Working together to create healthier communities

The University of Washington School of Medicine is ranked as one of the best medical schools in the U.S., attracting top talent from Washington state and beyond.

Seth and Hannah Dotson are an excellent example: They both grew up in Clarkston, Wash., and attended Clarkston High School. Years later, the two are married and both in their third year at the UW School of Medicine in Spokane.

“The UW in general is such a good school. I was thinking primary care before medical school, so that was a big draw for me,” explains Hannah.

“I liked being on Gonzaga’s campus,” Seth adds. “The medical community here has been great to be a part of as a student.”

A healthy partnership

While it’s a journey they are taking together, each of the Dotsons had their own motivation for pursuing medical school.

“My mom is an OB in Clarkston and Lewiston, and my dad was a doctor when I was really young,” says Hannah. “That was pretty influential to me, because we’d go to the grocery store and her patients would say, ‘Oh, you delivered me,’ or my classmates would say that.”

For much of his youth, Seth focused on playing sports when he got to college — but a bout of injuries in high school opened his eyes to the medical field instead.

“I had one injury after another, and during that time, there was a surgeon that was taking care of me. Even when he wasn’t on call, he was told that I got hurt in a basketball game, and he called up the hospital and said, ‘Hey, I’ll take care of that,’” Seth recalls. “It was that moment that I realized the impact a physician could have in someone’s life.”

Entering medical school with such inspiring role models, Seth and Hannah were off to a strong start. They’ve grown personally and professionally, developing leadership skills along the way.

“It’s unique, having a married couple working together as medical students. It’s a great dynamic,” says third-year med student Josh Loiseau. “They’re both very caring. They work well together. They’re able to bounce ideas off one another and include other people too.”

Caring for the community

The University of Washington is dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of people across Washington. The Dotsons see patient care as a fulfilling way to be part of that mission, serving their community and their state.

“It’s the interactions you get to have with the patients,” says Seth. “It’s something you think about before you get into the medical work, but when you’re actually in there, you realize just what a unique profession it is.”

Seth and Hannah are thriving as medical students. They’re prime examples of how a program in Spokane’s backyard is working to create healthier communities — by training the next generation of physicians through educational excellence and innovation.