The University of Washington School of Medicine

Founded in 1946, the University of Washington School of Medicine is the only medical school in the five-state region of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho, and provides medical education for all of these states through its WWAMI program. Efforts to open a medical school at the University of Washington (UW) began when the state was still a remote territory in the late 19th century, and doctors practiced medicine as a sideline to frontier trade. When it eventually opened, the UW School of Medicine attracted outstanding faculty from across the country, despite some early temporary quarters in basements, attics, and even huts. Eager to explore new ideas at a school not bound by tradition, these educators left behind prestigious positions to relocate to the ruggedly beautiful Pacific Northwest. Today, the UW School of Medicine is widely recognized both for excellence in training primary care physicians and for advancing medical knowledge through scientific research. The school has been ranked first among primary care medical schools by U.S. News & World Report for 13 consecutive years, and it ranks second among all medical schools and first among public schools in research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The school has 29 clinical and basic science departments, 2,553 faculty members, 808 undergraduate medical students, 1,063 postgraduates (residents), 625 PhD students, and 704 postdoctoral trainees. The UW School of Medicine’s faculty physicians staff the UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and the UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics. The WWAMI program, which trains physicians and physician assistants to practice in medically underserved areas across the massive five-state region, provides first-year medical student training at five universities, community-based medical education, primary care training, rural health research, clinical consultations and continuing medical education, and telemedicine services for the region. More than 3,000 practicing physicians across the five-state region participate in the program as teachers. A distinguishing characteristic of the UW School of Medicine is its focus on interdisciplinary collaboration. In January 2006, the school announced the establishment of a Department of Global Health with a $30 million commitment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and additional university funds. Jointly operated by the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, this new department will identify health problems and inequities in underserved populations around the world, conduct research in infectious disease and vaccine development, and develop innovative interventions designed to dramatically improve health for all populations. The new UW Genome Sciences and Bioengineering Building also opened this year and is named for renowned epidemiologist William H. Foege, a 1961 graduate of the UW School of Medicine and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Carter administration. The early days of community-based teaching and high-powered university research shaped the UW School of Medicine’s distinguishing character. Today, it is both a top-ranking scientific research institution and a leader in the training of primary care physicians. Clare Hagerty Assistant Director for Media Relations Health Sciences/UW Medicine Seattle, Washington