In Idaho, For Idaho

Idaho WWAMI Names Research Office in Honor of Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health

The motto “We’re in Idaho for Idaho,” guides the direction of Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health (BCIF) in the state, said Executive Director Kendra Witt-Doyle.

“We partner up with other entities that also have that motto of being in Idaho for Idaho,” she said. “I can’t think of any other entity in Idaho that lives and breathes that on a daily basis like Idaho WWAMI. You are here for the state, and you are here for the healthcare of the state.”

BCIF has been a leader within the state of Idaho since being formed in 2001 and has consistently invested in the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education program including medical student scholarships, the research office, Project ECHO Idaho and the North Idaho Area Health Education Center office, said Brad Martin, director of development at Idaho WWAMI.

It is absolutely essential and integral to our land grant mission and what we’re trying to do here in the state.Brad Martin, director of development at Idaho WWAMI

Now, Idaho WWAMI has named their research office after BCIF to honor their commitment to supporting the medical program — Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Idaho Office of Underserved and Rural Medical Research (IOURMR).

“We’re here to celebrate our relationship with BCIF and their commitment to advancing health in the state of Idaho and what they’ve done for the university,” said Torrey Lawrence, provost at University of Idaho.

Partnering with BCIF has allowed Idaho WWAMI to make immeasurable strides in their mission to improve healthcare in the state of Idaho.

“We could not do what we do here at this medical school without BCIF and the partnership that they have with us,” Martin said. “It is absolutely essential and integral to our land grant mission and what we’re trying to do here in the state.”

The state of Idaho has been suffering from a physician shortage for years now, which Idaho WWAMI has been rectifying. With their partnership with BCIF, Idaho WWAMI has been able to grow their program and make progress in their mission to educate Idaho’s future physicians.

Partnerships with philanthropic entities like BCIF transform missions into realities. From expanding the capacities of the research office, to providing scholarships to students in need, BCIF gives us hope that the future of healthcare in Idaho will be a bright one.

With the cementation of their partnership with Idaho WWAMI through the naming of the research office, we can all look forward to what new healthcare projects are on the horizon.

Article by Emma Zado, Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program.

Photography by Melissa Hartley.

Published November, 2023.