UW’s WWAMI Medical Education Program Strengthens Global Ties with Cardiff University

The University of Wyoming’s WWAMI Medical Education Program is deepening its global partnerships through an exchange program with Cardiff University in Wales.

 

Established in 2023 as part of a strategic initiative from UW’s Office of the President and Global Engagement Office, the collaboration has expanded rapidly, enriching medical education research and community engagement across borders.

 

“This exchange offers our students and faculty invaluable exposure to different health care systems and cultural perspectives, enriching their training and broadening their world views,” says Dr. Todd Guth, director of the Wyoming WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Program. “This collaboration gives our students a unique chance to experience health care delivery in another country, fosters innovative thinking and builds enduring professional relationships that impact both institutions.”

 

Cardiff Visits Wyoming

 

Earlier this summer, Drs. Matthew Morgan and Paul Frost of Cardiff University’s School of Medicine traveled to Wyoming, bringing with them innovative approaches to narrative medicine and community engagement. Wyoming WWAMI students participated in a reflective writing workshop tied to experiences in the Wyoming Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program, which immerses students in rural clinical practice.

 

“The presentation by Dr. Matt Morgan and the insight brought from the years of expertise of two physicians were incredibly inspiring,” says second-year medical student Aedian O’Connor, of Bondurant. “I remember feeling so moved, emotional even, during an exercise to practice connecting with patients during their end of life that highlighted the value of learning what humans value most in their lives. I plan to use narrative and storytelling strategies from this session to get to know my patients, as it is especially important in tight-knit, rural communities where I plan to practice.”

 

During their visit, the Cardiff faculty members toured health care sites across Wyoming, including the UW Family Medicine Residency Program in Cheyenne, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Hot Springs Memorial Hospital, the Laramie Fire Department and Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

 

“The commitment we witnessed in Wyoming to deliver compassionate care despite geographical challenges in rural communities was remarkable,” the visitors say.

 

Wyoming Visits Wales

 

In July, Danielle “Nellie” Bruns, a block leader with WWAMI, and Guth joined WWAMI medical students O’Connor and Jack Syring, from Sheridan, for a weeklong exchange in Wales. The group toured Cardiff University Medical Center, observed the Welsh Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, and visited simulation training innovator Limbs and Things in Bristol.

 

Drawing from their leadership of Wyoming’s Stop the Bleed program, O’Connor and Syring taught their Cardiff peers life-saving hemorrhage control skills through a train-the-trainer model. They went further, adapting the program for hundreds of prospective medical students, families and community members at Cardiff University’s annual open day.

 

“It was fascinating to explore the health care systems in Wales and contrast with the United States medical system that I have become immersed in throughout my training,” O’Connor says. “Bringing Stop the Bleed to Cardiff was extraordinary. The experience enhanced my teaching skills, and I was humbled by the privilege to offer tools to a community where hemorrhage control may be utilized.”

 

“Engaging with peers and future medical students in Cardiff underscored how adaptable and universal skills like hemorrhage control can be,” Syring says. “Teaching Stop the Bleed in such a dynamic setting not only reinforced the importance of community readiness but also showed me the power of collaboration across borders.”

 

Sharing Innovation

 

The UW-Cardiff partnership gained further visibility in September when Wyoming WWAMI faculty presented at the 2025 Consortium of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships (LIC) conference, hosted at Cardiff University. Dr. Rob Monger, Wyoming clinical dean for the University of Washington School of Medicine, led sessions alongside colleagues Dr. Kristi Webb and Dr. Brian Stephens, both from Cardiff University.

 

Wyoming WWAMI contributed three major sessions: “Art of the Possible”; “Flourishing, Rural LICs: Two Sides of the Same Coin”; and “Uniting the Future of LICs: Cardiff/Wyoming Exchange.”

 

Wyoming WWAMI students were featured in video reflections highlighting the 2024 Cardiff exchange, and two Cardiff students who had traveled to Wyoming joined in person to share their own experiences in rural communities.

 

“We were invited to deliver three sessions, all of which were very well received,” Monger says. “The highlight was our closing plenary session, where the voices of students on both sides of the exchange brought the story to life.”

 

Looking Ahead

 

Sustained by seed funding and faculty commitment, the UW-Cardiff partnership continues to grow. Plans include deeper collaborations in longitudinal integrated clerkships; simulation-based innovation; interprofessional education; and expanded community engagement initiatives. Faculty from the UW College of Health Sciences will return to Cardiff this fall for the next phase of exchange planning.

 

“Our work with Cardiff is not just about exchange visits -- it’s about building a lasting community of educators and learners committed to rural health, medical education innovation and cross-cultural understanding,” Guth says.

 

“As Wyoming’s only medical school, the WWAMI program plays a unique role in preparing physicians who are both deeply committed to rural communities and connected to the broader world,” says Patrick Hardigan, dean of the College of Health Sciences. “This partnership with Cardiff University exemplifies how global collaboration strengthens local impact. Our students and faculty are gaining not only clinical knowledge, but also a broader perspective on cultural humility, community engagement and innovation in medical education. I am grateful to our WWAMI faculty, to our colleagues at Cardiff and to the UW Global Engagement Office for helping us create these opportunities. Together, we are building bridges that will enrich health care in Wyoming and beyond.”

 

About the Wyoming WWAMI Medical Education Program

 

The WWAMI Medical Education Program -- Wyoming’s medical school -- is a collaboration between the University of Wyoming and the University of Washington School of Medicine. WWAMI represents the five participating states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Each year, 20 Wyoming residents are accepted into the program, completing their foundational medical studies at UW before progressing to regional clinical training sites.

 

About the UW-Cardiff Collaboration

 

UW’s Global Engagement Office invites faculty from UW and Cardiff University to submit proposals to the Strategic Partnership Collaborative Seed Fund for joint teaching, service or research projects aimed at sustainable global collaboration. For more details, email global@uwyo.edu.

 

About UW’s College of Health Sciences

 

UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

 

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.