Largest Class of Alaska WWAMI Medical Students Celebrated at Historic White Coat Ceremony
by WWAMI |
![WWAMI Class](/academics/college-of-health/news/_images/2023-09-WWAMI%20White%20Coat-06.jpg)
The state’s public medical school partnership, WWAMI, which has trained the next generation of Alaska physicians for 51 years, celebrated its largest incoming class of 25 students at its annual White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
The medical student cohort represents 12 different communities across Alaska, including Juneau, Ketchikan, Seward, Kodiak, and Nome. They received the iconic white coats from their mentors following their completion of orientation to medical school and the first two weeks of clinical skills training. This is the first doctor’s white coat they’ll receive to wear throughout medical school.
The white coat is one of the most recognizable symbols in medicine. Since its inception at the turn of the 20th century it has signified life, hope, and healing; and perhaps most important, the responsibility to care for patients.
“We’re very excited to welcome Alaska WWAMI’s class of 2023 to the University of Alaska Anchorage campus,” said Kathy Young, MD, Foundations Dean for the Alaska WWAMI program at UAA. “During Clinical Immersion, students learn how to take a basic patient history and do a physical exam, so once they receive their coats, they are ready to see patients alongside their college mentor or a primary care physician right away. It’s very empowering and makes a difference in how quickly students understand clinical skills.”
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is an Anchorage institution that helps expands knowledge about the various cultural groups in Alaska, including Alaska’s Indigenous population. The unique venue choice reflects recent efforts made between the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska WWAMI program to be accessible to different areas, cultures, and people throughout Alaska. Alaska WWAMI students participate in clinical rotations in rural and remote places throughout the state, including Soldotna, Yakutat, and Naknek.
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- Department of Human Services
- Division of Population Health Sciences
- Justice Center
- School of Allied Health
School of Nursing
School of Social Work
- Creighton University/UAA Occupational Therapy Program
- UAA-ISU Doctor of Pharmacy Program
- WWAMI School of Medicine
- Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce
- Center for Human Development
- Child Welfare Academy
- Interprofessional Health Sciences Simulation Center