SPOKANE, WA – The Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine has launched its first post-baccalaureate program to help prepare American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) learners from federally recognized tribes who aspire to become physicians.
Nmryaqs (pronounced en-MURR-ee-Ahks ), meaning “medicine road” or path to medicine in the Spokane dialect of Interior Salish, is a free 10-month program designed to support the successful recruitment, training, and graduation of medical students with hopes of serving Tribal communities. The program will enroll up to four scholars each year who are passionate about providing health care to populations in need but have been unsuccessful in their prior applications to medical school.
Nmryaqs builds on the foundation of the Wy’east Post-Baccalaureate program, which has supported other enrolled Tribal members for more than six years. The WSU College of Medicine recently celebrated the graduation of its first Wy’east scholar, Lexie Packham, MD, now in residency training in internal medicine/pediatrics. The MD Class of 2029 includes the program’s next scholar in this legacy…