The Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington has a distinguished history and has been consistently ranked first in the United States for the quality of its teaching programs. Through the WWAMI Program, the School of Medicine and the Department of Family Medicine offer medical education in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (the WWAMI states). The Department also provides leadership for core curriculum in the School of Medicine and is recognized for its research and academic programs in rural communities. Department faculty members are engaged in teaching, research, clinical work, and service. With over 800 clinical faculty members located throughout the WWAMI region, and approximately 40 regular faculty located at the University site in Seattle, the Department is one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Direct patient care is offered primarily through the Department’s clinical operations at the UW Neighborhood Northgate Clinic and the Family Medicine Clinic at Harborview. The Predoctoral section handles the medical student teaching programs including preceptorships, basic clerkships and courses, the School’s Underserved Pathway, and its rural teaching programs. The Department’s Residency is known for its full spectrum training of residents that allows residents to enter a variety of practice settings. It is also known for its resources that allow interested residents to train for careers with an academic or health policy focus. The UW Family Medicine Residency Network is comprised of all 20 family medicine residency training programs in the WWAMI region. This is a collaborative group of residencies that share best practices and other resources. Each residency program is affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine. The Research Section has a distinguished history and is one of the largest family medicine research enterprises in the country.