Alumni return to train future generations of physician leaders

As the first class of Washington State University MD graduates are completing their residency programs and becoming independently practicing physicians, many are settling in Washington and rejoining the College of Medicine as faculty.

Christie Kirkpatrick Schmutz, MD, was the first to sign on as alumni faculty. She says the decision to help train WSU medical students was an easy one.

"I got a survey about whether there would be interest in being a faculty member and having students in the clinic," said Kirkpatrick Schmutz. "I said, 'Of course! How could I not?' It was always a no-brainer."

Community faculty are the backbone of the clinical education medical students receive at WSU. These faculty support students in multiple ways, including teaching in a clinical setting, facilitating small group sessions, mentoring research projects, teaching through simulation, and more.

"Dr. Kirkpatrick Schmutz will be joining a group of community-based, state-wide faculty that is over 2,000 members strong. They make our MD program possible," said Jeff Haney, MD, chair of the Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences. "She will contribute to the continued formation of exceptional clinicians that will serve the state for decades to come."

I got a survey about whether there would be interest in being a faculty member and having students in the clinic. I said, 'Of course! How could I not?' It was always a no-brainer.

Christie Kirkpatrick Schmutz, MD
Kirkpatrick Family Care

Kirkpatrick Schmutz was part of the first class of MD students to attend and graduate from the WSU College of Medicine - starting in 2017 and graduating in 2021.

"Her service as a faculty member with us just reinforces the legacy and goals we want to achieve," added Leila Harrison, PhD, MA, MEd, vice dean for Admissions, Student Affairs, and Alumni Engagement. "I love that our current and future students will have opportunities to learn from our very own."

Kirkpatrick Schmutz grew up in Longview, Washington, and attended college in Spokane for her undergraduate degree. She says she always wanted to stay close to family and eventually practice in the state.

"I also liked the concept of being a part of something new," added Kirkpatrick Schmutz about joining the inaugural class. "It was exciting to me to help pave the way for more future doctors to train."

After graduating with her MD, Kirkpatrick Schmutz spent the next three years completing an internal medicine residency at Virginia Mason in Seattle. The location in her home state allowed her to stay in touch with many of her WSU classmates, former faculty mentors, and her family in Longview, where medicine is the family business.

Since graduating from residency, Kirkpatrick Schmutz has joined her father and brother in the family practice, Kirkpatrick Family Care. She will practice internal medicine and primary care, as well as weight loss medicine. The clinic serves about 15,000 patients in Longview as well as rural areas of Cowlitz and Clark Counties in southwestern Washington.

"It isn't good enough to say we are going to do something, like select applicants who want to serve in Washington," said Harrison. "We have to mean it, and more importantly, do it. Seeing that happen is so important to our communities."

Kirkpatrick Schmutz will also welcome WSU medical students into her clinic for training. It's a full-circle moment for faculty like Haney.

"Part of the responsibility that we imparted in our students from the outset is the concept of stewardship, which includes teaching future generations of physician leaders," he said. "Dr. Kirkpatrick Schmutz is an exemplar of that effort toward stewardship, benefiting current and future students and setting an example for them to follow."

Kirkpatrick Schmutz says teaching not only benefits doctors in training but also physicians and the organizations they work for.

"I think that being in an academic-like training environment keeps everybody at the top of their game and keeps patients getting the best care," she said. "I'm excited to be challenged. I think they will teach me as much as I teach them, if not more, and I love that."

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