On Oct. 2. 1946, the University of Washington (UW) formally opened a medical school as part of a School of Health Sciences, the only medical school for the five-state WWAMI region, and the only five-state medical school in the country.

Located in the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences Center, the School operates a decentralized program of medical education (WWAMI) via a regional network of teaching affiliates.

The School’s basic-science departments provide educational opportunities for students from all schools and colleges within the University. Clinical teaching programs are conducted at the University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Healthcare System, as well as at other clinical affiliates in Seattle and throughout the WWAMI states.

The School admits approximately 270 medical students to its first-year class and has a total enrollment of over 1000 students pursuing the Doctor of Medicine degree. The full-time faculty has more than 2,100 members and there are more than 4,500 clinical faculty located throughout the WWAMI region.

Enrollment in the graduate programs in the basic sciences exceeds 600 students, and approximately 1,000 postdoctoral fellows are enrolled in advanced training programs. The School has baccalaureate and/or graduate programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, genetic counseling, and medical technology. The School is also home for the Physician Assistant Training Program known as MEDEX.