WSU, UW split ways on medical school

After years of yearning to have broader medical education offering, Spokane may now have both of the state’s leading universities competing to train doctors. Washington State University and the University of Washington announced late this afternoon that they will dissolve the partnership that has been training doctors in Spokane, allowing Washington State University to seek establishment of an independent medical school without UW interference. UW, meanwhile, will continue rapid expansion of it decades old program that trains primary care doctors to work in rural communities. The state’s two largest universities have been bickering publicly for months over the future of medical education in Spokane. The decision, if the Legislature agrees, appears to create two paths to become a medical doctor in Spokane, one through Washington State University and one through the University of Washington. WWAMI is a five-state program led by UW. WSU has partnered with WWAMI in Spokane, but that partnership ends under the deal.