During their visit to Cheyenne, members of the new class of WWAMI medical students
toured the Wyoming State Capitol and met Gov. Mark Gordon. Front row, from left, are
Ross Cook, Hyrum Hopkin, Shayna Bauer, Franklin Powell, Cale Hinkle, Jenni Ebersberger,
Madeleine Prince, Daphne Ma, McKenzie Stampfli, Hannah Mills and Andrew White. Back
row, from left, are Brayden Feusner, Andrew Quinn, Heidi Taggart, Thomas Robitaille,
Casey Pikla, Gov. Gordon, Trent Bronnenberg, Aaron Erickson, Galen Tribble and Caleb
Hoopes. (Michael Pearlman Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s newest class of medical students was welcomed at a luncheon
in Cheyenne hosted by leaders of the WWAMI Medical Education Program and members of
the Wyoming State Legislature Feb. 21.
The luncheon is an annual event for the Wyoming WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska,
Montana and Idaho) Medical Education Program and is an occasion for new incoming medical
students to meet with medical school and state leadership; receive updates; and recognize
the continued support offered by the state of Wyoming to the medical school program.
Dr. Brant Schumaker, director of the Wyoming WWAMI Medical Education Program in UW’s
College of Health Sciences, says the program appreciates the support it receives from
the Legislature.
“Our state’s leadership had the vision 26 years ago to establish a medical school
where our students could be trained both in the classroom and alongside medical preceptors
in hospitals and other clinical settings around the state, preparing them for practice
as physicians in many of Wyoming’s rural and underserved populations,” Schumaker says.
The state contributes up to 85 percent of the cost for Wyoming students to attend
the WWAMI program, enabling them to receive their medical degrees from the University
of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle before completing their residency and,
ultimately, returning to Wyoming to practice medicine as part of their tuition agreement.
“We could not exist without the support of our Legislature,” Schumaker says.
Also in attendance at the event were Dr. Robert Monger, assistant dean of the Wyoming
WWAMI program and a practicing rheumatologist in Cheyenne; Dr. Suzanne Allen, the
University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) vice dean for academic, rural
and regional affairs; and Dr. Tim Dellit, interim CEO/dean of the UWSOM and interim
executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Washington.
“We are so proud of our partnerships with our Wyoming clinicians and hospitals for
providing a community-based education for our students, and we have deep appreciation
for the support of state leaders,” Dellit says. “These partnerships create a solid
base for our students to train for rural medicine.”
First-year medical student Heidi Taggart, of Jackson, notes the importance of how
WWAMI enables her to give back to her home state and its people.
“When I was choosing where to pursue my medical education, continuing my education
at a top medical school while staying closer to home made Wyoming WWAMI the obvious
choice,” Taggart says. “The opportunity to learn from physicians who work in the state
and are familiar in the specifics of practicing medicine here is a unique opportunity
not easily replicated at other medical schools, and it will guide me well in my future
career serving the people of Wyoming.”
At the end of the day, students had the opportunity to visit with Gov. Mark Gordon
and discuss issues related to health care access and the practice of medicine in Wyoming.
Casey Pikla, Medical Student Association class president, and Wyoming Medical Society
representative Taggart represented their classmates in the meeting with the governor.
“I chose Wyoming WWAMI because its mission aligns with the values I aspire to in medicine,”
Pikla says. “Wyoming is a state with a tremendous need for providers, and this program
cultivates skills to be both a great physician and a community leader. The small cohort
size allows me to have a personal relationship with faculty and to build close ties
with classmates who will, one day, be fellow colleagues working to address the health
challenges of our state.”
Each new class of medical students in the Wyoming WWAMI program spends the first two
years in the foundations phase on the UW campus, then another two years in the clinical
phase that places them in medical care facilities and hospital settings around the
state for hands-on training.
“We are proud of all of our WWAMI students and honored to support them in their pursuit
of careers in medicine,” says Jacob Warren, dean of the UW College of Health Sciences.
“Their dedication to health care in Wyoming -- combined with the ongoing support of
the Legislature -- directly increases access to care throughout the state.”
Members of the new class of first-year WWAMI medical students, listed by their hometowns,
are:
Big Horn -- Andrew Quinn and Andrew White.
Casper -- Thomas Robitaille.
Cheyenne -- Daphne Ma, Madeleine Prince and McKenzie Stampfli.
Cody -- Aaron Erickson, Brayden Feusner and Galen Tribble.
Jackson -- Franklin Powell and Taggart.
Lander -- Ross Cook, Cale Hinkle and Pikla.
Lovell -- Hyrum Hopkin.
Meeteetse -- Trent Bronnenberg.
Powell -- Jenni Ebersberger and Hannah Mills.
Sheridan -- Caleb Hoopes.
Thermopolis -- Shayna Bauer.
To learn more about UW’s WWAMI Medical Education Program, go to www.uwyo.edu/wwami/.
About the UW 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, communication
disorders, social work, kinesiology, community and public health, and disability studies.
The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne,
as well as operating primary care and speech/hearing 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.
