RUOP | WWAMI Medical Education | College of Health Science

The Program

Overview

The Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP) is a four-week, elective immersion experience in community medicine for students between their first and second years of medical school.

During their 4-week rotation, students live in rural or urban underserved communities throughout Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI). They work side-by-side with local physicians providing healthcare to underserverd populations. Administered by the UW Department of Family Medicine, RUOP is a collaborative effort of the UW School of Medicine, WWAMI campuses and the Area Health Education Centers.

Program Goals

Provide students with an early exposure to the challenges and rewards of practicing primary care medicine in a rural or urban underserved setting.
Promote in students a positive attitude toward rural and urban underserved community medicine.
Provide students with an opportunity to learn how community healthcare systems function.

Summer 2020 RUOP: E-19 Student Lauren McVeigh, Heith Waddell, MD and former Wyoming WWAMI Clinical Dean Larry Kirven outside of Crook County

Hospital and Nursing Home in Sundance, WY.

RUOP News

Dr. Howard Willson Excellence in Primary Care Award for Wyoming

The Howard Willson Excellence in Primary Care Award was created to honor Dr. Howard Willson, a key supporter of the WWAMI program. Dr. Willson served as a member of the UWYO Board of Trustees and the WWAMI Advisory Council. This award is presented to the top primary care project as voted by the judges.

E-2020 Student Awardee

The winner will receive a cash award and a certificate for their presentation.

Awardee	Awardee Photo	Project Title	RUOP/Research Site
LUCAS, AUDREY		Using Behavior Change Models to Help Healthcare Workers Disucss COVID-19 Vaccines with Patients to Increase Community Vaccination Numbers in Goshen County, WY	Torrington, WY

Scholarship of Discovery-American Collge of Physicians Award

During their 9-week rotation, students performed research in various fields related to medicine under the direction of an MD or PhD. These projects ranged from basic animal studies to more clinically-based research. Students carried out a defined project where they were involved in developing methods, analyzing results, and formulating conclusions based on their discoveries.

E-2021 Student Awardees

The winners will receive a cash award and a certificate for their presentations.

Awardee	Awardee Photo	Project Title	RUOP/Research Site
ECKHARDT, CARTER		Prevalence of Tracheostomy Placement in Patients with Skeletal Dysplasia	Seattle, WA

Rural/Underserved Opportunities- American Collge of Physicians Award

During their 4-week rotation, students worked side-by-side with a primary care physician in a rural or urban underserved community. While at their RUOP sites, students were also expected to complete an abbreviated local health assessment to identify both community assets and public health issues. Using current evidence-based literature, students then evaluated intervention strategies related to one public health issue they identified in their assessment.

E-2021 Student Awardees

The winners will receive a cash award and a certificate for their presentations.

Awardee	Awardee Photo	Project Title	RUOP/Research Site
BRITZ, SAMANTHA		Mood & Food: Increasing Mental Health Outcomes with Nutrition in Star Valley, WYStrategies to Reduce the Incidence of Skin Cancer in Cody, WY	Star Valley, WY
AHUJA, HANNA		Addressing The Increasing Signs Of Fatigue Post-Pandemic In Rock Springs, Wyoming	Rock Springs, WY