The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) presents a series of lectures every year that highlight the cutting edge research and community outreach that the UWSOM is involved in. It is primarily a PR program to encourage people to send their kids to the school, and a polite request for contributions: “The series is free, and we encourage people who enjoy their experience to contribute to UW Medicine. Learn more about UW Medicine’s priorities, or search for areas that interest you, and take a moment to give online. Every gift makes a difference!”
This week, there was a welcome lecture with an overview of the school, and a description of academic pathways developed to produce doctors equipped to “Serve the Underserved.”
There are four principal “Pathways:”
Indian Health Pathway (created in 1992), Global Health Pathway (created in 2003), Underserved Pathway (created in 2006), and the Hispanic Health Pathway (created in 2008). The programs include mentorship, clinical rotations and community service in the target communities.
The great thing about this (in my view) is that the social and cultural aspects are built into the four years of med school, as opposed to being a brief survey that is applied near the end like a band aid. Students are introduced to the diseases, cultural constraints and belief systems unique to the community they will be serving in their practice. Very cool, methinks.
There were four students (two sophomores, two seniors) from each of the Pathways, and they gave personal observations about their studies, aspirations and expectations.