Community Outreach and Engagement

At Wyoming WWAMI, community engagement is not an extracurricular afterthought — it is an integral part of the medical education experience. While not an explicit curriculum requirement, community service and outreach are embraced by most students as part of their training and professional development. These efforts reflect a strong shared commitment to service, connection, and the health of Wyoming communities. Through hands-on outreach, students move beyond the classroom to work alongside community partners, addressing real health needs while deepening their understanding of the people and places they hope to serve.

The Wyoming WWAMI Medical Student Association plays a central role in organizing and sponsoring community programming throughout the academic year. MSA members coordinate health fairs, peer mentoring initiatives, and wellness events that strengthen ties between WWAMI students and the communities they serve. These student-led efforts create visible and lasting connections while addressing local health priorities across Wyoming.

WWAMI students volunteer in a wide variety of ways during their time in Laramie and across Wyoming. In recent years, students have served as Spanish and Chinese interpreters at Laramie’s Downtown Clinic, mentored youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters, helped organize a panel discussion on adverse childhood experiences, performed music for patients and guests at Ivinson Memorial Hospital, and supported the Sun Bus program during a summer in Wyoming. These experiences reflect the many ways students contribute their time, skills, and compassion to the communities around them.

By participating in community outreach, service learning, volunteering, and community-engaged research, WWAMI students apply classroom learning in meaningful ways and gain a broader perspective on the social, cultural, and structural factors that shape health in Wyoming.

 

Stop the Bleed

Stop the Bleed is a national campaign brought to life across Wyoming by WWAMI medical students. Students lead hands-on trainings that teach community members how to control life-threatening hemorrhage and use Narcan before emergency responders arrive. Participants learn wound packing, tourniquet application, and emergency response strategies — skills that are increasingly being taught in schools, workplaces, and public settings across the state. The goal is to make bleeding control kits as familiar and accessible as AEDs, and to ensure that bystanders know how to use them in an emergency.

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Wyoming Period Equity Project

As part of Wyoming WWAMI’s Health Equity Circle, the Wyoming Period Equity Project (WYPEP) is a student-led initiative addressing period poverty and menstrual stigma in Laramie and surrounding communities. In partnership with the University of Washington and local organizations, WYPEP increases awareness through educational outreach, distributes menstrual hygiene products to individuals facing financial barriers, and advocates for policies that ensure access to basic menstrual care. The project helps normalize conversations about menstruation while also providing tangible support to Wyoming residents.

Hospice Project

WWAMI students also volunteer with Hospice of Laramie, a program that supports individuals with terminal illness and their loved ones through a holistic approach that addresses physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Students contribute in simple but meaningful ways — baking cookies for families, playing piano in the Hospice House lobby, and visiting with patients and family members. These interactions allow students to offer companionship and comfort while learning from the dignity and humanity of end-of-life care.