The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine hosted its first Health Impact Symposium last month, bringing together health care professionals, alumni, and learners to explore ways to improve access to cancer care in rural and underserved communities.
Held at WSU Spokane, the event featured presentations from leading physicians and researchers about their efforts to make cancer prevention, detection, and treatment more accessible to all. Many of the WSU College of Medicine’s MD graduates who pursued careers in surgery also returned for the symposium, a reflection of their ongoing connection to Washington and interest in bringing their skills back to the state once they complete their training.
“This was an incredible inaugural event for our community. It’s inspiring to see how our surgery graduates are thriving in their training programs,” said Vice Chair for Surgery Anjali Kumar, MD, MPH, FACS, FASCRS, who organized the program. “The minimum of five years for surgery residency is a long time to be away from home! We are deeply grateful to Genentech, our sponsor, for making this homecoming possible. An annual touchstone like this can help us achieve our mission—a return of our grads to Washington to combat our workforce shortages in surgery and apply the impactful work which they pursued in their residencies to their home state of Washington.”
One Class of 2021 graduate who attended the symposium, Jackson King, MD, will return to Spokane to practice next year after completing an otolaryngology residency at UC Davis Health in California. After growing up in Colville, Washington, and earning his MD as part of the college’s inaugural class of medical students, Dr. King is eager to make an impact through both clinical practice and surgical education by joining WSU’s community faculty.
“It seemed intuitive to return to the area to give back to the community that has supported me all throughout my life and hopefully be a part of teaching the next generation of medical students about the field of otolaryngology,” he said.
Dr. King joined second-year MD student Evelyn Rowe and Char Raunio, associate director for state partnerships at the American Cancer Society, for a mini-session on cancers related to human papillomavirus. Raunio’s description of state initiatives to prevent such cancers by vaccinating youth was especially powerful. Raunio, a Coug alum, said “the opportunity to make further connections around cancer work across the state was priceless. I look forward to future symposiums!”
The symposium also highlighted the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and industry partners for improving care, whether through research, education, or community outreach.
“Genentech is proud to support Washington State University’s Health Symposium, affirming our commitment to addressing disparities in care,” said Pierre R. Theodore, MD, MPH, head of patient inclusion and health equity in Genentech’s Inclusion & Belonging Office. “By bringing diverse voices together, we can co-develop practical solutions that help ensure quality medical and surgical care reaches all communities.”
WSU community faculty members who regularly precept medical students presented on several important topics. Catherine Straub, MD, a general surgeon from Confluence Health in Wenatchee, inspired participants to get involved with efforts to improve access to surgery in rural communities. Travis Hull, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Sacred Heart Medical Center, addressed precision therapies for tumors of the thorax. Kootenai Health’s gastroenterologist, David Johnson, MD, discussed the health consequences of insurance instability for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
The Health Impact Symposium was co-moderated by WSU Director of Health Equity Education Jamie Kennel, PhD, and included a keynote speech by Caroline Behler, MD, a renowned oncologist and educator from San Francisco, California. Other distinguished guests traveled from Bremerton, Bellingham, Seattle, Yakima, and Richland.