Yee Thao has a dream of someday serving the central Wisconsin area as a physician, and she is taking first steps toward that goal now as a recipient of the Advocates in Medicine Pathway (AMP) Scholarship at UW-Stevens Point at Wausau.

Yee completed the initial AMP course in July and is taking additional prerequisite coursework now on the Wausau Campus.

“I’m thankful for the AMP Scholarship from the UW Wausau Campus Foundation,” she said. “With the help of the AMP program sponsors and UWSP, I believe my career goals are within reach while studying close to home in Wausau.”

The Medical College of Wisconsin-Central Wisconsin campus (MCW-CW) and North Central WI Area Health Education Center (AHEC) aim to address the health care provider shortage in the area by training community-focused physicians that will serve the health care needs of central Wisconsin. Wausau is home to a predominantly rural as well as a large Hmong population, both of which are greatly underserved in medicine. Building a strong doctor-patient relationship is crucial to providing excellent health care. Having physicians that look like patients, understand the patient’s culture and adequately represent the people that make up the local community helps facilitate a much stronger, trustworthy doctor-patient relationship and healthier communities.

In summer 2020, the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment awarded the MCW-CW and North Central AHEC a $400,000 grant to develop the pipeline dubbed Advocates in Medicine Pathway (AMP) to meet these goals. It is a FREE, 6-month program that will support the professional development of individuals with ties to central Wisconsin interested in attending medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Central Wisconsin campus. The goal of the program is to promote a diverse future health care workforce built around resilience, relationships and systems-based knowledge.

The next round of the AMP program runs from January 2023 through July 2023. During the spring semester, students will attend the virtual 1-credit "Wicked Problems in Medicine" course offered through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Wausau and the virtual advising sessions one night per week. Additionally, a clinical coordinator works with the AMP student to arrange a 1-week job shadow opportunity that fits the needs and interests of each AMP participant. In June and July, the AMP students will participate in the WI AHEC Community Health Internship Program (CHIP) as full-time paid interns.

AMP program benefits include networking, mentoring, opportunities for strong letters of recommendation, MCAT test preparation and guidance, financial support for each AMP participant to be used towards preparing for medical school and more! The application deadline is November 1, 2022. To apply and learn more, visit https://bit.ly/AMPMCW.