.wsu.edu. We are working hard to increase the diversity in our student body and provide opportunity for students wishing to serve their own populations and others as physicians.