Big Ideas for Health
Proven health education and research strengths within the colleges of Nursing and Pharmacy, strong programs in the College of Sciences, and world-renowned expertise in the College of Veterinary Medicine put Washington State University in a unique position to leverage our strengths in human and animal health to realize remarkable contributions to advancing health and healthcare worldwide.
As a member of the Washington Global Health Alliance and through recent partnerships with the University of Washington and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WSU is collaborating with other organizations, both public and private, to improve the lives of people and the animals on which we depend for healthy and productive lives at home and abroad.
It is difficult to have a healthy economy without healthy communities. Since its beginning, WSU has nurtured and cultivated the intricate links among plants, animals, and human health in communities from rural Washington to impoverished Africa. Through the Campaign for WSU, we will make great human and animal health research and programs truly exceptional.
Scholarships in Action
Carolyn Gonsky
Hometown: Richland, Wash.
Major: Chemistry
Scholarship: Regents Distinguished Scholar
Class of 2010
Carolyn Gonsky is on her way to becoming a physician—and she thanks her Regents Distinguished Scholarship for allowing her to focus on her studies and take part in other student activities at WSU.
President of the chemistry club for three years, Carolyn was also involved in the pre-health club, which entails "a lot of volunteer work," she says. She participated in hands-on undergraduate research, too.
As a sophomore, she received the College of Sciences' undergraduate student research grant and was second author on a paper published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. "We created a new, environmentally safe synthesis of a starter compound for drugs, which was previously hazardous to create," she says.
When not in a classroom or laboratory, Carolyn played intramural soccer and volleyball.
She says she's wanted to become a doctor since experiencing back surgery as a child. "Going through all that and going behind the scenes really intrigued me and made me want to go into the healthcare field."
