UW News

August 3, 2011

UW medical student from Alaska receives American Medical Association's Wilson Scholarship

UW Health Sciences/UW Medicine

The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation in Chicago has awarded the Arthur N. Wilson, M.D.Scholarship to UW third-year medical student Cassie Iutzi..

Iutzi will receive a $5,000 scholarship to help defray medical school expenses. The Wilson Scholarship annually supports a medical student who graduated from a high school in southeast Alaska and who has consistently received academic honors.

UW medical student Cassie Iutzi in Nicaragua, where she volunteers in a medical clinic.

UW medical student Cassie Iutzi in Nicaragua, where she volunteers in a medical clinic.

Iutzi has volunteered at a Nicaraguan clinic since 2004 as a medical interpreter. At the same clinic, she completed a practicum studying patient satisfaction and participated in the clinics community education and womens health groups.

Her global view is complemented by a dedication to her Alaska roots.  She will participate in the WWAMI
Rural Integrated Training Experience in Juneau in the latter part of her third-year. This opportunity enables selected medical students to work for several months with the same group of physicians and patient population to learn, among other things, continuity of care and comprehensive management of patients’  health concerns..

Iutzi has taken a leadership role during medical school. She serves as co-director for the Alaska WWAMI Family Medicine Interest Group. She is also founder of the Access to Care group and director for Casa Latina Health Education,which provides information on  various health topics to Latino populations.

“Cassie Iutzis humanitarian efforts characterize Dr. Arthur Wilsons devotion to the medical profession,” said AMA Foundation President Dr. Owen Garrick. “She is certain to make a significant difference in the healthcare community, and the AMA Foundation is pleased to recognize such a remarkable student.”

In 1984, physician Arthur N. Wilson provided a bequest to the AMA Foundation for a scholarship to support aspiring medical students from southeast Alaska. Born in 1898 in India, Wilson  graduated from Rush Medical School. As a general practitioner, he became an integral part of the town of Ketchikan, Alaska. The Arthur N. Wilson, M.D., Scholarship highlights the critical role rural physicians play in their communities.

As the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association, the AMA Foundation has made it a priority to assist medical students in handling the rising cost of medical education. Each year, the AMA Foundation grants
approximately a half million dollars in scholarships. On average, medical students in the U.S. graduate
with a debt load of $158,000. A higher debt burden may deter many from practicing in medically underserved areas
of the country or from practicing primary-care medicine.

Since its founding in 1950, the AMA Foundation has advanced the healthcare of America through philanthropic support of quality programs in public health and medical education.