91̽»¨

For more than 60 years, 91̽»¨Medicine has been at the forefront of teaching, research and patient care.

• 1945

  Governor Monard C. Wallgren signs Medical-Dental Bill authorizing the formation of the 91̽»¨Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

• 1946

  The first classes for the 91̽»¨medical school students begin. Classes are located at the Kings County Hospital.

• 1950

  The School of Medicine graduates its first class — 50 students receive degrees.

• 1955

  Dr. Edmond Fischer and Dr. Edwin Krebs submit for publication a description of reversible protein phosphorylation, work that eventually earns them the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

• 1956

  The Division of Medical Genetics opens in the Department of Medicine as one of first units of its kind in America. 91̽»¨Medicine continues to lead the field in genetic discoveries.

• 1960

  As a visiting professor, E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., performs a bone marrow transplant at University Hospital. In 1990, Dr. Thomas receives the Nobel Prize for his cell transplantation work.

• 1961

  Biochemist Dr. Hans Neurath becomes first 91̽»¨School of Medicine faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

• 1967

  The Primary Care Physician Curricular Change Subcommittee files a report that initiates the medical school’s national leadership programs in educating generalist physicians.

• 1970

  The Commonwealth Fund of New York City grants nearly $1 million to secure the start of the four-state WAMI Program. (Wyoming joined in 1996.)

• 1972

  91̽»¨enters into partnership with Washington State University to educate 20 Washington medical students at WSU-Pullman.

• 1972

  Family Medicine Residency Network established by the 91̽»¨Department of Family Medicine. By 2011 there are 18 Family Medicine Residency Programs across WAMI.

• 1978

  The WAMI Program becomes self-sustaining. Each state supports first-year medical courses, instruction for its students at 91̽»¨and clinical teaching sites.

• 1981

  91̽»¨researchers, with University of California scientists, genetically engineer protein production, a technique used to develop the hepatitis B vaccine.

• 1985

  WAMI Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program are funded to train, recruit andretain health personnel for medically underserved areas.

• 1986

  91̽»¨Medical Center is among the first medical centers nationwide with a cyclotron, magnetic resonance imager, and PET [scanner] at one site.

• 1989

  Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program sends its first medical students to small towns to acquaint them with practice in physician shortage areas.

• 1990

  Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, professor of medicine at the 91̽»¨and a scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, receives Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering bone marrow transplants.

• 1994

  Student Providers Aspiring to Rural and Underserved Experiences (SPARX) providesinterdisciplinary educational experiences to encourage health professionals and students to practice in rural or urban underserved communities.

• 1997

  WWAMI Rural Telemedicine Network receives federal funding to explore the use oftelemedicine for rural communities. By 2000, more than 320 consultations have taken place within diverse specialties.

• 1998

  First medical students participate in WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience(WRITE) to obtain several months of clinical education in a small town: Libby, MT, Othello, WA, Hailey, ID and Sandpoint, ID.

• 2001

  Leland Hartwell shares the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries of the key regulators of a cell cycle.

• 2004

  Linda Buck becomes just the seventh woman in history to receive Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; she shares prize for discoveries related to the olfactory system.

• 2006

  Feasibility study recommends initiation of a WWAMI first-year class in Spokane starting in 2008 to meet the need for more primary care physicians in Eastern Washington.

• 2010

  Greater Spokane Incorporated/Tripp Umbach issues a report endorsing an Academic Health Science Center in Spokane, anchored by a four-year WWAMI medical school expansion. The report cites an economic impact of $1.6 billion.

• 2011

  The 91̽»¨School of Medicine WWAMI expansion plan for Spokane is released, with second-year med school expansion details. Second-year students begin arriving in 2013.

• 2012

  FDA approves UW-tested drug to treat genetic mechanism of cystic fibrosis, the first of its kind.

• 2015

  91̽»¨Spokane Center opens in the former Spokane Visitors Center building in the heart of the city’s university district. The Center serves as a hub for Spokane area alumni, students, and prospective students.

• 2016

  The 91̽»¨ School of Medicine-Gonzaga University Health Partnership welcomes first class of medical students to be educated on the Gonzaga campus.