Little more than fifteen years ago, a group of dreamers founded PNWU with a bold mission based on urgent health needs of rural and medically underserved communities of the Pacific Northwest. Our founders’ passion for equitable distribution of health care inspired them to build a university in a vacant lot in the Terrace Heights neighborhood of Yakima. Since this exhilarating, yet humble, beginning, PNWU has risen to the challenge of this mission and produced 905 new Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. Now, we face the new, profound tests of a global pandemic and a re-awakening to the numerous ills of social inequality. Thanks to our visionary founders, and all of our graduates, students, faculty, staff, and supporters, PNWU is uniquely prepared to address urgent health needs.
Together, we are actively confronting the world-wide challenges of health and equity. PNWU’s new vision of revolutionizing community health compels us to lead change in health and equity, and loudly expresses our enthusiasm for an immense impact on the greater good of society. Our responsibilities to revolutionize community health by serving rural and medically underserved communities call us to build the interprofessional health teams of the future to prevent illness and promote health. Thanks to community support through the PNWU Annual Fund, we are consistently able to push forward in our mission and vision to develop new programs, create strong partnerships and promote student excellence in service to our communities. In addition to the existing curriculum you can explore through this program, PNWU is also developing Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs on our campus.
We are growing our current partnership programs with Washington State University and Heritage University for Nursing, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, and Master of Arts in Medical Science, further preparing students to work together by learning together in interprofessional teams. Additionally, these partnerships, as well as those with MultiCare Health System, Yakama Nation, National Institutes of Health, and numerous other health and education institutions, will enable PNWU to build new health care education models for rapidly changing times. Drawing on our nationally recognized Roots to Wings program, the new President’s Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is further preparing our students, faculty and staff to serve all people, equally, with respect and compassion. We aim to lead the campus, the Pacific Northwest, and the nation toward inclusive excellence. I invite you to join us during these unprecedented times in responding to the urgent health and equity needs of our communities, and in building new approaches to care for everyone, and for all citizens to have access to this new care.
Your support of PNWU makes a true impact in the health and equity of our communities!
Michael J. Lawler,
PhD President