WWAMI Turns 40

2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the WWAMI regional medical education program, an enduring partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho that provides publicly supported medical education for the five-state region. The WWAMI name is derived from the first letter of the names of each of the five partner states. Throughout WWAMI’s 40-year history, many individuals, groups, hospitals, universities and government leaders have collaborated to advance regional excellence in medical education and meet physician workforce needs in rural and underserved areas.

• Through the WWAMI Medical Education Program, Idaho is already partnered with the #1 medical school for primary care and rural physician training (15 years running) and the #1 public medical school for total research funding ($1 billion in 2007)
• An unbeaten record of success: 50 percent of Idaho’s WWAMI graduates set up practice in Idaho; the national return rate for all other medical schools is just 39 percent
• When you add the other WWAMI graduates from Montana, Washington and Alaska who have set up practice in Idaho, the state’s return on investment goes up to 70 percent