Multicultural Medicine

DIVERSITY & MULTICULTURALISM IN MEDICINE

The University of Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program has made a commitment to increasing access and success in medical education for all citizens of Idaho, especially individuals from rural and underrepresented backgrounds. This commitment is in keeping with University of Washington Medicine’s demonstrated support for WWAMI students from many diverse communities and interests, through support programs, course work, clinical placements, and mentoring. Despite the distance, University of Idaho WWAMI maintains a strong relationship with the Center for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Diversity means many different 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 –benefits all of us.

In WWAMI we strive to incorporate diverse perspectives in many of our first year courses, understanding that what the patient brings to the interaction, his/her culture, language, prior experience with medicine, family, and values all contribute to the healing relationship in medicine. In addition, we make time to celebrate our different backgrounds and cultures, believing that learning about others enriches our own understanding of what makes us unique and valuable as a person and member of our community.

The University of Idaho campus and neighboring communities all have educational, cultural, and community activities hosted by different student groups, clubs, or international programs throughout the year. Notices of events are posted and sent to WWAMI students encouraging them to sample from the richness of their university community and region. WWAMI maintains a strong relationship with the multicultural student offices and programs on campus, as well as participates in campus leadership on issues of diversity, inclusion, and multicultural policies and program development.