Programs

CUSP is a comprehensive approach to diversifying the UW School of Medicine student population and addressing WWAMI’s urban underserved physician workforce shortage through pipeline development and community-based medical school training. The CUSP Scholars engage in a four-year, integrated curriculum which offers in depth public health training and clinical experiences in underserved settings. Scholars also grow personally and professionally through mentorship, reflection, and service learning.

Concurrent Degree Programs

Students with an interest in pursuing an additional degree concurrently with their MD degree may petition the associate dean for student affairs for permission to participate in a concurrent degree program following the completion of the traditional third year or Patient Care Phase of the curriculum. Concurrent degree programs can include MD/MPH (Master of Public Health), MD/MHA (Master of Health Administration), and MD/OMS (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery).

Global Health Immersion Program (GHIP)

GHIP is an educational program and cultural immersion opportunity developed by the Global Health Resource Center and the UW Global Health Group. GHIP students spend eight weeks living and working in a developing country in order to gain first-hand insight into the challenges of global health. GHIP students witness the practice of medicine in a resource-limited setting, assess the health needs of the local community, and develop a health-promotion project within their host community. They also complete an online curriculum, which includes reading and responding to journal articles, submitting reflective journal entries, and creating an abstract and poster explaining their community project.

Pathway Programs

The UW School of Medicine offers students the opportunity to pursue a particular interest and develop knowledge and skills through nine unique pathways. Students can participate in a range of offerings–from working with underserved communities domestically and abroad, to those focused on humanities and arts, or research. Pathways allow students to organize their courses and volunteer opportunities (and for some, clinical rotations) around a particular interest, and explore career interests with mentorship from faculty, staff, community members, and providers who share those interests.

Rural Programs

The UW School of Medicine Office of Rural Programs develops  rural training opportunities in the WWAMI region with a goal to advance the rural physician workforce through quality and innovative medical student training.

• Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP)

  RUOP offers students between their first and second years, preceptorships with practicing physicians in rural and underserved clinics across the WWAMI states.

• Targeted Rural and Underserved Track (TRUST)

  TRUST seeks to provide a continuous connection between underserved communities, medical education, and health professionals in our region. The goal is to create a full-circle pipeline by guiding qualified students through a special curriculum that connects underserved communities in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho to the UW School of Medicine and its network of affiliated residency programs in an effort to help meet the workforce needs of the region.

• WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience (WRITE)

  The WRITE Program is a longitudinally integrated clerkship developed by the UW School Of Medicine as a means to help medical students learn and understand rural medicine practice. The success of this unique program is due to the integration of community involvement, continuity of experience, and a proven curriculum. The impetus for creating WRITE was to expand primary care and rural training options, develop additional training experiences in the WWAMI states, including rural areas, foster the primary care mission of the University of Washington, and provide more physicians for rural practice in the Pacific Northwest.​​