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Excellence in Women's Health at the University of Washington

The University of Washington (UW) is nationally recognized as a leader in women's health scholarship, education, and clinical care. In addition, the UW Academic Medical Center has a deep commitment to serve vulnerable populations, including minority and non-English speaking patients.

The UW Academic Medical Center is comprised of the six Health Sciences Schools, the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Harborview Medical Center (HMC), UW Physicians and UWPN satellite clinics. The UW School of Medicine (SoM) is in the unique position of providing medical education not only for its home state, but also for five other states in the region, including Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (also referred to as the WWAMI). The UW SoM programs represent a teaching consortium that includes every major medical institution in Seattle, and which extends to over 45 sites across the WWAMI region. Clinical experiences in the WWAMI training sites encourage students to appreciate the benefits caring for rural and underserved populations.

Many cultures have specific strengths and beliefs that challenge the allopathic, biomedical model of health. Their health behaviors may be strongly influenced by underlying attitudes towards hospitals and physicians, and perhaps by their faith in traditional "folk" healing methods. It has also become increasingly clear that patient beliefs and spiritual healing have an important role to play in the holistic model of health. We believe that a respectful, sensitive approach to exploring the dynamics of interactions between these different belief systems will allow us the greatest opportunity for mutual gain. The UW CoE will serve as a resource to our region through the collaborative development of model educational, clinical and research programs, which are culturally and linguistically appropriate to the diverse communities we serve.