Program Information
WWAMI
WWAMI is an enduring partnership between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the states of
Washington, Wyoming,
Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. The WWAMI name is derived from the first letter of each of the five cooperating states. The
WWAMI program's purpose is to provide access to publicly supported medical education across the five-state region. The UW
School of Medicine maintains a Dean's Office in each of the five states. These offices oversee clinical medical
education for the School of Medicine within their regions, providing support services for the local clerkships and
students rotating among them. WWAMI focuses not only on medical students but on students in K-12, college students,
medical school graduates in residency and physicians in community practice.
History and Future
The program has been in place now for 40 years. It began in 1971. In 1996, Wyoming joined Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho as the fifth state in the consortium.
In recent years, medical educators have gained an understanding that medical students need to learn medicine where it is practiced - in the community rather than only in an urban, academic hospital setting. The philosophy of WWAMI is to put emphasis on a decentralized form of medical education. A significant part of any given student's education occurs within the WWAMI region in communities utilizing a combination of both full-time and volunteer teachers.