WWAMI Conference brings regional leaders to campus

Participants came from all over the Northwest to the School of Medicine's 1999 WWAMI Conference Nov. 1 and 2 at the Health Sciences Center. WWAMI, named for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, is the medical school's regional education program.

This is the program's 28th year as an enduring collaboration between the states and the UW to provide access to public medical education. Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho do not have their own medical schools, so they have joined in agreements to finance a certain number of medical school "slots" for students from those states. The students complete their first year of studies at universities in their home states, and then come to Seattle for second-year classes. All of the states have training sites where medical students complete part of their clinical work.

WWAMI Conference

Attendees at the regional conference this week included legislators and other elected and appointed officials from the states involved, state leaders in health care and higher education, and representatives from the WWAMI faculty, administration and students.

The program included discussions of federal public policy and its effects on medical education. Legislators and other participants joined in group discussions on future directions for the WWAMI Program. On Monday, attendees went to Harborview Medical Center for a tour of the emergency-trauma center, the intensive care unit, clinics and the new UW Research and Training Building.

Dr. Paul Ramsey, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, gave the plenary address. Dr. Roger Rosenblatt, professor and vice-chair of the Department of Family Medicine, gave the evening address on workforce needs in the region. He is co-principal investigator for the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center and the WWAMI Center for Workforce Studies.

Dr. John Coombs, associate vice president for medical affairs and associate dean for regional affairs and rural health, led the conference planning committee. WWAMI conferences are held every other year in Seattle and in each partner state on alternate years. ¶