SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University announced its intention to explore a partnership with the University of Washington to operate a physician training program on the Riverpoint campus in Spokane.

We at Gonzaga, together with many other community members, have actively supported expansion of WWAMI medical education and the promise of economic growth stimulated by research in Spokane since the original proposal to bring the four-year medical school to the University District launched, said Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh in a press release sent out on Monday. Given the reality that expanding medical education has always been considered in view of the opportunities for Spokane and the benefits to Eastern Washington, we feel it is important to get community input on the role and value of a UW-GU partnership

The UW has proposed development of a public-private partnership in the context of the University of Washington School of Medicine's WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) program a five-state, community-based medical education enterprise that is recognized as the top primary care, family medicine and rural medicine program in the nation.

According to a 2009 report commissioned by Greater Spokane Inc., a four year medical school would have a $1.6 billion economic impact and create more than 9,000 jobs over a 20-year period.

WSU wants to establish its own medical school that would train 120 new doctors per year, while UW wants to expand the existing Spokane program initially to take 80 new students per year and eventually grow to 120. The announcement of Gonzaga's intended partnership came just hours after two Spokane legislators announced plans to back a new Washington State University medical school on the Riverpoint campus.

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Gonzaga looking to partner with UW on Spokane medical school