The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s 2026 Community Connections Showcase celebrated fourth-year medical students and clinical partners across the state who are working together to improve access to care and advance health outcomes in Washington.
Held earlier this month at the Medicine Building’s Center for the People in Spokane, the annual event highlighted student-led community projects through presentations and impact awards. New this year, the showcase also honored clinical teaching sites nominated by students for outstanding mentorship and community engagement.
The projects are part of the MD program’s Rural and Urban Underserved Medicine curriculum, courses designed to immerse students in communities facing healthcare shortages and underserved populations.
“The community project assignment aims to better integrate our students into the settings where they are learning and to give a lasting gift to the sites and communities that host them,” said Anne Grossman, MD, assistant professor and course team member.
Throughout the evening, four students were recognized with Gold Impact Awards and 11 with Silver Impact Awards for projects addressing a wide range of community health needs, including HIV prevention education, mental health resource navigation, nutrition education, care for unhoused populations, and adaptive sports and disability language. Gold Impact Award recipients presented their projects during the event, while Silver Impact Award projects were featured in poster displays.
“The work of these projects is fulfilling our mission in incredible ways and making positive impact in communities,” said Jaime Bowman, MD, FAAFP, vice chair of family medicine and course director.
WSU’s MD program seeks students who are committed to serving Washington’s rural and underserved communities as physicians. Nearly 30% of this year’s graduating fourth-year class will continue their training in state, and more than 60% of the college’s MD graduates who have completed residency training are now practicing in Washington.
The showcase also recognized the importance of community partners for shaping the next generation of Washington physicians. Recipients of this year’s new teaching impact award included Camas Center Clinic, Olympia Free Clinic and Capitol Recovery Center, Arbor Health, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, and CHAS Street Medicine.
In recognition of their impact, matched donations were made to the college’s general scholarship fund to support medical students on their path to serving the communities that need them most.
The evening concluded with recognition of the faculty, clinicians, staff, and community organizations who continue partnering with the college to train future physicians through community-based learning experiences.
Award Recipients
Gold Impact Awards
- Anna Duncan, “Hepatitis B Protocol in Respite Care”
- Emily Foltz, “Clinical Skin Care Guide for Underserved Populations”
- Jasmine Hartsook, “Improving GLP1 Access at Camas Center”
- Michael Stralser, “Language of Disability and Introduction to Adaptive Sports”
Silver Impact Awards
- Likai Oliver Chen, “When Standardized Digital Schedules Meets the Realities of a Rural Community with Transportation Constraints, Limited Connectivity, and Varying Degree of Technological Comfort”
- Amanda Gian, “Beyond a Reasonable Drought: Supporting Competency Restoration Through Connection”
- Gabriela León, “Recognizing Early Psychosis in Autistic Adults: An Onboarding Training Resource for Residential Staff”
- Mitchell Maniantopoulos, “A Low-Cost Resource for the Management and Education of Abscesses in the Unhoused Population of Spokane”
- Nhi Nguyen, “Bridge the Gap: Development of a Centralized, Interactive Map of Mental Health Resources in an Urban Underserved Community”
- Rhett Oellrich, “The Significance and Basic Pharmacology and Traditional Medicines of the PNW”
- Alex Raquer, “Competency Restoration Process at Western State Hospital: An Evaluation of Current Resources and a Novel Proposal”
- Shayla Reid, “Meeting Patients Where They Are: Development of a Patient-Centered Nutrition-Focused Recipe Booklet in East Lewis County, WA”
- Chantelle Roberts, “Land Acknowledgement at Family Health Associates of Umatilla”
- Klay Sandum, “How to PrEP: A Micro-Curriculum to Close the Physician Knowledge Gap in HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis”
- Katherine Slack, “Improving Postoperative Patient Education at a Critical Access Hospital”
Teaching Impact Awards
- Arbor Health, nominated by Razan Ali
- Camas Center Clinic, nominated by Jasmine Hartsook
- CHAS Street Medicine, nominated by Mitchell Maniantopoulos
- Olympia Free Clinic and Capitol Recovery Center, nominated by Nhi Nguyen
- Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic – West Valley location, nominated by Solomie Ghebreegzabheir
This article was written by Jade Stellmon.
Photos courtesy of Cori Kogan.