News

Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine has been informed it will receive a nearly $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a new rural residency program.

The Rural Residency Planning and Development Program grant will be used as start-up funding for a family medicine residency program at Pullman Regional Hospital.

“WSU is working closely with numerous partners to expand rural residency opportunities in eastern Washington,” said WSU President Kirk Schultz. “This funding is an exciting step in our collective goal to address rural health care … » More …

When former WSU President Elson Floyd envisioned a Washington State University medical school, he had big dreams. He spoke about training more doctors in Washington to alleviate the state’s physician shortage and about using WSU’s stature as the state’s land-grant university to extend the new school’s influence into every county.

This week, the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine achieved another significant milestone toward that goal when it was granted provisional accreditation.

“This accreditation is the culmination of thousands of hours of diligent work by faculty, staff and students, and speaks to the support and advocacy of … » More …

Starting June 24, patients and community members across the state will see some new faces in white coats as the inaugural class of medical students from the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine begin their clinical training as third‑year medical students.

The third‑year clinical training, called the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC), is a unique feature of the College of Medicine’s curriculum that focuses on giving students experience in the comprehensive clinical care of patients. The WSU College of Medicine is one of the first in the country to employ the LIC model for all third‑year medical students.

… » More …

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Spokane Office of Research

Up to 80 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep problems. The source of these problems has been as much of a mystery as the exact causes of ASD, which scientists are still working to unravel. A new study led by a team of neuroscientists at Washington State University has brought scientists closer to identifying the causes of disturbed sleep in autism, which could open the door to future treatment that would bring relief to children with … » More …

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Spokane Office of Research

Shift work and non-standard work schedules are increasingly common as employers strive to meet the demands of a 24/7 society. It’s estimated that up to a quarter of the workforce in developed countries has non-standard working times. While these types of work schedules provide clear economic benefits, they also come with issues related to insufficient sleep, misalignment of the biological clock, and other factors that influence the safety, health and well-being of workers.

“The effects of shift work on workers, organizations, and communities are complex, and it has been difficult to … » More …

Washington State University’s Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology was awarded initial accreditation for its bachelor of science in nutrition and exercise physiology degree program by the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences, under the auspices of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

NEP, which is part of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, is the first exercise science program to be accredited by Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences in Washington and one of only 62 accredited programs in the U.S.

“Earning this accreditation is a major accomplishment for our program and gives us a competitive edge here … » More …

Researchers at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine released a new report that shows eastern Washington counties suffer from higher mortality rates in nine out of 10 of the state’s leading causes of death than western Washington counties.

The report, which uses interactive data visualization, compares health outcomes in eastern and western Washington. Researchers plan to use the data to understand the unique health and social issues of eastern Washington versus those in western Washington, and as a baseline to track and monitor the impact of … » More …

Medical students at Washington State University have a national voice, thanks to David Choi.

Though the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is one of the newest medical schools in the country, Choi was elected last spring to represent med students in nine states as western region chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ student branch.

AAMC represents all 152 accredited medical schools in the nation and their 89,000 medical students, plus VA medical centers, major teaching hospitals and health systems and academic societies.

Choi, a … » More …

Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane and Team Gleason are proud to announce a collaboration to establish the Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience in Spokane’s University District.

The institute will focus on innovative “care and cures” for brain diseases. This class of diseases includes Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Together, these conditions affect millions of Americans and account for billions of dollars in health care costs each year.

Former WSU and NFL star Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. He founded the … » More …

With support from a five‑year, $7.1 million NIH grant, a new WSU‑led national research center is working toward identifying and promoting effective treatments to reduce alcohol abuse among Native people.

The Native Center for Alcohol Research and Education (NCARE) combines faculty and resources at WSU, the University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Washington.

The center’s researchers are collaborating with tribal partners to test the effectiveness of three interventions in different settings:

A culturally adapted intervention to reduce risky drinking … » More …