UW School of Medicine’s Naomi Shike appointed associate program director for professional development | News

Clinical assistant professor Dr. Naomi Shike has been appointed as a new associate program director for professional development for the UW Internal Medicine Residency Program effective July 1, 2024.

Shike’s path to medicine was untraditional. She majored in Spanish and initially worked in the private sector before finding an interest in medicine after recognising its interdisciplinary nature.

In addition to her new position, Shike will continue to work as a primary care physician at Harborview while teaching clinical medicine to residents in the UW residency program. 

Prior to this role, Shike worked as a clinician teacher fellow at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center, and led a physician shadowing program for undergraduates from underrepresented communities interested in health sciences.

In her new role as associate program director for professional development, Shike is tasked with ensuring the UW residency program runs smoothly. This includes meeting with and mentoring assigned residents regarding their different professional interests, and setting up different career sessions for residents to figure out their plans after residency.

Shike said she aims to create programming to encourage residents with varied interests to pursue their passions, figure out potential risks, and the necessary steps needed to reach their goals. Through her work, Shike will empower a next generation of doctors to be able to pursue their dreams while serving different diverse communities. 

“Something that I am really passionate about is helping out residents who don’t have a totally clear and defined sense of where they want to go after residency,” Shike said. “People have a much more diverse set of interests and a lot of those don’t fit into very traditional doctor pathways.” 

According to Shike, some people may seek to explore a wider range of interests such as research or policy-work alongside their job as a doctor. However, they may not know how to incorporate these other varied interests and passions into their career path. 

“When I was in my undergrad, to be honest, I really had no idea what I wanted to do in my future,” Shike said. “I really loved a lot of different things like art, literature, and culture that don’t seem directly related to medicine per se.”

Reach contributing writer Tommy Mac at [email protected]. X: @mactommy_uw

Like what you’re reading? Support high-quality student journalism by donating here.